Wind Is the Original Radio: Recent Episodes
earth.fm
This podcast series is aimed at helping us to connect to ourselves and to our earth by deep listening to natural soundscapes.
Based on empirical evidence as well as numerous recent studies from all over the world, listening to natural soundscapes (particularly mindful listening) has a great positive impact on our wellbeing, and potentially on our respect for nature. However, these soundscapes are increasingly scarce as we humans continue to destroy the natural ecosystems which produce them.
“Sound is life for me.”
The latest installment of the Earth.fm podcast, Wind Is the Original Radio, finds curator Melissa Pons in conversation with sound recordist and expedition leader George Vlad. You can listen to and read George’s work elsewhere on the site - and you may already have heard recordings of his in high-profile projects such as Dune: Part Two and Mufasa: The Lion King, as well as various documentaries, TV series, podcasts, and audiobooks.
The love of George’s life, as a recordist and collector of sounds, is to be among wildlife sounds, trying to understand them, and getting to share them. Though he confesses to being initially fastidious about avoiding anthropophony, he explains that he has become more understanding and flexible, given how reductive it is to imagine that nature is separate from humans (and vice versa): “We are moving forward, whether we like it or not; progress happens: people need to travel and use power tools.” However, though he has become more open to recording people, he draws a line at combustion engines.
He also shares about his journey from being a sound designer, when he originally saw field recordings as purely “tools or assets”, with no appreciation for the ecosystems they originated from. However, informed by his experience of growing up in the Romanian countryside - which taught him the value of loving nature and of living with it rather than trying to control it - he subsequently came to appreciate and take enjoyment from their beauty.
Additional topics addressed during the episode include:
- The “heavy question” of decolonising sound recording and working ethically as a recordist outside of one’s home culture. And, how working respectfully with locals can provide information that, as an outsider, he wouldn’t otherwise be privy to - but also the importance of choosing what to share, considering the importance of certain areas to Indigenous peoples
- “Being careful, being mindful, trying not to create tension and problems; this is just being a human, being a nice person, having common sense - it's not just about sound recording.” Where some recordists cause damage, ignore local taboos, or go chasing after animals, George has learned to be more mindful, preferring to work with passive-recording drop-rigs, which are not only easier for him, but less disruptive for wildlife
- Fellow recordists who see going back to camp and having a cup of tea as ‘cheating’ and consider suffering to add value to the work. While George has taken part in extreme expeditions (for example, in Sumatra and Gabon), “It was tough; I got a bunch of diseases, and it was painful, and I had to come back and spend two months taking antibiotics and trying to get better - but that didn't make the sound recordings better.” Alternatively, sometimes you're in air-conditioned lodges and being driven around (where it's unsafe to walk) - but that this is equally valid. Being attracted to the 'extremeness' of the experiences is ultimately only a way of making everything about yourself, and “that's just focusing on the wrong aspect; the soundscapes and the sound recordings are more valuable than the effort you put in, or the leeches that suck your blood”
- Things that George is afraid of in the field - which turns out to not be a lot, something he puts down to being brought up around cats, which can transmit Toxoplasma gondii to humans: a parasitic infection which reduces fear responses and increases risk-taking. However, he does fear losing his kit on a job
- Memorable field-recording experiences, including “sleeping on the edge of an active volcano in Ethiopia, without having taken any precautions” against the silica suspended in its gaseous emissions, which can cut up the lungs like broken glass… On the advise of a geologist who turned out not to have any experience of volcanoes
- How to incorporate study and research into a busy practice - not a problem when you “find it hard not to read”, and when research fuels excitement about new destinations. Also: recommendations of books for burgeoning recordists - not just ones on the subject of field recording itself, but useful adjacent ones, like learning to drive off-road, climb trees, or take up photography
- How to support conservation - not only in the form of international NGOs like WWF, but also tiny three-person initiatives where donations more appreciably go further (as long as you check that they’re doing what they say they’re doing!). Plus, training others in sound recording, who can potentially continue to record in their local environments when itinerant recordists have moved on
- What George would like to see in the future of sound recording - not just for sound recordists to be properly compensated, but for this work to become established as an valued art form in its own right, with more courses, teachers, and the corresponding improvement in people’s ability to listen and pay attention to the world around them.
Plus! The importance of making jam, playing video games, and reading Jules Verne.
George would be delighted if you’d like to engage with his work, so feel free to follow him on his YouTube channel.
“I prefer to live in the fantasy, not in the desperation of the crisis [...], you know?”
This latest episode of Earth.fm’s Wind Is the Original Radio podcast finds site curator Melissa Pons in conversation with Peruvian sound artist and ‘resilient designer’ Nahun Saldaña. In his work, Nahun explores the intersections between soundscapes and sound ecology, especially in relation to climate change and speculative sound future.
Together, they discuss:
- The possibility of using soundscapes to drive the awareness that we all depend on the natural world - and even of using them to make companies prioritise caring for the planet rather than solely the pursuit of profit.
- The ludicrousness of carbon credits (“Okay, you contaminate, but you pay for the compensation”), but the way that a similar model of mitigation could be applied to noisy manufacturers.
- The impact of individualism on people’s awareness (or lack thereof) of the sounds that they make and how those sounds may impact neighbours or the broader community around them
- How, in urban spaces, silence has become a new kind of luxury - one denied to people living in lower-income areas
- A tendency, within the nature-sound-recording community, to fetishise tragedies in the natural world by recording “the sounds of extinction” or the last examples of particular species, despite this not curtailing those tragedies. Is there an argument for focusing, instead, on “stories of regeneration and flourishing”?
- Whether sound technology can be harmful, and, if so, is it “more important to teach the kids to listen”? Nahun describes an instructive visit to a small jungle town where younger generations no longer have the ability to recognise specific sounds, such as the sounds of honey-producing bees - meaning that resources are lost as older members of the community pass away.
- The power of deep listening and the notion of “politicians with a capacity for [...] deep listening”, and what groundbreaking policies might emerge from such a (sadly improbable) possibility.
- Nahun's one of many projects Escuchadores: a physical structure installed in sound conservation areas conceptualized exclusively to listen and stay in the moment.
We hope that you enjoy this episode, including Nahun’s irresistible exuberance and enthusiasm! You can follow him on Instagram, and check out the work - writing, photography, video, sound art, and ambient music - on his (Spanish-language) website.
For this March Equinox we have prepared a 60 minute Listening Party with soundscapes recorded in March from the North to the South Hemisphere. We're celebrating the season's transition and we want to invite you to reflect on how we can better accommodate our lives to our surrounding environment.
Tracklist:
01:58 Midnight Forest Frogs - Andy Martin
09:01 Western Capercaillie Makes Vocalizations in Early Spring - Andrus Kannel
12:49 Early Spring Thunderstorm in Beech Forest - Ivo Vicic
25:57 Hippopotamoes Preparing for the Night - Sounding Wild
39:36 Dawn Chorus is Saroluk - Enis Çakar
44:00 RDC Nightwalk in Rainforest - Owl - Gina Lo
47:02 Early Autumn Bushland Dawn near the Coorong - Khristos Nizamis
52:56 Tiny Little River - Verónica Cerrotta
56:24 Between Tree Branches - Melissa Pons
57:22: Here in There - Melissa Pons
You can listen to all of these soundscapes on our free mobile app at https://Earth.FM available for iOS and Android.
“I don't feel like nature is somehow healing me - I feel as if my body is remembering what it's supposed to be like.”
Earth.fm’s Wind Is the Original Radio podcast is pleased to share the second part of curator Melissa Pons’ conversation with sound designer and field recordist Andy Martin. (You can find part one here.)
Here, in another thought-provoking instalment, Andy shares his thoughts about deep listening, questioning (in part because of the varied ways in which it is defined) the difference from just… listening.
In the field, Andy “describe[s] [him]self as a witness”, of anything from “the trickle of water to hummingbirds which are out to kill each other” - but he refutes the idea of there being any “inherent meaning in a soundscape; it just is; it just exists”. Where deep listening often aspires to finding meaning or making a connection - “an intentional beauty or a message within the soundscape” - he asserts his conviction that there are no such intentions, beyond those of individual wildlife.
“I can listen in wonder and awe”, but “there's nothing there that is a meaningful, special interaction for me; it is just life existing. If we're looking for a deeper connection, a deep meaning within the soundscape [...] we're missing the reality of what's there, and we're trying to put our own feelings, our own belief systems onto that reality - and that's not my job. [...] My job is to listen and bring forth.” What Andy sees as people’s misinterpretations of the natural world overriding the reality means that, “The moment I hear someone describe a dawn chorus as an outpouring of joy, they've lost me. Because that's what it sounds like to us - but that's not necessarily what it is.”
Further topics discussed in this episode include:
- The idea that, by entering other beings’ habitats, uninvited, recordists make themselves into “voyeur[s]”: “To imagine that I am not making a disruption when I go into that space [...] I think is very foolish” - one of the benefits of rolling out hundreds of metres of mic cables to listen while recording (another being the avoidance of self-noise: “I sniffle, I cough, I shuffle - I make a lot of noise”)
- The difference between American robins’ dawn and dusk calls and whinnies
- The close evolutionary relationship between birds, dinosaurs, and crocodilians - plus, a hair-raising story of being alone in a Louisiana swamp, hearing alligators booming in the twilight and legging it for his car. (Really, who can blame him?)
