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

Hydrophone recording of underwater life in Beaverton Creek at Tualatin Hills Nature Park, Washington County, Oregon.

Recorded on June 23rd, 2014. 

JrF Hydrophones

Under Beaverton Creek

Recorded on February 13th, 2016 (9.00 am) in a forest close to Puyo (Ecuador, Pastaza state) belonging to "Arutam" Shuar community. The bird species include Gilded Barbet (Capito auratus, Cobalt-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris cyanoptera), Pavonine Quetzal (Pharomachrus pavoninus) and Plumbeous Pigeon (Patagioenas plumbea). Recorded with 2 Primo em-172 mics (spaced at about 60 cm) + Sony PCM-M10 recorder. Editing : high-pass filter (250Hz, 12dB) because of a small plane apparently doing some exploration work.


A quiet morning in Ecuadorian Amazonia

European Storm Petrels (Hydrobates pelagicus), nesting in a stone wall on the Pembrokeshire island of Skokholm.   

“Ter-chick” and chatter calls with purring song can be heard from several individuals in their nesting chambers. 

Recorded on the nesting wall with a pair of omni mics into a Sony PCM M10.

 17th May 2016 at 1am.

Storm Petrels in Garden Wall on Skokholm

This entry won the Habitat section in the 2015 WSRS Recording Competition. It was also awarded the Silver Fox Trophy for best recording. 

These 2-minutes were selected from a 2-hour recording, made with a pair of MKH406’s arranged ORTF in a homemade wind cage placed on a tripod in the reed bed. The recorder used was a Fostex FR-2LE. 

The marsh was at Barrage Imi-N-Laârba, near the town of Aït Ouri, 50km from Marrakesh. As well as crickets, the main species heard are the deeper-voiced Berber Toads (Amietophrynus mauritanicus), Sahara Frog (Pelophyllax saharicus) and the rasping sounds of Mediterranean Tree Frogs (Hyla meridionalis).


Evening at a Moroccan Marsh

recorded 06/25/17 Osli, Hungary with 2x8040 in ORTF

Fire-bellied Toad (Bombina bombina)

The Early afternoon with insects transition into the warm ambient sounds of the late afternoon in Santa Rosa, Costa Rica.
Recorder:Sound devices 722
Microphone: MKH 40/30
Tripod mounted with Roycote wind protection.
Sample rate: 48k 24bit
Weather:78f clear
Location: Santa Rosa NP Costa Rica
Recordist: Martyn Stewart

Santa Rosa Costa Rica

A lovely binaural night-scape featuring a cricket chorus set against the gentle tinkling of Aravaipa Creek (listen especially for the gentle pulsating chirps of a Snowy Tree Cricket). Recorded 30 April 2017 on Nature Conservancy property near the eastern edge of the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness Area in southeastern Arizona.

Please Listen Using Headphones!

Gentle Crickets (Aravaipa Canyon Waterscape)

Short excerpt from a 15-hour recording session deep in the Harenna cloud forest, Southern Ethiopia. Elusive predators and big ungulates roam these dense woods, some of them still unidentified.

Recorded with Sennheiser DMS. Get more sounds at https://mindful-audio.com

180928 Morning in Harenna Forest, Southern Ethiopia

The little river gurgles and chortles, accompanied by birds.
A longer version of this recording is available for purchase or download from:
https://www.orfium.com/track/525441/san-pedro-river-in-spring-mtngirl/

Under Beaverton Creek

varied hush

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