I like birds. What can I say?

All birds were recorded by me in the United States' beautiful Pacific Northwest state of Washington.

Avian Voices

(UNMASTERED, recorded on 2021-04-27)
The Varied Thrush, Ixoreus naevius, is a wisp in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Singing its songs from deep within the trees, difficult to locate in somber reverberate, its voice seems to emanate from the forest itself, crying, "Listen. Listen. Listen."

On rare occasions, such as today, you may be graced with a visit while on a recording journey.

Sharing the stage today is a Wilson's Warbler, almost begging the Varied Thrush to come forward to be witnessed.

Varied Thrush

(UNMASTERED, recorded on 2021-04-27)
Pacific Wrens are the Red-winged Blackbirds of the forest.
Don’t get me wrong -- I love both. They have lively, spritely personalities with unqiue vocalizations. The problem is that they JUST WON’T SHUT UP, and they’re incredibly loud. They’re the aural equivalent of obnoxiously purposeful photo bombers.
My interactions with Pacific Wrens go something like this:
Me: Oh, there’s a lovely Varied Th--
Wren: HEY!!!!! DID YOU SEE THAT VARIED THRUSH OVER THERE? DID YOU HEAR IT MAYBE? IT’S REALLY COOL! BY THE WAY HAVE YOU HEARD  PACIFIC WREN LATELY????!??
Me: I was really just tryin--
Wren: HEY!!!! IT’S ME AGAIN!! DID YOU MISS ME? I SEE YOU’RE TRYING TO FIND THAT VARIED THRUSH. I THINK IT FLEW OFF. FORTUNATELY I’M HERE TO SING IN YOUR EAR!!!!!!
Me: Oh, that unfortu--
Wren: HEY!!!!! HAVE YOU MET MY FAMILY YET??? THEY’RE RIGHT HERE WITH ME IN THE NEXT FIVE TREE!! THERE WAS A GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET HERE EARLIER BUT IT DIDN’T SEEM LIKE THE VERY FRIENDLY TYPE AND FLEW OFF AFTER WE ARRIVED!!!!
Me: Ah, that’s why I don’t hear it anymo--
Wren: HEY!!! THAT VARIED THRUSH IS BACK!! YOU SHOULD GO RECORD IT!! IT’S RIGHT BEHIND ME. NO WAIT. IT’S GONE AGAIN. SHY LITTLE BUGGERS, AREN’T THEY?????
Me: --
Wren: HEY!!! I SEE YOU HAVE A PARABOLIC DISH THERE! I BET YOU CAN HEAR THINGS FROM FAR AWAY REALLY LOUD THROUGH THAT THING. HANG ON A SEC. I’M GONNA FLY TO THAT TREE OVER THERE, THE ONE YOU’RE POINTING AT WITH ONLY ONE KINGLET AND NO PACIFIC WRENS IN IT AND I’LL SING TO YOU. SEE IF YOU CAN HEAR ME.

"WREN, WINTER (10-30-10) humboldt cyn, patagonia hills, scc, az -01" by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0

Pacific Wren

Brewer's Sparrow, Spizella breweri, is a highly abundant Sagebrush bird of North America, yet it's more well heard than seen. Tiny and well-matched for hiding the bunches it calls home, they are just as comfortable clambering through Sagebrush like rodents as they are fluttering from one low bush to another.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brewers_Sparrow/ 

Image credits "873 - BREWER'S SPARROW (11-8-2018) socorro co, nm -08" by Sloalan is marked under CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc0/1.0/

Northwest Birds

Brewer's Sparrow

Pacific-Slope Flycatcher, Empidonax difficilis

A long song sequence captured with a parabolic, processed clean for sound effects' use while maintaining natural rhythm and pace

Learn more at All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pacific-slope_Flycatcher

Image Credit: "583 - PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER (9-16-13) patagonia lake scc, az -01" by Sloalan is marked under CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc0/1.0/