- Hearing soundscapes in those fog-shrouded swamps of the Atchafalaya Basin change over course of a year and noting the different times at which different species of frogs and insects sing, and the different frequencies in which they do so: Bernie Krause's acoustic niche theory in action
- The potential selfishness of making nature recordings, and whether it's necessary to assign a 'higher cause' to justify making doing so in ways that may exoticize the environments in which they are made
- Acknowledging the unlikeliness “that someone'll hear [his] recordings and dedicate themselves to some sort of ecological practice”... but also acknowledging the value of influencing people on a smaller scale - including himself. Though Andy states that he makes recordings for the enjoyment of hearing the more-than-human beings’ comings and goings, he also notes that listening to them has changed his own behaviour to the extent of affecting how he brought up his daughter
- The privilege of being involved in the Giving Contest organised with George Vlad and Thomas Rex Beverly: a call for donations for environmental causes, with nature sound recording bundles as prizes
- The way that spaces like the Amazon rainforest, which we think of as untouched wilderness, were affected by Indigenous, pre-colonial farming and water management: places where humans have in fact influenced ecosystems for thousands of years. More modern examples include the American bullfrogs which are considered ubiquitous, but which were limited to the eastern half of North America before being bred as a cheap protein source during the Gold Rush, and ultimately released into the wild
- The possibility of humanity having positive impacts on the natural world - even if making that change may be a long time coming.
We hope that you enjoy this episode. If you’d like to connect with Andy, you can do so on LinkedIn and Instagram and listen to various recordings and other interviews here.
In this episode of Earth.fm’s Earth Is the Original Radio podcast - the first of a two-parter! - the site’s curator, Melissa Pons has a wide-ranging conversation with sound designer and field recordist Andy Martin.
The insightful and granular conversation explored the following topics:
- Andy’s relationship with sound throughout his life and career, and what paths led to him dedicating himself to nature field recordings - taking in childhood illness, a love of the Star Wars score, involuntary mimicking of the sounds around him, and a desire for escape
- Flirtations with piano, violin, and saxophone, which led to music school - where Andy experienced a shift from sound being something he played and listened to actively thinking about it as something with the power to affect the world via feelings and emotions
- Stumbling from film sound design into video games - different ways of using sound to tell a story
- How being a stay-at-home father for three years allowed him to experiencing the world via his young daughter's curiosity, and how his desire to learn about the place of sound grew alongside his daughter
- Starting to record wildlife for computer games, but initially seeing these sounds as “assets”
- ‘Quietness’ and ‘silence’ and what people really mean when they search for places that offer these things. And what sites without industrial noise, inhabited by more-than-human life, have brought to Andy
- A nature field recordist's identity and its contradictions in a capitalistic system and in the context of ‘content creation’.
- How ADHD feels to Andy, and how his experience of the disorder affects his practice and his life - maybe chaotically, maybe beautifully
- Also: crows!
Listen out for part two of the conversation, which will be released soon!
Also, below are all of the references mentioned during this episode:
- Bernie Krause's acoustic niche hypothesis: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269278107_The_Niche_Hypothesis_A_virtual_symphony_of_animal_sounds_the_origins_of_musical_expression_and_the_health_of_habitats
- Bernie Krause's book, The Great Animal Orchestra: https://eshop.fondationcartier.com/en/products/bernie-krause-and-united-visual-artists-the-great-animal-orchestra
- Martyn Stewart: https://www.thelisteningplanet.com/alifeinsoundpodcast
- Gordon Hempton's One Square Inch of Silence: https://onesquareinch.org/
- Andy’s official website: https://soundeziner.com/
- Andy's SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/soundeziner
And you can connect with Andy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andymartinnaturesound/ and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andymartinnaturesound/.
A new turn around the sun and a new episode, this month’s guest being Chris Treviño, a field recordist and sound designer from Michigan with a background in anthropology and currently pursuing a Masters in Industrial Heritage and Archaeology, focusing on ways of knowing his own town through its sound across its history.
We’re talking about some aspects of sound as heritage and memory as well as its cultural value in which Chris conceptualizes the notion of sonic time capsule, how we humans relate to sound in different contexts and throughout time, and we also talk about his more recent project in the Isle Royale National Park in Michigan, where Chris spent almost two weeks recording while traversing the island by foot.
Please find below all the references mentioned during our conversation:
Video games composers: Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu (the Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy series)
Steven Feld - Voices From the Rainforest; the Kaluli people
UNESCO heritage designations: https://www.unesco.org/en/lists-designations
The Greek practice of the memory palace: https://artofmemory.com/blog/how-to-build-a-memory-palace/
Antônio Bispo dos Santos: https://futuress.org/community/antonio/
The Tonebenders Podcast episode with Chris: https://tonebenderspodcast.com/277-field-recording-for-the-national-parks-service-with-chris-trevino/
Isle Royale NP: https://www.nps.gov/isro/index.htm
Chris Treviño SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/chrisatrevino
Listen to the full recording of ‘Old Man and Grandson Watch Trains’: https://soundcloud.com/chrisatrevino/old-man-and-grandson-watch-trains
Chris’ official website: https://www.chrisatrevino.com/Connect with Chris on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisatrevino and on X https://x.com/ChrisATrevino
Say hello to December with this month's episode, in which we welcome creative sound artist Jo Kennedy, co-director of Yorkshire Sound Women Network and co-producer of the Nature Tripping podcast!.
Jo is a field recordist, sound designer, and audio producer who focuses on environmental and ecological projects. Together, we discuss Jo's path between environment and sound;, what listening - whether to anthropogenic sounds or predominantly natural ones - can potentially reveal; the power of novelty and curiosity in sound; rewilded soundscapes; graveyards; and more.
It isn’t necessary to experience pristine natural environments in order to fulfil our potential for connecting with other living beings, whatever they may be, and we might find small patches of land near us which are very special.
In addition, Jo and Cathy's podcast, - Nature Tripping - https://www.jokennedysound.com/naturetripping -, is wholeheartedly recommended, as is the article mentioned in the episode: ‘"Initiating Ecological Change Through Sound Art – a Review and Short Manifesto" - https://www.jokennedysound.com/blog/initiating-ecological-change-through-sound-art.
And see what the Yorkshire Sound Women Network is all about and how you can get involved - https://yorkshiresoundwomen.com/
Thank you, Jo, for the wonderful conversation!
Hello and welcome back to Artist Talks! We have been longing for this return and are so happy to kick-start this new phase with David de la Haye, an award-winning ecological sound artist focusing on underwater aquatic environments.
An uncanny and down-to-earth fun conversation about listening to underwater sounds and the fascinating experience of recording them, creation of music with others from his field recordings and some necessary gear talk.
David is a musician - a bassist, composer and technician - which informs his work and collaborative processes with other musicians. He shares about how this processes go for some of his latest projects and the value of gathering people to make music.
Learn more about David and his work on his website, https://daviddelahaye.co.uk/,and consider supporting him on bandcamp: https://daviddelahaye.bandcamp.com/.
Recorded in the misty montane rainforest of Gunung Halimun National Park, this recording features subtle birdsong and the sounds of a distant mountain river. This location is one of the last truly wild places on the island of Java and home to a host of unique wildlife.
Recorded by Marc Anderson at the Gunung Halimun National Park, Java, Indonesia
A place dominated and overseen by large feathered creatures, acrobatic corvids and smaller virtuosos. Nearer the ground, the arched-formations of rock provide a refuge to others, from doves with their splashing wing beat sounds to mammals like red foxes, whose sounds are amplified and travel like an upwards spiral.
This amplification serves as a delicacy to my ears, bringing closer to my perception many tiny movements, many of which are hair-raising. Maybe it's merely the darkness operating its dominating power over us or perhaps it's this intriguing dance between near-silence and the appearance of nocturnal creatures - both animals and rocks, for the latter feel alive on their own.
The easily heard species in this recording are the tawny owl (Strix aluco) and the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus).
This is a specially quiet recording, so an equally quiet listening is recommended.
Recorded by Melissa Pons in Spain.
The breeze bring some freshness in the evening during the hottest month of the year. This is the time when wildlife gets out of the hides to feed.
Recorded by Sounding Wild in Outamba Kilimi NP, Sierra Leone
Taman Negara is a large area of protected rainforest on the heart of the Malaysian peninsula and home to an abundance of wildlife including tigers, leopards and elephants. This recording features the sounds of a myriad of insects calling from deep in the forest at night.
Recorded by Marc Anderson in Taman Negara, Malasya
Spring in the Pacific Northwest is typically a damp rainy season. Snowmelt from the Cascade mountains and frequent cloud cover causes streams, and rivulets to pop up along mountainsides swelling the rivers in the valleys. This particular valley, like many in the western cascade range, has many small marshy areas surrounded by tall evergreen trees. By April the nights are filled with sounds of the Cascades Frog and a persistent white noise from nearby flowing water. Lengthening days, a dawn chorus starts early and quiets down as a rain shower approaches.
This region of Washington is the ancestral lands of the Stillaguamish People.
Recorded by Nick McMahan, Washington, USA
I have a tradition of recording for the week around Summer Solstice every year. The long days and extended twilights draw out the liveliest and most expressive Dawn Choruses of the season. This year I’m in Sinlahekin Valley in Washington State’s Okanogan High Country. It’s a deep, long scar on the ground gouged and left behind by retreating arms of the Cordilleran Ice Sheets of the last several glaciated ice ages. Arid steppes on one side, fir-covered mountains on the other, the Valley draws a line that separates two of the major ecological regions in our State. Running much of the length of the Valley is Sinlahekin Creek, a meandering, beaver-controlled system that sustains a narrow strip of wetlands and riparian borders favored by passing migratory birds. Deep enough to not sustain strong wind, the Valley is a valuable shelter, sometimes for passing birds to rest, sometimes to stay.
One of those birds is the Yellow-breasted Chat, a laconic-yet-vociferous songbird with a voice both louder and deeper than belies its small size. One of the more enigmatic songbirds of North America, the Yellow-breasted Chat is widespread across the continent but rarely found in dense numbers. It skulks about in dense riparian thickets and other shrubby habitats, nesting deep within and singing from a barely-exposed perch. More often heard than seen in late Spring and early Summer, when males produce long soliloquies in search for a mate (or sometimes two), they have a brief but explosively creative burst of song every year, only to remain silent for the rest of it.
Recorded on Summer Solstice, 2024, this particular singer was a surprise. I had been hiking around one of my favorite valley campgrounds, enjoying the recent explosion of late-Spring songbirds, when I noticed a thicket that was particularly favored by local Lazuli Buntings. Nice Bunting recordings being a goal of this trip, I quickly set up a lightweight hiking recorder with a pair of small mics to leave overnight in hopes that Buntings could have time to sing as they saw fit.
