Name: PE 116 35 INDUSTRY AUTO MECHANIC, MACHINE PNEUMATIC MOTORS, AIR DRILL RUN by Workspace Music Team
Duration: 15 s
Description: PE 116 35 INDUSTRY AUTO MECHANIC, MACHINE PNEUMATIC MOTORS, AIR DRILL RUN

I’ve been privileged to witness some extraordinary moments in nature—scenes that leave an indelible mark on the soul.  

Recently, a talented videographer and good friend invited me to Columbia, Missouri, to help document a truly unique event: the spectacle of a red-winged blackbird roost.  

As the sun sank low on the  horizon, over two million blackbirds descended on a grassy field in a breathtaking display. Just before dusk, they began to arrive, perching in bare trees until the branches seemed to sprout black, fluttering leaves. More poured in, forming vast, shifting clouds that darkened the sky.  

By sunset, the enormous flock moved into the reed grasses below, settling in for the night. The sound was overwhelming—a deafening symphony of shrieks and trills that reverberated through the air. It was impossible not to feel awestruck.  

I’ve recorded mass bat exoduses from Texas caves, where they spiral into the night skies, but this was different. The blackbirds’ voices carried an emotional weight, raw and powerful.  

Yet, amid the wonder, I felt a growing unease. In the distance, the sharp, jarring cracks of gunfire broke through the natural symphony. It sounded as though hunters were taking aim at the birds. Though I couldn’t be certain, the timing felt deliberate—shots rang out only as the birds arrived, each night at the same time.  

The scene reminded me of the passenger pigeon, a species that once darkened the skies in unimaginable numbers but was driven to extinction through human greed and carelessness. What compels some people to destroy the beauty that nature gifts us so freely?  

I struggled to fully enjoy the experience, haunted by the thought of birds falling from the sky. This kind of senseless destruction threatens the fragile wonders we have left.  

I often hesitate to share the locations of such spectacles, fearing they could be exploited or harmed by the wrong hands. As a species, we’ve already lost so much of the natural world during my lifetime. The wonders of nature are finite; we have only one chance to protect what remains.  

And so, I leave you with the sounds of these majestic birds—a soundscape that I hope will endure as a living testament to their existence, not a memory of what once was.  

www.thelisteningplanet.com


Blackbird roost in the millions

**The Sounds of Human Progress… and Its Impact on Nature**  

You can’t deny that human activity interferes with nature—whether through habitat loss, climate change, hunting, or destruction. But how many realize that **sound** itself can disrupt the natural world?  

This is a recording of the latest SpaceX launch in Florida. I set up a microphone to capture the sonic booms, and what happened next was remarkable—alligators responded to the low frequencies, calling out in reaction.  

Does this interfere with their breeding? Their communication? Their survival?  

Who really knows. But one thing is certain: even the sounds of human progress ripple through the natural world in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

Use headphones or earbuds

MKH110 x 2 in a SASS recorded with Mixpre6.
Maritime hammock, Florida. USA

www.thelisteningplanet.com


Aligator interactions with Space-x Rocket launch.

https://thelisteningplanet.substack.com/p/launching-the-listening-planet-kids?r=3pifed&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

Starting today a new series of podcasts from the listening planet.

Little listens_Fox_jackel_dune

https://open.spotify.com/track/2ub3zGj9l2fqaFbjXN8c0D?si=a43b3488ea4647f4

I am the earth

How I see this crazy world these days

Here’s a thought: Earth is around 4.5 billion years old. Humans? We’ve only been around for about 140,000 years.  

To put that into perspective, imagine Earth’s entire existence compressed into a single 24-hour day. Humans would’ve shown up in the last three seconds. Just three seconds. And look what we’ve managed to do in that blink of time.

We gave ourselves the name *Homo sapiens*, meaning "wise man." But are we really wise? Sure, we’re smart. We’ve figured out how to split atoms and send machines into deep space searching for new planets. But we also used those atoms for war. And while we explore the stars, we’re destroying the one home we actually have.

That’s not wisdom. Wisdom listens. It pays attention.  

But we’ve ignored every warning sign from nature. We’ve turned a blind eye to her cries for help. Real wisdom knows that everything we do has consequences. So we shouldn’t be surprised when the weather gets more extreme, or when wildfires and droughts hit harder and more often.

Pollution is at an all-time high. We're cutting down more forests, pumping out more carbon, and wiping out species faster than ever—at a rate **1,000 times** higher than normal. That’s staggering. In the next few decades, animals we all grew up with—lions, rhinos, elephants, gorillas, polar bears—could be gone forever. All in the short time we’ve been here.

These animals survived millions of years without us. But they might not survive us. In our short time, we've turned the natural world into a factory, a conveyor belt of consumption.

We need to wake up.

Earth is a rare gem—maybe the only one like it. We’re not just one in a million. We’re one in **a billion trillion trillion**. That’s a one followed by 33 zeroes. How is that not a miracle?

We sit at the perfect distance from the sun—not too hot, not too cold. Just right. This planet gives us everything: food, shelter, medicine. Forests heal us. Oceans sustain us. It’s no accident. It’s all connected.

Every living thing, from flowers to fish, shares a thread in this web of life. We are quite literally one family.

But somewhere along the way, we forgot. And that’s the real crisis—not just climate change or pollution or industrial farming. These are symptoms. The real problem is **us**—our disconnection.

We’ve lost our relationship with the natural world. Corporations feed us distraction and division, hoping we stay asleep. But people are waking up. And many are realizing: this is not okay. This is not the legacy we want to leave.

We can’t let greed and ignorance write our story.

I believe everyone should have the right to clean water. Safe food. Fresh air. Trees to walk beneath and nature to marvel at. These aren’t luxuries. They’re basic rights.

And no politician should be deciding whether we get them.

They want us to feel small and powerless—but never forget: a butterfly flapping its wings can trigger a storm across the world. When enough of us rise together, we can change everything.

We can build a future filled with care, connection, and freedom—for people and planet alike.

But it starts with *you*. Yes, you—right now.

Time is running out.  
And only together can we make it to that **fourth second**.

3 seconds

Visit the Skagit flats in Washington State around winter time and see the spectacle that is the Snow Goose.. visit www.thelisteningplanet.com


TLP_The skagit flats

We did this podcast BEFORE we went to Scotland in January 2025. See www.thelisteningplanet.com


Life in sound_Mandy_Martyn_Scotland

PE 116 35 INDUSTRY AUTO MECHANIC, MACHINE PNEUMATIC MOTORS, AIR DRILL RUN

PE 116 35 INDUSTRY AUTO MECHANIC, MACHINE PNEUMATIC MOTORS, AIR DRILL RUN

Workspace Music Team

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