Pacific-Slope Flycatcher

Olive-Sided Flycatcher, Contopus cooperi, famous for being the bird that orders, "Quick! Three beers!" Proof that even stodgy old birders know how to party. This song sequence was captured with a parabolic, processed clean for sound effects' use while maintaining natural rhythm and pace

Learn more at All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Olive-sided_Flycatcher

Image Credit: "570 - OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER (5-8-2020) guindani trail, whetstone mts, cochise co, az -02" by Sloalan is marked under CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc0/1.0/

Olive-Sided Flycatcher

Cliff Swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, are garrulous, squeaky, clanky, just all-around awesome little birds. Highly social birds that often live in massive colonies, they nest in cracks and crevices in cliff walls --  hence their name -- making their homes out of mud and sticky spit. Yum.

Often "singing" from the entrance of their home, close recording is extremely difficult. This short collection were captured with a parabolic, isolated, and processed clean for sound effects' use.

Learn more at All About Birds; https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/cliff_swallow

Image Credit: "667 - CLIFF SWALLOW (6-25-2016) denali highway, mile p13 pass, near paxson, alaska -02" by Sloalan is marked under CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc0/1.0/

Cliff Swallow Nest Chatter and Song

Brewer's Sparrow, Spizella breweri, is a highly abundant Sagebrush steppe bird of North America, yet it's more likely heard than seen. Tiny and well-matched for hiding the bunches it calls home, they are just as comfortable clambering through Sagebrush like rodents as they are fluttering from one low bush to another. I had my first encounter with in a high subalpine Sagebrush meadow in the Okanogan Mountains last week.

Their mirthful, playful, bubbling voices are a joy and a delight to encounter. The song seems to tumble uncontrollably out of their mouths as they teeter back-and-forth on the swaying tips of sage stalks or other thin vegetation. In fact, the sheer effort of the song seems to prevent them from sitting still, and their heads twist and turn with every phrase. 

This performance is actually several male Brewer's Sparrows singing or counter-singing to one another. I've clean-processed the recording for clarity as there was some swing-distortion and multiple distances involved, but the integrity of the performances are left as-is. 

The idea of cleaning and processing birdsong is controversial in some circles as it "removes the bird from the environment it sings in". I agree with that sentiment, but I also record lots of soundscapes which showcase just that voice-environment relationship. I want to highlight the song itself and present it as clearly and intelligibly as possible while still maintaining the integrity of the bird's voice itself. Consider this a love note to the bird's voice, not the bushes and meadows.

Also, I sell and use sound effects. Sound designers in a hurry much more prefer something they can drop-in and use than anything they'll need to clean themselves. Oh yeah, feel free to message directly in SoundCloud or click on one of my too-many social media buttons to contact me if you'd like to learn more. Happy Listening!

Read more about Brewer's Sparrows at All About Birds:
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brewers_Sparrow/

image credit: "873 - BREWER'S SPARROW (11-8-2018) socorro co, nm -08" by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0

Brewer's Sparrow Performance

The Willow Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii, looks as most Tyrant Flycatchers do: challenging, daring you to identify it. The Tyrant Flycatchers all bear a striking resemblance to one another, with some species being almost impossible to discern until they open their beaks to sing. Their buzzy, sharp, staccato syllables are as key to correctly identifying one as the bright patterns and colorations on more vibrant birds.
Unlike most songbirds, Flycatchers don't learn their songs from their parents, but are born knowing it. Willow Flycatchers play a key role in testing this as researchers raised chicks from hatchling hearing only the songs of other Flycatchers, yet as they matured they knew and sang the Willow Flycatcher fitz-pew as if they'd never heard anything else.

Read more about Willow Flycatchers at All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Willow_Flycatcher/

If you'd like to hear more or license bird sounds for your project, feel free to message me directly in SoundCloud or click on one of my too-many social media buttons. Happy Listening!