Imagine my surprise when listening back to the recordings and found more than an hours’ worth of a Yellow-breasted Chat singing close by, as if I’d set these microphones up just for him!
Our Chat wakes up early in Nautical Twilight with a burst of whistles to rattle the neighborhood. After a brief rest, he begins his soliloquy of repeated grunts, rattles, beeps, and whistles. Soon, less than a minute later, the first distant songs of the next Chat over can be heard in the background. They space themselves out along the riparian border of Sinlahekin Creek just close enough to still be heard, far enough away to give each other space. While most birds sleep in and wait for more light, including Robins and Blackbirds, Nautical Twilight is their moment to sing.
For most of the next two hours this little bird will sing from the same perch, only occasionally shifting directions as if he wants to be sure everyone has an equal chance to hear his voice. His voice grows louder and softer as he turns toward or away from the microphones. He’s so close the early reflections off the leaves of the thicket scatter his voice back to us loud and clear even when he faces away. With almost mechanical precision he continues his steady chanting song.
As other birds awaken with the slowly breaking mountain dawn, the air fills with songs loud and soft behind — but never interfering with — the Chat. Soon there are cawing Crows, Black-capped Chickadees sweetly calling, “Phoee-be”, and Lazuli Buntings working out their unique and recently “crystalized” songs. A Veery sounds like a mournful flute the next hedge over. A Ruffed Grouse beats its wings with an almost too-low-to-hear “flah-thump”. Yellow Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, Common Yellowthroats, and Spotted Towhees circle the neighborhood, calling from one tree, singing from another, never satisfied, at least not until Sunrise when everyone will disperse to live out their day foraging for meals and nesting material. Filling out the soundscape are Cedar Waxwings, Olive-sided Flycatchers, Pied-billed Grebes, Pine Siskins, rowdy gangs of teenaged Red-winged Blackbirds, and more.
After Sunrise the avian community slowly disperses. The Dawn Chorus is no more, replaced in whole by daily activities. Song continues as part of that organizing behavior, but the Dawn pronouncements are over after nearly 2 hours of upwelling joy. Our chat slowly moves farther and farther from his perch, allowing daring Buntings and Towhees the chance to take over the job of songmeister. If we were to keep listening throughout the day, we’d hear the Yellow Chat come and go, ensuring his perch and his home remain his and his alone. At night he will reverse the process, singing from Sunset to Astronomical Twilight, no so much fading away but just stopping when it’s time to fall asleep, to gain back some of that spent energy to do it all again tomorrow.
Recorded by Andy Martin in Okanogan High Country, USA
Recorded in the Spring of 2022, this soundscape has all the indicators of a warm day: pollinators, a variety of crickets, occasional frogs and a rich multi-layered display of bird song.
It's one of the quietest places I know, allowing an equally quiet observer to listen to all the layers and make up a sonorous composition of this place weaving it in one's imagination.
These are the most prevalent bird species one can hear in this recording:
Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix), Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus), Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupidae), Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra), Little Owl (Athene noctua).
The Montado is an unique system, existing only in the Iberian Peninsula although slightly different from the Dehesa, in Spain. As far as we know, human intervention has started during the neolithic period, favouring certain trees for their high yielding fruits that feed the animals, and others for their cork.
Despite such intricate connection and millennial relationship, the Montado is in decline; this system is incredibly fragile and faces a number of grave threats today, from diseases that affect trees and wild rabbits to overgrazing, to privatization of enormous areas of land for mono-crop exploitation, leaving the soil impoverished and triggering the increase of chemical use, which will then infiltrate underground.
Thus it is imperative and urgent to take care of this emblematic land.
You can hear the tide slowly approaching in the distance, with activity from all sort of birds in this patch of green in one of the busiest islands of the Bijagos Archipelago.
Recorded by Sounding Wild in the Bijagos Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau
Afternoon ambience from bushland in the New England tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. A light breeze blows through the canopy of the eucalyptus woodland and in the background, birdsong drifts on the cool mountain air.
Recording by Marc Anderson at the Mummel Gulf National Park, NSW, Australia
High and dry. There is hardly anything here. No water, no trees, just a small two-track (dirt road where people have driven enough times to form a road, but the ground has never been graded), and a distant horizon. The terrain appears endlessly flat, but after some time walking, I cannot see my car anymore. No towns, people, highways, or aircraft. A strange silence seems to be suspended in the still air. I sit down in the sagebrush and the wind calms. Looking closer I see various small wildflowers growing in clumps, thoughtfully placed near roots and sage. I lay down. It doesn’t feel dirty here. The dusty soil is cool, almost soothing. Eyes close, it is not long before a whir of wings pass not far overhead. Quickly followed by another and a hushed chirp. Something imperceptible has shifted. There is another soft chirp. Another whir, over to the left. Then a trill. Gradually building, a mesmerizing chorus of Brewer’s sparrows and a steady drumbeat of a common poorwill in the distance weave the song of this quiet sage land.
These sounds were recorded on the ancestral land of the Northern Paiute people.
Exceptionally low-noise microphones in various arrays capture the delicate sounds of the environment. If you would like to know more please get in touch.
Recorded in the Basque Hills, Oregon, USA by Nick McMahan
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This segment of a dusk chorus in the summer-arid region of Vale do Côa, Portugal, is somewhat a reverse story from the dawn chorus recorded in the same period, although fading out much quicker into a windy night, when low whispering bursts take the place of the singing birds.
In addition to the most audible and easily identifiable species, we can also hear the cuckoo here and there. Other species listed: Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus), Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio), Common BlackBird (Turdus Merula), Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus), Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix).
Recorded by Melissa Pons, in Portugal
Dawn chorus from a rare pinsapo (Spanish fir) forest in the mountains of Andalucia. Starting softly at first light, the song of a Eurasian Robin is the first to herald the new day. As the day brightens the songs of many other species fill the air. In the background the soft tinkling of bells can be heard from goats on a distant hillside.
Recorded by Marc Anderson at Parque Nacional Sierra de las Nieves, Spain
A coveted silence drenches the deep valley. Winter at it’s finest. With closed eyes, I discern thedistant white noise of a creek flowing beneath the snow. Alongside one of the small lakes, acoyote crosses the ice on the opposite shore, noticing my presence as well. As early duskdescends, a small flock of Canadian geese flies overhead, their honking resonating against thesteep valley walls—a common sight during this season. The geese are nearing a lake that has aunique nearly musical echo emanating from it. The chatter of trumpeter swans who have madethis pond home for the winter. Evening light fades and the swans move to various nearby watersources that have not frozen, greeting each other with loud echoing calls. Moments of silenceare equally piercing in this winter valley.
Recorded by Nick McMahan in the Washington River
A classic quiet Savannah dawn chorus from this part of the world.
Recording by Sounding Wild at the Outamba-Kilimi National Park, Sierra Leone
Growing up in the mid-Atlantic states of the US and with roots and time lived in the Deep South, few sounds bring me to a state of transcendence like the orchestrated song of insects at night. The spectrally tight but densely-layered score of hundreds or thousands of insects pulsing, ratcheting, trilling, buzzing, and singing in concert is soothing my the ears and the best sleep-aid I can experience for myself.
There’s so much life in a chorus, and it’s not only insects. Frogs occasionally beep. Bats flutter by. The occasional leaf drops from the canopy. This is my happy place.
Recorded on the last night of a stay in a private lodge on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, near Parque Nacional Corcovado.
Recording by Andy Martin at the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Recently we visited a beautiful paradise in the Eastern Arc Forests of Tanzania—the Amani Nature Forest Reserve. This reserve protects the unique, biologically important sub-montane forest ecosystem of Tanzania’s East Usambara Mountains. Home to unique and endemic biodiversity, the reserve contains stunning flora, fauna, and trails to explore.
Our guide suggested visiting the lesser-traveled Kiganga trail. True to his word, as soon as we left the small town adjacent to the forest, we were greeted by the quiet tranquility of the forest. The only sounds were the distant sound of Zigi River flowing through the forest and the high-pitched calls of cicadas in the canopy above. We stopped to listen for a while before choosing a tree to set up the recorder. At dusk, the loud cicadas gave way to the more nocturnal animals—crickets, bats, and hyraxes. The hyrax’s call occasionally rose above the crickets, echoing through the forest all night!
Field recording by Martha Mutiso in Tanzania
A breezy afternoon in the lowland rainforest of Sabah, Borneo.
Although the birdsong is more sparse than earlier in the day, many birds are active and can be heard calling and moving about in the the surrounding forest.
Recorded by Marc Anderson
An excerpt made from a long form stereo reef recording made at full moon in June 2018 above the reef at LINI, North Bali.
LINI is an NGO dedicated to community development through sustainable fisheries in north Bali, Indonesia. Their work includes aquaculture to mitigate illegal fishing for the aquarium trade, reef restoration and capacity building in local communities to nurture sustainable livelihood.
This recording was made with a pair of aquarians into a Zoom H4N, secured in a waterproof barrel on a raft tied to a buoy above the most mature reef restoration area. Amongst the sound of the shrimp, you can hear various fish chatting, grunting and farting – message me if you know who the mermaid is.
Recording by Alice Eldridge
Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 31:29
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Hello friends!
This episode is a very special edition - a replay of our Deep Listening Party on Earth day in YouTube.
This version is a 2 hour edit and you can follow the timestamps below. To listen to the recordings in their full length visit our page at https://earth.fm
A big heartfelt thank you to all who sent their messages, named their favourite recordings and to all that contribute with their wonderful sounds.
