The soft, low thumping of a Ruffed Grouse (listening on headphones or bigger speakers. Laptop speakers won't reveal anything)

There is a tucked-away lake in a secluded little valley in a wildlife refuge in Northeast Washington where every sound rings through like bells in winter. A few days ago (mid-May, 2021) I happened to be recording shoreside at dawn when a pair of Ravens made their way in and around. Their intimate vocalizations and amused conversations make me smile, but I also feel a guilty as if I'm listening to a private conversation without they consent.

A Golden-crowned Kinglet, distant American Robins and Black-headed Grosbeaks, chatty Yellow Warblers, a Ruffed Grouse, and even a family of beavers also make a subtle appearance in this quiet scene, but the real story is the Ravens and their croaks, awks, uh-ohs, and ooks and their giant wing flaps.

Enjoy.

Raven at dawn

Waves On Beach With Smooth Rocks 2

Waves On Beach With Smooth Rocks 1

Thunderstorm in Amazonia, Ecuado, a small selection from a longer recording.

Ecuador Thunderstorm Sample

Ecuador Thunderstorm

This is one of my favorite places in the area where I record my Northern Europe ambiences. A rather small, almost square swamp with sparse pine and birch trees, in the middle of a forest. The place has fantastic acoustics with a beautiful distinct echo and diffuse tail due to the sparse trees. During my first of the 2 expeditions this spring I recorded a lot of crystally transparent night and early morning ambiences in this place, I had a chance even to catch the trumpeting flight calls of a swan flying over right above the swamp and then a chorus of swan calls forming an otherworldly drone, reminding a chorus of mermaids. 
Working now on converting all these treasures into publishable libraries. Here’s an example of an early morning 4 AM 4th of May recording with woodpeckers’ drumming communication and a cuckoo in this natural concert hall. In the second half some large bird makes some gentle snorting or moaning sounds CLOSEUP to the right side and then flies by with swishy wings flapping. Recorded with Nevaton MC50 Quad into Sound Devices MixPre 10 II, mixed to stereo for this example.
There were freezing temperatures at nights at this time, but this swamp, covered with fresh evergreen moss, emits a fantastic flower-like fragrance all year around. Also, I suddenly remembered for myself that the cover photo for our first library “Northern Europe Forest Meadow Ambiences. Summer” was taken right here in July of 2018.
All rights reserved. Copyright Dmitry Chernov, LARX Audio.
If you want to use this recording in your productions/creations, please contact us through the contact form at our website https://larxaudio.com

Forest Swamp May 4th  04 AM Woodpecker Cuckoo ST

Swainsons Thrush and flying insects are busy in a thickly forested area in the mountains of Montana.  I recorded this a couple summers ago.

Swainsons Thrush And Flying Insects In Montana Summer Forest

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

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

Raven at dawn

Andy Martin, Field Recordist

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