Image Credit "578 - WILLOW FLYCATCHER (6-4-08) carrizo, saucito ranch lower spring, carrizo plain nat mon, slo co, ca" by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0

Willow Flycatcher

I don't often share the process I go through in prepping bird recordings for licensing and presentation, so I thought I'd share an A-B demonstration. In rapid-fire succession here are a number of Willow Flycatcher song clips, each immediately followed by the original.

The Willow Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii, looks as most Tyrant Flycatchers do: challenging, daring you to identify it. The Tyrant Flycatchers all bear a striking resemblance to one another, with some species being almost impossible to discern until they open their beaks to sing. Their buzzy, sharp, staccato syllables are as key to correctly identifying one as the bright patterns and colorations on more vibrant birds.

Unlike most songbirds, Flycatchers don't learn their songs from their parents, but are born knowing it. Willow Flycatchers play a key role in testing this as researchers raised chicks from hatchling hearing only the songs of other Flycatchers, yet as they matured they knew and sang the Willow Flycatcher fitz-pew as if they'd never heard anything else.


Read more about Willow Flycatchers at All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Willow_Flycatcher/

The idea of cleaning and processing birdsong is controversial in some circles as it "removes the bird from the environment it sings in". I agree with that sentiment, but I also record lots of soundscapes which showcase just that voice-environment relationship. I want to highlight the song itself and present it as clearly and intelligibly as possible while still maintaining the integrity of the bird's voice itself. Also, I sell and use sound effects. Sound designers in a hurry much more prefer something they can drop-in and use than anything they'll need to clean themselves.

If you'd like to hear more or license bird sounds for your project, feel free to message me directly in SoundCloud or click on one of my too-many social media buttons. Happy Listening!

Image Credit "578 - WILLOW FLYCATCHER (6-4-08) carrizo, saucito ranch lower spring, carrizo plain nat mon, slo co, ca" by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0

Willow Flycatcher Cleaning

If you've ever been in a Northern forest and thought you heard some tiny creature maniacally laughing at you, chances are it was the Golden-crowned Kinglet, Regulus satrapa. A hardy yet tiny bird, the Golden-crown Kinglet is found throughout the boreal forest of North America. I happened to record this little fellow on the Olympic Peninsula where they are resident in June of 2021.

This is a clean-processed recording. All background sound and noise has been carefully removed in an effort to focus on the bird's voice. 

Read more about Golden-crowned Kinglets at All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet

If you'd like to hear more or license bird sounds for your project, feel free to message me directly in SoundCloud or click on one of my too-many social media buttons. Happy Listening!

image credit: "707 - GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET (6-2-2015) franklin co, maine -01" by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0

Golden-crowned Kinglet

A tiny little bird with an outsized voice, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula, is a bird of the Northern forests. Fearless defenders of their nests, males have been known to chase away Canada Jay mobs raiding for egg meals. The bird in this recording was putting on a continual arial display while I sat eating my lunch. Perched out on a fir limb around 20 feet up, it would sing and promptly flit out around 4-5 feet. After a few somersaults and maybe a hover it would return to the perch (or another nearby) and repeat. I say it did this while I ate my lunch... that just happens to be when I recorded it. It began its display during dawn while I slept nearby in a tent and continued with hardly a break through dusk.

I've been posting clean-processed recordings lately, with an eye towards celebrating the birds' voices. I chose to leave this one un-mastered, "raw" save for removing mic bumps and me coughing, just to show how quiet the location is. Adjust your volume until the Kinglet is at a comfortable listening level. That's what it was like.

Read more about Ruby-crowned Kinglets at All About Birds: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-crowned_Kinglet

If you'd like to hear more or license bird sounds for your project, feel free to message me directly in SoundCloud or click on one of my too-many social media buttons. Happy Listening!