00:00:00:00Vince Chanter - Ravens at Dusk00:01:29:16Cata's welcome message00:04:19:17Khristos Nizamis - Stirrings at First Light00:07:18:02Mel's welcome message00:07:57:14Melissa Pons - Andalusian Dawn (unpublished)00:10:53:04George Vlad - Winter Wind in Snowy Forest00:11:12:07Brother Spirit's message00:18:37:29Vladimir Archipov - Dreams of Bears00:23:04:14Seán Ronayne - Deluge at Dawn00:31:44:29Seán's message00:32:41:21Verónica Cerrotta - Florestas00:38:11:11Melissa Pons - Nocturnal Lullaby00:38:17:03Jocelyn Lauzon - Barred Owl00:39:19:23Vladimir Bocharov - Early Morning near the Village of Lnikha00:41:54:15Hannu Jännes - Capercaillie Lekking00:43:28:15George Vlad - Borneo Rainforest Afternoon Soundscape in the Jungle00:46:08:00Giselle Rooganoon - Aerial Ballett00:47:54:00Kjetil Hoidal - Osstrupen Underwater Soundscape00:51:50:00David de la Haye, Jez Lowe - Hidden Sounds (Binaural)00:53:33:15Jacob Bentz - Supersition Dawn00:53:42:16Jacob Bentz's message00:56:23:24Nick McMahan - Niobrara River00:57:44:12Nick McMahan's Message00:58:49:06Jan Brelih - Thunderstorm in the Himalayas01:00:34:00Christine Hass - Sonoran Desert Sunrise01:03:16:04Melissa Pons - Iberian Wolves01:04:34:01Mel Wolves01:07:17:27Félix Blume - Active Volcano01:10:41:05Gene Flipse - Humpback Virtuoso01:17:36:15Laila Fan - frogs at Menghuan01:17:43:23Veronica Cerrotta's message01:20:20:00Mélia Roger -Bubbles in a Pond01:23:41:26Ivo Vicic - Evening Calm Life of Birds in Spring01:24:33:04Rachel Butt's message01:30:36:08Martha Mutiso - Evening Chorus Amani Forest Reserve01:35:36:00Sam Lee01:45:33:15Mustard Lake - Dawn Chorus at Thol Sanctuary01:48:26:17Mat Eric Hart's message01:48:37:02Mat Eric Hart - Saikan Temple Rainfall01:53:56:00Isaac Amoasi Arkoh - Evening in Ankasa Jungle
This recording was made at night, in a valley.
About 400 meters away from the recorder there is a big Fig Tree. It is a very, very big tree and every time its big heavy leaves fall, you can feel the sound they make when they touch the ground.
The sounds of nocturnal insects create a homogeneous texture that highlights the stillness of the night.
Silently a horse appears grazing.
Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by Verónica Cerrotta
This was recorded on a cloudy evening during an incoming tide on Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, part of Redwood National and State Parks, which together are designated as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. The beach is broad with low dunes covered in tall grass, and backed by high bluffs and lush, temperate rainforest.A gentle breeze was blowing offshore from the dense forest atop the bluffs, across the grassy dunes, and out over the crashing waves. The steady roar of big surf breaking far out was accompanied by the crash of waves breaking on the shore, which ran up the beach and washed back down. I placed the microphone atop a grassy dune at the edge of the shore, beyond the reach of the rising tide.
Recorded by Kelly Rafuse, in California, USA
The sounds of a pine forest in spring in Dalarna county, Sweden. A variety of bird species sing including Common Chaffinch, Tree Pipit, Great Spotted Woodpecker & Common Wood Pigeon.
Recorded by Marc Anderson, in Kullen, Sweden
In the first weeks of 2024, finally, a real winter has arrived with beautiful snowfall and temperatures of -19°C. A day before that, I packed my gear and went to the location deep in the forests of Kočevski Rog, away from any settlements where I camped overnight. The night was dark and cold but I knew that the next morning, I would be rewarded with the first proper snowfall of the season. Capturing the sound of snowflakes is a very peculiar process one which requires some creative approach and experimenting techniques. Besides physically enduring the severe cold, positioning all the gear while trying to still stay focused on capturing the sound itself. Another thing to consider is that snow, unlike rain, is considerably less dense therefore even a gentle breeze spreads it all over, even beneath a protected enclosure or natural shelter. I placed my recording setup beneath the large pine tree, taking advantage of its large branches for some protection. To shield my setup from any snowflakes, that still found their way, I have snugly wrapped the tripod and other parts with a cozy woolen blanket. The blanket has gently protected all metallic parts from flakes landing on them and creating unwanted artificial clicks. It also provided some warmth to my beloved mics, staying in such harsh cold conditions.
Recorded by Jan Brelih in Kočevski Rog, Slovenia
This was recorded on a spring day in the forest near White Deer Lake, a seasonal lake in Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
The lake is large and shallow when full, but only lasts a couple months in spring before drying up entirely. It’s surrounded by coniferous forest of Ponderosa Pine, Lodgepole Pine, and White Fir. At the time I made this recording there were only a few small pools of water left.I arrived late in the morning and the sky was blue and sunny above, but clouds were beginning to build all around. I set up the microphone in the forest not far from the lake under a dense bunch of young White Fir trees which provided shelter from rain and wind when the storms eventually passed overhead. The clouds continued to build until the first rumbles of thunder were heard in the distance. The chirping calls of Mountain Chickadees and Dark-eyed Juncos are heard along with other birds, and frogs can be heard in the distance in the remaining pools of the fast drying lake. As the storms moved closer, gentle rain began to fall and a light breeze blew through the trees above. The thunder became increasingly loud and powerful until it passed directly overhead.
Recording by Kelly Rafuse
Early in the morning I walk along a remote lake in Ecuador’s lower Amazon basin. Far from a city, road, or town, the sounds here are all natural. Thick foliage covers the ground and sky. Everywhere is muddy. Leaves dripping from a recent rain. Dawn approaches and the barking croak of giant frogs gradually becomes less frequent. Mysterious birds calling nearby. The jungle here is one of the most unique and pristine environments I have witnessed. Evoking a sense of magic for me anytime I listen.
Recording by Nick McMahan
To record a soundscape characteristic of this region – and attempt to encapsulate my observational thoughts and views as a soundscape recordist – I arrived at a preserved section of the forest. The Pambar Shola plantation acts as a nursery for shola trees, which grow in the shade of taller pines and eucalyptus. A visual change was provided by a few rhododendrons – a Himalayan species believed to have spread over 1,200 miles (2,000 km) during periods when the temperature and ecology of the Western Ghats and the Himalayas were similar, due to seed dispersal by birds.
I stationed my equipment beside a small stream, the sound of which, to me, symbolized the larger ecological processes taking place over centuries in the Western Ghats, to create a soundscape which could become a starting point for discussing Vattakanal, as per the hypothesis I am trying to explore through this project. At a personal level, I will remember this flowing water as the sound of sunrise in a tropical forest in the Western Ghats, layered with the sounds of birds, the occasional howling of Nilgiri langurs, and the distant barks of dogs which had followed me along the trail.
This excerpt is from the article Soundscapes of Lesser Nature, by Mustard Lake, a grantee of our field recording grant program.
Eight episodes went by so fast! Symbolically, this episode with Axel was the first one to be recorded. Since our conversation, Axel travelled south into the west coast of Africa and is currently in Sierra Leone, to record and tell the stories of migratory birds in the East Atlantic Flyway. So, this will be a special one!
We talk about the dynamics of this impressive journey, how technology led Axel to nature and out of the studio, his crazy blindfolded experiment in the streets of London, our general will to encounter "exotic" animals and how that can deafen us to the wonders right outside our window.
Learn about Axel and Ario's project on the Sounding Wild page and connect with them on Instagram and Twitter. You can listen to some of their recordings on earth.fm.
Episode's references:
Virtual Barbershop (listen with headphones)
Book Becoming Wild: How Animals Learn Who They Are, by Carl Safina
Field recording work: Songs of the Humpback Whale: Dr. Roger Payne
If you have been enjoying this season of Artist Talks reach out to us, maybe leave a comment where you listen to the podcast.
Until next time!
A calm nocturnal ambience recorded in the rainy season in a tropical rainforest in western Thailand. At this time of year, the frogs are very active and can be heard chorusing throughout this recording, along with the sounds of insects, and rain gently dripping from the canopy above.
Recorded by Marc Anderson in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand
Hello and welcome to our 7th episode of this special series - only one left for this season to close!
Today we have a super informative and fun conversation with Rüdiger Ortiz-Álvarez, a biologist and film-maker with a PhD in Ecology. In 2019 he became an National Geographic Explorer and made the incredible documentary Ecotone, which we'll be talking about in this interview.
We discuss human disconnection with nature, ancient ecosystems, animal and human languages and how they possibly intersect in a given geography. We'll also get to know the story of how Rüdiger fell in love with sound which shifted his life.
You can connect with Rüdiger on his Twitter and Instagram, as well as finding more about his grant with National Geographic here.
Don't forget to check his recordings in our website on his artist profile.
Field recording work: Songs of the Humpback Whale: Dr. Roger Payne
Books mentioned: The Great Animal Orchestra: Bernie Krause
Musical artists mentioned: Stura with the album Llangres and Gregorio Paniagua with Batiscafo
Hello and welcome to our 6th episode of this special series.
Today we have a wonderful conversation with award winning sound artist Félix Blume, who has a variety of works in many distinct regions of the world, marked mainly through his collaborative process.
We talk about forms of listening, sound authorship, the power of sound to inquire and understand and working with children.
You can find the rich work of Félix in his website: https://felixblume.com/ and in his vimeo: https://vimeo.com/felixblume
Books mentioned:
The Falling Sky - Davi Kopenawa Yanomami with Bruce Albert
R. Murray Schafer - The Tuning of the World
Juliette Volcler - L'orchestration du quotidien - Design sonore et écoute au 21e siècle
Artists mentioned:
Chris Watson, Gordon Hempton, Bernie Krause
This soundscape was recorded in an indigenous reserve called Wacoyo, in Meta (Colombia), after the sunset. You can hear insects from all over the valley.The reserve has an extension of 8050 hectares, and it is inhabited by 31 communities of approximately 340 families. The climate is dry tropical, and its biome consists of an alluvial savannah.
