Scarlet Macaws. They're plentiful. They're loud. Not Mantled Howler loud, but they can hold their own.

Lesson's Motmot, Momotus lessonii. Motmot. That's such a fun word to say.

Chiriqui Foliage-gleaner, Automolus exsertus. I'd never heard of "foliage-gleaners" before visiting Costa Rica. Now they're the first bird family I think of if I don't recognize a call.

Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla anabatina

Little Tinamou, Crypturellus soui. Such a plaintive sound. Tinamous look happy while maintaining a lost, haunted voice.

Here comes a noisy Scarlet Macaw flock, flying in below the Howler Monkey's calls.

Red-lored Parrot, Amazona autumnalis. They give Macaws a run for their raucous-money.

Two Yellow-throated Toucans, Ramphastos ambiguus, duet at or with each other. Or maybe they just happen to sing nearby? They continue off-and-on for a long time, well beyond the end of this recording.

I feel like I should recognize this. It's such a familiar voice, but I'm drawing a blank. So are BirdNET, Chirpity, and Merlin (and by extension, Birds of the World, eBird, and AllAboutBirds). Anyone have any idea?

Species: song thrush, greylag goose, common chiffchaff etc...

Song Thrush was captured by Telinga Universal MK2 parabolic reflector & Sennheiser MKH8020, backgournd ambience track: MS stereo Sennheiser MKH8040, MKH 30, 48Khz/24bit into MixPre6

Location: Zahorie, Slovakia, Czech Republic
Date: 28. 3. 2021
Starting of recording: 6:20h
Temperature: 3-8 °C
Photo by: Soňa Sommerová

Song Thrush Dawn Chorus Zahorie Slovakia

Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis)

Western Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne olivacea)

Northern Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus circulosus)

Insects and frogs call throughout the night in the cloud forest near a small stream, and some wind gusts pass through the canopy, shaking rain drops down.  The rain was light and falling through the foliage.  I recorded this with a Double Mid-side system.

Costa Rica Cloud Forest Night Chorus Near Small Stream with Gentle Rain and Wind

Cactus Dodger

I enjoyed recording some winds recently, in this section there are some grasses, loose sand, and occasional birdsong, and various tones from the shape of the spot where I had the mics

Desert Wind with Grasses and Sand

The Red Deer Rut (Brame du Cerf) recorded in the heart of the  the Orleans Forest, the largest Forest in France. 

Zoom F3 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH8020s
23.09.2023

Red Deer Rut - Forêt d'Orleans, France

This is a long recording from a ridge near the ocean, so the surf is in the background, there is bird and animal activity at dusk and dawn, and a big thunderstorm rolls in.  The Yellow-Throated Toucan is very active, and the Scarlet Macaws, Tinamou, and Mantled Howler Monkeys are also calling at dusk. I removed one section of a few minutes where the rainfall was so heavy it started leaking through and hitting the mics but otherwise left this recording intact.  I used my Sennheiser Double MidSide system with a Sound Devices MixPre recorder.

Dusk To Dawn Costa Rica Osa Peninsula Coastal Forest Thunderstorm

I got to spend December 2023 recording in several jungle locations in Costa Rica. The experience was wonderful and inspiring. Most of the trip was spent on Osa Peninsula, in lodges that bordered Parque Nacional Corcovado (Corcovado National Park). With nearly 2.5% of the world's species represented, many of them endemic, it is  recognized as one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.

On the same morning as the previous  Midnight Chorus recording https://soundcloud.com/soundeziner/cr-fincasueno-midnightchorus, a troop of Golden Mantled Howler Monkeys greeted the Dawn and their neighbors (and the rest of the jungle) the only way they know how. Male mantled howlers have an enlarged hyoid bone, a hollow amplifying bone near their vocal cords that gives the ability to generate great "howling"  calls that can heard for kilometers.  Howling allows the monkeys to exercise territory and remain in contact  without expending energy through movement or bearing the risks of physical confrontation. As someone who likes little more than sitting in a forest listening to nature speak, I approve of this lazing behavior.

While this howling is their most well-known vocal characteristic, I'm rather fond of the popping and grunting that warms up to the howl and pads the time in between. It's relatively quiet, and is most noticeable only when near the vocalizing howler. The best description of it that I can think of is like the "vocal fry" not uncommon in many of today's pop singers. Check it out near the start of the first round of howling around 2:40 (link in the comments)

After a first round of loud howls, the group takes a break. With what is known about Mantled Howler activity, they're likely sleeping, or maybe eating. After 20-is minutes, they pick up again for a brief session before settling back down. It's possible they've been moving during this time as they're quieter during this round. Finally, just before Sunrise at 05:38 in the morning, they pick up again, slowly building and then tapering off after nearly 30 minutes of vocal exercising.

After speaking with other recordists, I know I am far from alone as someone who loves their sound, but I I may be one of the few that enjoys waking up to their calls. Every morning I heard this in the distance or nearby was a morning I walked out to breakfast with a big silly grin on my face.

Another voice that has become a personal favorite is the Yellow-throated Toucan, with their rhythmic, bouncing song that seems to carry on forever. There is at least one singing for most of this recording, but you can get your first good listen behind the Howlers at 53:27 or skip ahead to 1:06:02 to hear two singing at each other.

Hummingbirds are abundant, and you'll hear their buzzing wings fly by and around the microphones numerous times. Also coming and going are raucous and noisy Scarlet Macaws and Red-lored Parrots, a lone Red-eyed Tree Frog, a visiting Little Tinamou, and more. 

I'll point out a few voices along the way in the comments, but I'm out of my depth when it comes to identifying neotropical birds, so I'll largely let the ecosystem speak for itself. Feel free to poke around with links in the comments to scoot around the recording, or just let it play out over your morning coffee like I do.

Feel like seeing some fancy colors? I've been playing at visualizing soundscapes lately. Check out the video for this recording on YouTube: https://youtu.be/duxU2INkyXI?si=xhIrgiHiOSOk922l

AMNS Costa Rica 01

Golden Mantled Howlers at Dawn

"LARX002 67 Lake near wooded shore Summer Night 00 05 Very quiet Fog Arctic Loons two grunting and howling sequence Longhorn beetle larvae ticking cracking Splashes around small ST Demo". This is an ambience from my sound effects library Karelia, Northern Europe Vol. 2: Lakes and Streams. Summer". All rights reserved. You can learn more and buy this Library at my site 
https://larxaudio.com

Lake Summer Night Arctic Loons Grunting And Howling, Longhorn Beetles, Splashes ST

Field Recordist / Sound designer
Shhhhh. Listening to nature.

To license sounds or for all other inquiries: info@andymartinsound.com

#naturesound #naturesoundscape #fieldrecording #naturesounds #savequiet #listentonature #soundscape

Golden Mantled Howlers at Dawn

Andy Martin, Field Recordist

Recent comments

Andy Martin, Field Recordist

Andy Martin, Field Recordist

Andy Martin, Field Recordist

Andy Martin, Field Recordist

Related tracks