Image credit: "708 - RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (2)" by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Rock Wren, Salpinctes obsoletus, long song sequence, isolated from Double mid-side original, natural pace and rhythm maintained

Recorded in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Washington, United States

image credit: "690 - ROCK WREN (11-8-11) 78 circulo montana, patagonia lake ranch estates, scc, az - (7)" by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0

BIRDSong Wrens - Rock Wren

Swainson's Thrush, Catharus ustulatus, Thrushes and Allies, long take of a single male Swainson's Thrush singing, natural pace and rhythm maintained, cleanly processed from parabolic recording

Recorded in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Washington, United States

image credit: "744 - SWAINSON'S THRUSH (5-8-2016) patagonia lake, santa cruz co, az -01" by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0

BIRDSong Thrushes And Allies - Swainson's Thrush

Birds, Songbird, Thrush and Allies, Varied Thrush, Ixoreus naevius, song, parabolic single-species recording, processed for clarity, natural pace and rhthym maintained

Recorded in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Washington, United States

image credit: Andy Martin, me

Varied Thrush,  clean

Birds, Songbird, Thrushes and Allies, Varied Thrush, Ixoreus naevius, song, odd, like warming-up practice, perhaps juvenile, parabolic single-species recording, processed for clarity, natural pace and rhthym maintained

Recorded in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Washington, United States

image credit: Andy Martin, me

Varied Thrush - Immature?

Brown Thrasher, Oreoscoptes montanus, one long developing song string of repeated motifs, short whistles, glides, mimicry, buzzes and more
family: Mockingbirds and Thrashers
image credit: "Brown Thrasher" by Alabama Extension is marked with CC0 1.0

Brown Thrasher Short Songs

Brown Thrasher, Oreoscoptes montanus, four short song strings of repeated motifs, short whistles, glides, mimicry, buzzes and more

Like other members of family Mimidae, Brown Thrashers are skilled mimics and song creators with an extremely varied repertoire of more than 1,100 phrases consisting of slides, whistles, gurgles, clicks, and frequent imitations of other birds.

If you hear a long seemingly random performance coming from spikey shrubs, listen carefully to the phrasing. Where true Mockingbirds tend to repeat phrases three or more times, and Gray Catbirds sing phrases almost at random with some repeated notes, Brown Thrashers tend to repeat phrases twice before continuing. 

family: Mockingbirds and Thrashers
image credit: "Brown Thrasher" by Alabama Extension is marked with CC0 1.0

Brown Thrasher Long Song

Gray Catbird, Dumetella carolinensis, one long developing song string, clean processed from original parabolic recording
family: Mockingbirds and Thrashers

Gray Catbirds are most easily recognizable from their characteristic "mew" like a loud cat, but males are also well known for long, developing song performances that include whistles, squeaks, gurgles, whines, nasal tones, even mimicry of other birds.

If you hear a long seemingly random performance coming from spikey shrubs, listen carefully to the phrasing. Where true Mockingbirds tend to repeat phrases three or more times and Brown Thrashers tend to repeat phrases twice before continuing, Gray Catbirds sing phrases almost at random with some repeated notes.

image credit: "Gray Catbird" by Mike's Birds is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Gray Catbird Long Song Performance

A particularly chatty Yellow-breasted Chat provides us a long pre-Dawn soliloquy while hanging out in some deciduous coverage with the microphones.
Nearby Pied-billed Grebe and cattle make the occasional appearance. An AmericanRobin even makes a brief appearance just before First Light at the end of this track.

image credit: "852 - YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (6-1-11) de anza trail north from rio rico dr, rio rico, scc, az - (3)" by Sloalan is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse.

A  Very Chatty Yellow-breasted Chat, 2020-07-01

In the still, quiet night air of the Olympic National Park's  Queets Rain Forest river valley, a lone Barred Owl sings from a nearby tree. It's voice echoing off the majestic trees of this old-growth rain forest, it calls longingly, awaiting an answer from the darkness that may never come.

Strix Varia

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

Avian Voices

Andy Martin, Field Recordist