Recorded by Nícolas Gutierrez García in Resguardos Indígenas de Wacoyo, Meta, Colombia
A new month of episodes starts with Christine Hass, a field biologist with a background on social behaviour of mammals. She has extensive recordings and stories from her journeys in the American West. You'll be drawn by Chris' attentive ear to environmental subtleties and connection to place with all her (truly) wild adventures outdoors. We also talk about the various impacts of forest fire and how to listen and record water.
Please check Chris blog containing not only journal entries from her trips as well as equipment and techniques advice.
Episode's references:
Field Recordist Lang Elliott
Book What the Robin Knows, by Jon Young
Hello! This is already our fourth episode of the series Artist Talks.
Our guest today is Seán Ronayne, an ornithologist and zoologist with a mission to record all the bird species in Ireland and to inspire change through his work and the fascination he nurtures by animal behaviour and outdoors. One very fascinating topic Seán shares about is how we can listen to the birds' stories if we pay attention to their mimicry. So prepare yourself as we're going to listen to some incredible bird vocalisations on this episode.
As always, we also talk about being in nature and wander in nature at night... alone but holding a parabola.
Seán's website Irish Wildlife Sounds
Seán's SoundCloud and Twitter
Listen to Seán's recordings on earth.fm
Watch ‘My mission is to record all of the bird species in Ireland’, a piece for the Irish Times, by Kathleen Harris.
References talked about in this episode:
The Great Animal Orchestra: Bernie Krause
Jay mimicry of a cat on Xeno-Canto: XC585280; recording by Adrianna Muszyńska
Welcome to our third episode of this series where we have conversations with the best nature listeners in the world.
In this episode, our guest Darcy Spidle, also working under the name chik white, talks with Melissa about his connection to the landscape where he lives in Nova Scotia, dreams and his unique way of approaching field recording, parallel in a way to his musical explorations and performances as well as their specific differences. This is very much a conversation on creativity and the inner and outer worlds.
Darcy is a jaw harpist, screenwriter, actor and - of course - a field recordist. His works, which you can listen on his bandcamp page, are distinguishable intense with a strong aesthetic sense.
As a staple in this series, we talk about being in nature, deep listening and being alone in the dark outside.
Find out more about Darcy on his website.
Episode’s references:
Darcy's essay Trauma of My Mouth
Chris Watson: Stepping into the Dark
Roger Payne: Songs of the Humpback Whale
Lawrence English: Field Recordings from the Zone
Hildegard Westerkamp - Kits Beach
Welcome to our second episode of this series where we have conversations with the best nature listeners in the world.
In this episode, Chris Hails talks about his multi-faceted career as an ecologist and zoologist in Malaysia, an environmental advisor in Singapore and Conservationist in Switzerland. Nature field recording has been a practice for Chris since tape recorder days. He has a PhD in bird ecology, and his professional activities have led him to research, teach and advise, with the efforts of saving the environment.
We discuss why there is so much disconnection between people and Nature, ways to bridge this gap and be conscious about our own consumer patterns and the connection to politics.
As a staple in this series, we talk about being in nature, deep listening and being alone in the dark outside.
Find out more about Chris on his website.
Episode’s references:
Chris' book Birds of Singapore
Tools for species ID:
Cornell University Bird NET
Merlin App
Xeno-Canto
Chris' Website Wild Echoes
The Sound Approach
Literature and films mentioned:
The Singing Life of Birds. The Art and Science of Listening to Birds by Donald Kroodsma
Memoirs of a Birdman by Ludwig Koch
Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World and The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places by Bernie Krause
The Singing Planet, by Liz McKenzie
Welcome to our very first episode of this series where we have conversations with the best nature listeners in the world.
In this episode, Mélia Roger discusses how her approach to sound has changed; intimacy and empathy through sound;, and the context of politics and ecosocial conflicts in which sound and listening exists.
"Her work explores the sonic poetics of the landscape, through field recordings and active listening performances. Exploring human non-humans relations, she tries to inspire ecological change with environmental and empathic listening. She believes in the importance of participatory projects in order to share knowledge and personal experiences through sound." (from Portfolio - Selected Works, 2016-2021).
"Mélia Roger is a sound designer for film and art installation. She has a classical music background and owns a Master[’s] Degree in sound engineering (ENS Louis-Lumière, Paris, France). She spent her last year of Master in the Transdisciplinary Studies Program at ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland), where she developed an artistic approach of sound, working with voice and field recordings. She is now living between Paris and Zurich, working for post-production film and her own artistic works."
Find out more about Mélia on her website.
Episode's references:
Donna J. Haraway - Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene
Environmental philosopher Vinciane Despret
Karen Barad -: “On Touching the Stranger Within – The Alterity That Therefore I Am”
Field recordist Marc Namblard
Philosopher Timothy Morton
Glenn Albrecht - Environment Change, Distress & Human Emotion Solastalgia
Bernie Krause - The Great Animal Orchestra exhibition
Solastalgie podcast [French language]
Land Body Ecologies podcast
Field Recordist and Sound Artist Félix Blume
Upon my odyssey for wisdom, destiny cast me ashore on the isle of Little Tobago, a haven where avian secrets awaited, concealed within the artistry of bird banding. Here, amidst the tranquil embrace of nature’s symphony, my passion for recording the melodic tales of the wild began to unfold.
Little Tobago, a minuscule jewel adrift off Tobago’s northeastern shores, a realm within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. A realm of seclusion, where the only passage is by sea, where human comforts relent, surrendering to the unspoiled canvas of the night sky, adorned by the celestial dance of the Milky Way.
This sacred isle cradles a dry forest, a sanctuary for seabirds—Red-billed Tropicbirds, Audubon’s Shearwaters, Brown Boobies, Brown Noddies, Sooty and Bridled Terns—all gracing the island as custodians of the heavens. White-tailed Tropicbirds, a rare sight nesting among the rocks, weaving their tales into the tapestry of this mystical land.
Stepping ashore, one is transported to a Jurassic kingdom. The dry forest, a verdant abode for diverse songbirds and near-passerines, like the Trinidad Mot-Mot wielding anvils to conquer beetle shells, while shearwaters echo their cackling calls in the distance.
The saga unfolds as the Tropicbirds, pelagic wanderers of the azure expanse, commence their aerial ballet. At 2:30 pm, a celestial rendezvous at the cliff’s edge, where winds sculpt destiny. In elegant circles, they harness the invisible currents, orchestrating a grand descent into the embrace of shrubs below.
Yet, should the first dance falter, a daring plunge off the cliff, a daring encore to perfect their art. Enter the Frigatebird, the ocean’s marauder, soaring through the mid-air theater. Aware that Tropicbirds, satiated after a day of feasting, carry the ocean’s bounty, these aerial pirates seize their opportunity. Mid-flight, a violent shake coerces regurgitation, and the Frigatebirds seize the harvest in a daring mid-air ballet.
As the clock ticks towards 4 pm, the winds subside, and the avian performers retire to their roosts, leaving but a fleeting window to capture their symphony. In this ephemeral dance, the Red-billed Tropicbirds emerge as the maestros, rendering their enchanting melodies, making them the most bewitching notes I have ever endeavored to record.
Recorded by Giselle Ragoonanan Little Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago
A very calm secluded bay on the Bulgarian Black Sea, with gentle waves crashing at the stone shore.
Recoded by Jan Brelih, in Bulgaria
Every year, birds that breed in Europe and Asia migrate south to spend the winter in Africa, passing over Tsavo National Park in Kenya between late September and December. On dark, misty nights during migration, many birds become disoriented and land in the bushes and shrubs around the lights of Ngulia Safari Lodge, situated in the Ngulia Hills Escarpment.
This year's migration brought a rich mix of migratory and resident bird songs. As day broke, the beautiful savanna was filled with the songs of visiting Nightingales, Warblers, and Orioles, often trying to sing louder than the resident Emerald-spotted Wood Doves, Boubous, Guineafowls, and Francolins. At times, their songs blended into one of the most spectacular dawn choruses I've ever heard. Avian migration is one of the greatest natural spectacles in the world, and it was amazing to record a small part of this sound phenomena in my country.
This recording is highly dynamic and therefore we ask the listener caution with listening volumes, especially if using headphones.
Recorded by Martha Mutiso in Tsavo West National Park, Kenya
End of December and it is a pleasant afternoon. It is hot and there are a few white clouds. Itrained the previous days and will continue to rain throughout the summer. We hear somecicadas, insects and distant birds. Everything is in apparent stillness, until a warm windmoves the foliage of the forest. Can you feel the humidity?
Recorded by Verónica Cerrotta in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Zarnesti has given me what are undoubtedly my fondest memories of our trip to Romania. It was such a beautiful place – so quiet, so verdant and just a wonderful place to be. We travelled there with nowhere to stay and we picked a house up in the hills at random and it just happened to belong to a truly amazing retired older couple. They made us feel like we were visiting family and they had us sit down with them in their warm and hearty living room for a chat and some delicious homemade traditional food.
That evening myself and Alba wandered back down the hill to lower ground where we found ourselves in a National Park, surrounded by lush forest with abundant sources of running water. This was important as I always love to combine dawn choruses with gentle streams – for me this is a dreamy combination and always lulls me to sleep when I am having trouble nodding off.
I checked the weather forecast and saw that there were some rain showers to come so I set about finding a spot where I could leave my drop-rig (Zoom F6 + stereo set of Clippy EM272s) out safely. There were some hiking trails which were quite popular with tourists and locals, so, after walking far enough away from the little dirt road and car park, I again took another smaller track off the main trail. There I found a little valley with a gentle stream. I followed this stream about 50 metres uphill where I was stopped in my tracks by my first ever Salamander! It was so strikingly black and yellow and it was a dream come true for me – I had always wanted to see one. I was starstruck!
Along this stream there was a fallen tree trunk which traversed its entirety and leaned up into the hillside. Walking a few metres up the hill so that the stream did not overwhelm the track, I set my mics just an inch or two inside a rotten crevice of the fallen tree. I knew they would be safe from the rain and would result in a natural sound when rain did fall. I hooked my drop rig up to a power-bank, hid the recorder in a drybag, covered by some leaf litter, and left it to do its job.
That night I was awoken by the rain and was so nervous thinking about my expensive equipment out there unsupervised. It was the first time I had left it out like that, knowing heavy rain was on the horizon. The following morning I went straight down to the valley and collected my equipment – it was bone dry AND I saw another Salamander! It was bigger than the last one and hung around for a closer look.
Before breakfast I uploaded my sounds and was totally blown away. Zero road noise, only a handful of planes, a mesmerising deluge of rain, a stunning dawn chorus amidst a subtle trickling stream, and, best of all, a mystery shape on the sonogram at the end of the track which turned out to be none other than a pair of fighting Brown Bears. I couldn’t have asked for more.
Recorded by Seán Ronayne in Zarnesti, Romania
Unprecedented and chaotically distributed rainfall in the monsoon of 2023 led to devastating floods in the Himalayan regions, including the Kangra Valley, and adjoining plains of Punjab. River Beas, in and around the town of Mandi, was one of the worst affected due to these floods. The overflowing water from the Himalayan Ranges caused flooding in the other adjoining states of North India as well. Apart from Geological features, Forest patches, and Riverbeds, human-made structures like irrigation canals were also affected due to the sudden, and unregulated surge in the flow of water coming downstream from Himachal Pradesh.
A major cause of the flooding like this, happening year by year, is now being linked to the changes in the Settlement Geography of the inner Himalayas, where the water wreaking havoc in these floods, just exists as Rivulets. As peacefully flowing Khadds. Like the Awa Khadd, you are listening to.
Awa Khadd Rises from the Dhauladhar Ranges in Kangra Valley, and flows downstream to join river Beas, which ultimately drains into River Satluj in the state of Punjab. The Perennial nature of Awa, and similar Himalayan Khadds due to dual sources of water (both monsoon rains and glacier discharge) and an often violent flow due to the topographical contours, makes them suitable for the development of Hydropower projects. The Upper Awa Hydropower project is located on the Awa Khadd. This recording of Awa was done near a village called Kulani, close to the Kulani Hydropower Plant.
Khadd is the local name for a Rivulet in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh in India. These Khadds, rising from various Mountain Ranges, flow as streams of varying magnitudes, contributing to the larger River Ecosystems in the region. They provide drinking water, as well as water for irrigation purposes to the rural and semi-urban settlements on their way to the cities, where the role is further amplified. More importantly, this complex network of Rivulets regulates the natural flow of water in the mountainous terrain of the Himalayas and maintains the ecological balance for the wider Flora and Fauna; an aspect of Himalayan River Ecosystems being urgently looked into, as the Eco-sensitive region has rapidly started facing adverse effects of Climate Change in the recent past.
Recording by
Mustard Lake in Himachal Pradesh, India
The upland rainforests of far-north Queensland are home to many species found nowhere else. This recording features the sounds of birds and insects along with a gentle breeze at dusk in this unique habitat. In the latter part of the recording, darkness falls and the sounds of crickets intensify. The wild crowings of Orange-footed Scrubfowl can be heard in the distance.
Recording by Marc Anderson in the Girringun National Park, Australia
A nocturnal recording that gives you a “look” into the secret life of Wolves in nature.We are in the mountain slopes, and the recording spot is near the Wolves, close to a doe carcass killed by the Wolves probably night before; the carcass is mostly eaten. This is a perimeter of around 20m in diameter, a so-called ‘kill zone’ where everything happens.
The carcass is mostly eaten. What remains is the bones and some soft tissue. You can hear how the bones/spine are cracking in the Wolf’s jaws. Other than that, the Wolves are pretty much silent. There is no howling or other loud sounds because this spot is close to the shepherd dogs (cattle) down in the valley at approx. 1 km of air distance and those dogs are agitated from time to time during the night probably when winds change and start to blow towards them. The north wind (dark Bora) is blowing.
Recorded by Ivo Vicic in Mrzli Dol, Croatia
I travelled to Tarangire National Park in Northern Tanzania just at the end of the dry season and beginning of the rainy season in November. Covering an area of 2,600 square kilometres, Tarangire is popularly known as the land of giants; and from our arrival, you could tell why. The Park is strewn with giant baobab trees that were starting to flower. Not far into the park we encountered another giant’s presence, the African elephant. Apart from these two iconic species and other animals, the park’s birdlife is amazing, with over 500 species of birds that have been recorded here.
It rained heavily a day before we arrived, which brought out nature’s own sound concert. All the wildlife seemed to be celebrating the arrival of the rains. There were nature sounds everywhere! The birds started singing at 2am in the morning and continued throughout the day. Amidst the bird song, there were also crickets, large beetles, bats, frogs, hyenas, zebras and occasional lion roar from a distant, allowing us to sleep and reawaken our senses, be present and reconnect to the natural sounds of Tarangire plains.
Recorded by Martha Mutiso in Tanzania
A vivid dawn chorus from the steamy forests of lowland West Papua. While the rainforest is still dark, Hooded Butcherbirds sing melodic fluty phrases to welcome the new day. The calls of nocturnal frogs and insects gradually fade as other diurnal species become active.
Recording by Marc Anderson in Birds Head Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia
In a remote mountain valley, around 1250m above sea level, the surrounding mountains create a nice natural echo felt through the songs of the dawn chorus in the late spring.
Recording in Jelenje, Croatia by Ivo Vicic
Early fall. Yellow leaves fall from the aspen trees. Quiet between gusts, cool wind blowing from the north. A change of season is in the air. Warm days, cool nights. The vastness of the land is something from classic American western stories. Near the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, the Eastern Rocky Mountains of Montana reach into the clouds. The first dusting of snow coating the peaks. Recorded over night with a wide stereo bar and two MKH8020’s this quiet land is full of beauty and wonder.
Recording by Nick McMahan
Enjoy this soothing calm calling of birds in the Ankasa rainforest with calm water rushing in the background. The thick canopy of the trees shielded me from the hot sunshine in the tropical rainforest as I recorded these sounds.
Recording by Isaac Amoasi Arkoh
Experience the raw power of the Pacific Ocean as powerful waves crash upon a secluded sandy beach. The coastline is located in the Colombian region of Choco where there are no roads and the whole coastline is separated by impenetrable jungle hills from the rest of the mainland.
Recording by Jan Brelih in Choco, Colombia
It’s 5 a.m. at the Ankasa Rainforest. I woke up at around 4:30 a.m. and made my way through the thick darkness to capture the jungle ambience at dawn. Using the torchlight from my phone, I could hardly see anything but the beautiful symphony from the forest urged me to walk on untill I got to the desired spot where I set up my microphones. Enjoy this hour-long soundscape of nature at dawn.
This recording was done by Isaac Amoasi Arkohm, in Ghana, a current grantee of our field recording program.
A relaxing evening song of birds in the a forested hill area near a big lake.
The most common birds on this recording are:Common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), Common blackbird (Turdus merula) , Song thrush (Turdus philomelos), European robin (Erithacus rubecula), Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus), European green woodpecker (Picus viridis) and the Nightjar (Caprimulgidae) at the end of the recording as the night falls.
Other sounds captured: insects, walking of the deer or roe deer nearby and a faraway gentle stream.
Recorded in Croatia, by Ivo Vicic
It’s sunset time on the shore of the lake and the last birds of the day fly over the still water. From the treetops I can hear the movement of leaves and branches. There are some distant sounds that I cannot decipher where they come from or how they are produced.
A few meters away, a white horse shines and takes a deep breath in the darkness.
It’s getting dark. The crescent moon rises and illuminates the ground, the water and the plants with a silvery and mysterious light.
The inhabitants of the night begin to be heard: toads, crickets, owls, bats, urutaus and bacuraus. Some capybaras dive into the water.
Recorded by Verónica Cerrotta in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Soundscapes cannot be preserved across centuries like buildings, writings or fossils. In the jungles of the Yucatan there are countless archaeological sites where you can see what the Mayan civilisation lived like. You can admire their intricate architectural design and wonder at the advanced glyph script they developed.
Can you hope to experience the same soundscapes as they did? You probably can. The first step would be to remove all the sounds that Mayans did not experience in their day-to-day lives. Motorised road traffic, scooters, drones, aircraft – these are elements that probably did not pollute the soundscapes in Mayan times.
On my expedition to Mexico I visited a few remote Mayan sites where most tourists didn’t venture. These sites are far away from busy roads, and only reachable on foot after long drives through the jungle. Once there, I set up a few recording rigs and left them out for several days at a time. I had a very knowledgeable local guide who helped me immensely.
Is that it? Yes, more or less. The soundscape might not be exactly the same as 500 or 2000 years ago, but it won’t be drastically different either. Some species might have moved in or become locally extinct. There are differences related to day/night cycles, seasons, global warming and cooling cycles, local weather and a myriad other events that can affect what a place sounds like. Having said that, most of the wildlife you can hear in this recording will probably have been here in Mayan times.
The acoustics of their cities are quite important to consider as well. The big plazas and stepped masonry structures with hard edges have lots of reflective surfaces. The soundscapes of their cities would be a beautiful mix of wild jungle soundscape with man-made acoustics and reflections. Pay attention and see if you can hear these reflections in this recording.
Recorded by George Vlad in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
It is an early August morning. There is some wind and the sky is cloudy. At this time of the year, the Mulungú blooms: there are several of them, full of red flowers. Now it also blooms the yellow Ipe and the Congea tomentosa, that brings a lot of lilac flowers. There are Embaúbas and a very big Ficus, Avocados, Boldo and Jabuticaba trees. Birds fly from one tree to another, moving their leaves and branches. The ground is full of dry leaves.
Recording by Verónica Cerrotta In São José do Vale do Rio Preto, Río de Janeiro
An inescapable sensation of floating fills my consciousness. A state of lucidity. Not entirely awake but not asleep. Conscious of surrounding ripples, the warm meadowlark song drifts in the air. I feel translucent. Light. Time passes and there is no distance between it. Opening my eyes returns awareness to the small tent I’m laying in. Narrowing myself back to a singular perception. Birdsong here carries you away. Do these small melodic Aves feel this expansion they provoke? Awake and listening to spring birds, a meadowlark, a dove, the northern Montana prairie evokes timeless wonder. To exist for years, decades, generations, in calm natural spring-like peace, for just a moment.
Drive across the country. Long straight roads. Steep winding roads. Exhausted but excited to be here. A distant croak from a raven interrupts my thoughts and I return to the moment. Here in this prairie to listen to the dawn. Spring morning air is cool in May. I breathe in deeply and crawl out of the warm sleeping bag. Bright, flat, and yellow-green the prairie is fully awake. I can’t tell you why, but it feels nostalgic looking out across the land here. Like I’ve returned home from a long trip and everything is exactly as I left it. I think we need these moments of waking up from social existence to be alone, completely alone in a natural place. In a way this is the least alone we can be. In deep nature we are truly what we are. Ourselves with no external observation or expectation to be one way or another. Just being. Just observing.
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
-T. S. Eliot
Field Recording by Nick McMahan in Montana, USA
The Okefenokee is one of the largest, intact swamps in the entire world. There’s only one road into the swamp and it terminates at Stephen C. Foster State Park, a Gold-tier International Dark Sky Park.
Recorded by Jared Blake in the Stephen C Foster State Park, USA
!This recording has very high dynamics and so we advise extra care on your listening volume, especially if you are wearing headphones!
The area above Kamniška Bistrica, surrounded by mountains, was hit by a series of extremely powerful thunderstorms. Some of these storms triggered avalanches and flash floods. The recorded storm passed over the area during the night and you can hear the sounds of swollen torrential streams. Later, near the recording location, a flash flood was also triggered. The thunder of the storm echoes beautifully among the rocky walls of the surrounding mountains. What begins as a distant and quiet thunder develops nearer and powerful.
Recorded in Slovenia by Gregor Vida
It’s a beautiful morning by the Kapamba river in South Luangwa NP, Zambia.
The sun isn’t up yet but it’s already quite hot. There’s a soft breeze that makes the heat more bearable, and there are some clouds on the horizon promising rain in the afternoon. The dawn chorus is in full swing. Doves, coucals, geese, bee eaters and a myriad other birds are calling incessantly. Antelope stop by to inspect the bush and then run away snorting like pigs. In the river, a hippo will come up for air occasionally, calling and breathing heavily. Small water movements sound pleasantly liquid.
The most beautiful aspect of this rich soundscape is the sense of open space. Sounds carry over long distances in the savanna, with only light obstruction and reflections caused by vegetation. If you pay attention, you can easily identify layers coming from different directions and distances. It’s a soundscape you can easily get immersed in, but there are endless little details to discover. Sit back in your hammock and take it all in.
Field recording by George Vlad
This recording captures the essence of a night spent by a pond during the Flower Moon in the untamed wilderness of the Barycz Valley. The rhythmic ambiance is shaped by the melancholic croaks of fire-bellied toads and the deep resonances of great bitterns, creating a captivating backdrop. As the recording progresses, the symphony of the night unfolds, showcasing the raucous calls of tree frogs, the subtle clicks of bats, and the distinctive cries of the whooper swan.Each nocturnal creature adds its unique contribution to the tapestry of sound, painting a vivid portrait of the wilderness after dark. The ambiance gradually transitions as dawn approaches, seamlessly blending with the emergence of sunlit sounds—the vibrant melodies of birdsong, the jubilant honking of graylag geese, and the lively awakening of nature’s inhabitants.
Recorded by Jakub Orzęcki
Welcome to our ninth and last bonus episode, for now! In these episodes we have been sharing short segments about nature, sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation.In today’s episode we have a very special guest, Lê Quan Ninh.
Recording made Saint-Angel, France in June 2023.
Lê Quan Nihn is a percussionist in the field of contemporary music interpretation and free improvisation. He has also been recording nature sounds in France and Iceland, some of them kindly shared with us on Earth.fm.
Listen to more recordings from him here. To learn more about Nihn and his work, visit his website.
This recording was made by a small river in Taman Negara, Malaysia, and starts in the early evening with the last birds and cicadas of the day calling from the surrounding forest. At around 25 minutes the loud ringing calls of Empress Cicada can be heard as the soundscape drifts into the night.
Recorded by Marc Anderson
Welcome to our eighth bonus episode, already! In these episodes we have been sharing short segments about nature, sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation.In today's episode we have a special guest, Axel Drioli.
Recording made at the Mount Lanaro Nature Reserve, Trieste, NE Italy, January 2021
Axel is a director, wildlife sound specialist, conservationist, and spatial audio designer.
With his brother Ario, he runs the immersive production brand Sounding Wild. For their current project, Wings Across Continents, Axel and Ario are embarking on an overland expedition following the bird migration through Europe and West Africa with the goal of sharing stories about wildlife with local communities.
Finding my way up a muddy path on an Island in the Pacific is an ideal condition for natural listening. A growing cacophony ebbs and flows as the trail and nearby river weave near and far from each other. Up a steep hill, the water suddenly grows faint. I can hear the wind overhead. Drumming along is the thick bamboo grove that seems to have sprung out of nowhere. I placed two Sennheiser Microphones on a wide stereo bar as far from the trail as I dared to go.
Recorded by Nick McMahan at the Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
Welcome to our seventh bonus episode, already! In these episodes we have been sharing short segments about nature, sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.
Recorded April 12, 2023, beaver pond behind elementary school, Williston, Vermont, USA
Steven is an author, educator, speaker, writer, photographer, a ‘technology demystifier,’ and a producer of video and audio media. To learn more about him and his vast work, visit his website linked below.
Earth.fm is a completely free streaming service of 600+ nature sounds from around the world, offering natural soundscapes and guided meditations for people who wish to listen to nature, relax, and become more connected.
Check out our recordings of nature ambience from sound recordists and artists spanning the globe, our thematic playlists of immersive soundscapesand our Wind Is the Original Radio podcast.
You can join the earth.fm family by signing up for our newsletter of weekly inspiration for your precious ears, or become a member and not only enjoy extra earth.fm features and goodies but help us grow new forests on our beloved planet.
Recorded April 12, 2023, beaver pond behind elementary school, Williston, Vermont, USA
A short snowstorm since the arrival until it passed.
The recording was done at high altitude in the mountain forest, at the edge of a cabin roof.
The weather is unstable and unusually warm for Winter: the temperature is +1C and snow melts and falls. The storm comes quickly and brings a blizzard with hail and fresh snow, thunder, wind… Ravens can be heard at the beginning of the recording.
Field recoding by Ivo Vicic
Welcome to our sixth bonus episode, already! Every Tuesday, for the next few weeks, we will share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.
Recorded in the end of winter of 2023, Williston, Vermont, USA.
Steven is an author, educator, speaker, writer, photographer, a ‘technology demystifier,’ and a producer of video and audio media. To learn more about him and his vast work, visit his website linked below.
The morning after rain at tare old-growth Pine forest on 3100m in Indian Himalayas, Sikkim region. The recording was made in the morning after night rain with water drops still dripping down from the Pine trees. The birds were very active and diverse which is for this high altitude not much common. This very unique peak is worshipped by the local villagers and is considered a sacred place, therefore, is very much preserved in its natural condition.
Recording by Jan Brelih
Welcome to our fifth bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next few weeks, we will continue to share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.
Roger has been recording wildlife for almost five decades! He’s an author and a member of the Wildlife Sound Recording Society.
Learn more about our friends here.
A migratory raptor wich spends its foraging time in West Africa and breeds in southern Europe.
Here in Doñana, there is a specific place in a daunting location where they breed . Unfortunately, we can't say where it is located as local conservationists want to keep it protected from human disturbance, but it is quite a magical place: an old holiday complex now owned by Lesser Kestrels, Little Owls, Barn Owls, Spotted Starlings, White Storks and many other birds. An eerie place, so quiet we could hear our blood pumping in our bodies.
Every evening the Lesser Kestrels - different from the Common Kestrels which don't migrate - would start roosting in the nesting boxes placed by local bird experts to increase the breeding success. The sounds of their squeaky calls echo in this abandoned place, where human presence is no longer found and wildlife thrives in a possibly unspoken collaboration misunderstood by both sides.
Recording by Sounding Wild in Doñana, Spain
Welcome to our fourth bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next few weeks, we will continue to share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.
Robert has been recording wildlife for almost five decades! He’s an author and a member of the Wildlife Sound Recording Society.
Learn more about our friends here.
Thunderstorms are rare in the Atacama desert - decades can go by without rain.
When they do happen however, these freak weather occurrences are massive and awe-inspiring. As the mega storms emerge over the top of the Andes mountains and dormant volcanoes, lightning strikes indiscriminately and thunder rumbles over long distances. Cold wind batters everything from the mountain slopes to the rocky deserts and salt flats below. Piercing rain and hail falls indiscriminately, often flooding large areas of the desert.
One such event occurred while I was in the Atacama last week. I was there to capture the subtle and fleeting sound of soft wind in the desert. There was certainly plenty of that in the mornings, but by afternoon time the weather would change dramatically. The localised but incredibly intense storms can wreak havoc in seconds. Being in such gigantic landscapes in the middle of these storms made me realise how insignificant we are compared to nature and weather.
While I tend to take some risks in my quest to capture rare soundscapes, I also have a healthy respect for nature. The only way I could record this storm was with a drop rig.Luckily I had a Zoom F3 which records at 32 bit, thus giving me a lot of headroom to capture loud events such as thunder without compromising on detail. This recording has plenty of both, but you will need to listen with good speakers or headphones to experience it properly.
Recorded in the place where the Atacama desert meets the Andes in Chile, by George Vlad.
Welcome to our third bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next few weeks, we will continue to share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.
This clip caught Robert at the start of a storm on a overhanging cliff, approaching the seals. Follow him for some minutes, listening to the seals, the thunder, rain and waves slushing in the gully.
Robert has been recording wildlife for almost five decades! He's an author and a member of the Wildlife Sound Recording Society.
Learn more about our friends here.
The sounds of a summer thunderstorm with soft rain. From under the tree canopy in mountain forest with an altitude of approx. 950m above sea level. The north face of the mountain is massive.
Recording by Ivo Vicic in Jelenje, Croatia
Welcome to our second bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next weeks, we will continue to share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation.These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.
Recorded in April 10, 2022, in a riparian woodland along the Winooski River, Richmond,Vermont, USA.
Steven is an author, educator, speaker, writer, photographer, a ‘technology demystifier,’ and a producer of video and audio media. To learn more about him and his vast work, visit his website linked below.
If you are curious about woodpeckers, we recommend you Chris Hails' wonderful website with over 10 articles about them.
Recorded in the cool montane forests of far north-west Thailand, this evening soundscape features the sounds of crickets and a gentle breeze blowing through oak and pine trees. A Hodgson’s Frogmouth squawks occasionally in the distance. These forests support a range of species associated with the evergreen Himalayan foothills and are an oasis of life in an area where many of the surrounding areas have been cleared or significantly altered.
Field recording by Marc Anderson in Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park, Thailand
Welcome to our first bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next weeks, we will share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.
Recorded in Spring 2023, Mud Pond Nature Preserve, Williston, Vermont, USA
Steven is an author, educator, speaker, writer, photographer, a ‘technology demystifier,’ and a producer of video and audio media. To learn more about him and his vast work, visit his website linked below.
https://www.shepardcomm.com/
To learn about who Loren Corey Eiseley was, visit the Loren Eiseley Society at https://www.eiseley.org/
Recordist: Jan Brelih
Jungle at the Himalayan foothills known as Shiwalik Hills where elephants, tigers and leopards still roam. More saturated bird activity can be observed here, creating a more vibrant acoustic environment, compared to a higher mountain habitat. As the morning goes on, the atmosphere evolves and changes dramatically.
Field recording by Jan Brelih at the Rajaji National Park, India
Calm rainy nights in the rainforest are magical – few other sounds in life can be so relaxing and meditative.
The sounds of a rainy jungle are never the same. One night there will be big droplets falling on large flat leaves – loud but pleasantly splatty. Another night it might be smaller water drops falling on thin vegetation – resulting in a more diffuse and even soundscape. The insect calls vary as well, from thick, piercing choruses to a more sparse and relaxed palette. The density of raindrops can make it sound light and calm or wild and heavy. All of these aspects change constantly as clouds wash over the listener’s location, adding more movement and change to the sound. If you only listen to this sort of soundscape occasionally, it might all sound the same. Spending some time immersing oneself into rain sounds and a myriad little patterns will emerge.
Recorded by George Vlad, in the Mwagne National Park, Gabon
It's a warm autumn morning in the countryside of Rio de Janeiro. A small river flows in the middle of the forest vegetation.Various little birds fly around it. Insects can be heard in the distance. The moisture is concentrated in the soil, close to the river banks.
Recording by Verónica Cerrotta
A morning recording from a grassy coastal woodland on the coast of Queensland. Many trees and shrubs were in flower, attracting a variety of honeyeaters and other nectivorous birds. Later in the recording the birdsong becomes more sparse as the wind increases and the day heats up.
Field recording by Marc Anderson
There is an arc with this recording that connects to this: we can hear the ocean waves rolling in at high tide, but what creates that wonderful deep roar are the wooden groynes that have been installed along the beach shoreline. They create resistance to the force of the ocean and reduce the amount of longshore drift, helping sand to build up in front of the cliffs. They have been constructed to preserve the shoreline and to protect the dunes and cliffs from erosion. The cliff retreats an average of approx. 2m per year here. Erosion is a natural and beautiful process in and of itself, and one that inevitably occurs over the passing of time. Intervention techniques such as groynes can be used to add an element of control to the situation, and for me demonstrates a constructive collaboration between man, technology and nature which demonstrates how we can create sustainable spaces for future generations to benefit from.
Deep, rolling waves.
Carrying the ocean’s song to the shore
Smooth pebbles caressed by time
Recording by Mat Eric Hart
There are many species of Cicadas, each has its own sound. They have a special organ called “tymbal” that produces sound, which contains a series of ribs that buckle one after the other when the cicada flexes its muscles. Every time a rib buckles, the rib produces a click.
fieldrecording by Sounding Wild
The Atacama desert is the most arid desert on Earth.
Some parts of it have never received any rain since measurements started a few hundred years ago. It is a hot, dusty and harsh environment that not much life can survive in. On my expedition to the Atacama I wasn’t sure what to expect. The little wildlife that exists in these places has to carefully manage their energy so they don’t really call much. Although I’ve seen animals like vicuñas, llamas, rheas, birds of prey, etc., they were all eerily quiet. The dusty and rocky plateau is the perfect location to record wind though. With careful research and planning it is not impossible to get away from the touristy places and associated noise. This way I was able to record wind in a variety of settings, from dry desert vegetation to rocks and canyons.
Recording by George Vlad
Dawn chorus with thunderstorm high in the mountain valley, approx. 1000m above sea leve in a remote mountain area.
The surrounding mountains create this nice natural echo. Recorded in late Spring
Field recording by Ivo Vicic
"This spot I found was quiet and peaceful, just perfect for recording. I dropped my rig and walked around for a bit, bumped into a giraffe and a warthog and took a few landscape photos. I also spotted a distant Eagle Owl, which can be heard softly in the recording. Every time I listen to this I'm transported back to that spot. Sit back, relax and try to imagine what it felt like to be there."
Field Recording by George Vlad in South Africa, 2016
Recorded at sunset in the intertidal zone at low tide during a new moon.
It was a rare sunny afternoon on this rugged stretch of coastline, with strong wind blowing from the north and huge waves crashing far out which created a continuous low roar. Heavy haze hung in the air, kicked up by the wind and crashing surf. The rocky, boulder strewn shore was fully exposed by the low tide, with barnacles, mussels, sea anemones, and a myriad of other kinds of sea life awaiting the incoming tide. Small flocks of shorebirds called Black Turnstones foraged for food on the exposed rocks, quickly moving out of the way as waves crashed against the rocks.
Recorded by Kelly Rafuse
An early Summer recording on a Mountain Plateau, from the first light to early morning. One can listen to the
A warm summer soundscape in an early morning revealing a variety of close insects and birds in the background. There
A cloud forest high in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, this recording features sounds from a variety of species
Beautiful recording in a morning inside the mangrove forest at the low tide inside the Utria National Park. Colombian Pacific
One of the most common Geophonical sounds, they could mean both great and bad news. Each bolt of lighting releases
A deeply quiet Autumn night with tree branches cracking in the cold air and suddenly a shy wolf vocalizes timidly,
The snow was still melting and it was deep in spots where the sunlight barely touched the ground. Beautiful lakes
The Sumter National Forest consists of 370,442 acres which are divided into 3 distinct sections in western and central South
Night falls in the cloud forest. Several species of frogs congregate in humid areas, from jungle lakes to the smallest
Surrounded by trees, vines, lilies, bromeliads, bamboos and avencas, it is this small waterfall. In the rainy season, its water
936 acre state park on the coast of Madison, Connecticut. The 2 mile long beach front looks out on the
This soundscape was recorded at dawn beside a spring fed stream as it winds its way through a lush mountain
Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 1:05:11Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | StitcherAn unedited,
Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 59:55Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | StitcherThe sound
Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 1:11:31Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | StitcherA hiding
In the arid outback of Australia, the dawn chorus is often vibrant and diverse. Despite the hostile environment many species thrive. Birds are particularly active early in the day before the heat becomes oppressive and this recording captures the hour after dawn with many birds singing and moving about Recording by Marc Anderson
Scottish summer dawn choruses like this one last long into the morning and feature beautifully exuberant birdsong. There’s a multitude of birds singing at various distances which creates a balanced mix of foreground, mid and background layers. There’s a faint but constant buzzing sound coming from a gorse bush nearby where a variety of insects […]
Before the Santee Coastal Reserve (SCR) was protected, much of the land was used for rice farming. The habitat created by rice fields is invaluable to wildlife, and is especially so at the SCR now that the property is managed for the benefit of breeding, migratory and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds. Besides the […]
Hello friends, this is a guest episode from Sound School Podcast, a bi-weekly podcast on the backstory to great audio storytelling. The earth.fm curator-in-chief, field recordist Melissa Pons brings us into the forest of Sweden, the jungle of Brazil, and to the wolves in Portugal. Re-published with the kind permission of Rob Rosenthal, PRX and […]
For a change from the summer vibes, we are sharing a rich, exquisite soundscape recorded last winter in a Slovenian forest by our contributor Jan Brelih. We are invited to relax and rest our attention on the sounds of this enchanted forest with ASMR ambience of melting snow in late winter time. The days are […]
The small village Palupõhja is located in the middle of the Alam-Pedja nature reserve in Estonia, where the river Emajõgi flows on the south side of the village. On the banks of the river, between the many willow, bird cherry trees and bushes the nightingales like to sing. Other birds can be heard in the […]
In this peaceful natural soundscape, our long-term collaborator George Vlad is inviting us to discover the gentle sounds of a morning in the African rainforest of Gabon, in a mystical place called Ancien Founa. As the sun rises and starts heating the forest, the fog drip subsides and the vegetation becomes progressively drier. This causes […]
In this contemplative natural soundscape, field recordist Jared Blake managed to capture in binaural sound an elaborate, hour-long portrait of the White Mountain National Forest. From Jared: “These recordings took place throughout the year in the Sandwich Wilderness of the White Mountain National Forest. Each day, I hiked from the parking area directly up the […]
Sounds of the Amazon rainforest at night – at first listen this seems like a thick wall of sound but once your ears get accustomed to the busy-ness, layers start to emerge. You’ll hear sounds like fog drip, soft wind and occasionally deadfall. On top of that the piercing chorus of insects is constant, multi-layered […]