Dawn Chorus featuring two Wood Thrushes counter-singing. 27 April 1995, Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky. © Lang Elliott.
As many of you know, I’m working on a new soundscape title that will feature tranquil bird song recordings. I think I will call it “Gentle Bird Songs” and it’s important to me that all the tracks have a calming and meditative influence on the mind.
In searching through my collection, I uncovered this pleasing dawn chorus that I recorded at Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky, way back in 1995. It is a fairly busy chorus that features two Wood Thrushes singing back-and-forth. In the background, one can hear a Whip-poor-will, along with a din of bird song (a Cardinal being fairly prominent). Filling-in the low end are distant Barred Owls (near the beginning) and then a lone Mourning Dove (toward the end). Fortunately, no birds were close to my microphone, so none jar the ears.
This recording certainly qualifies as being “very nice sounding.” But is it nice enough?
Notably, when I made the recording I noticed a loud low-freqency rumble, I think from a large boat on a nearby lake. Luckily, I was able to eliminate it completely without any negative effects. The rumble was at the very bottom-end, below 100 Hz, where no bird sounds occurred. So all I had to do was lower the volume of that frequency band until the rumble disappeared. Just for fun, here are my audio notes, made as I ended the recording:
MY CONCLUSION: If played softly, I find this recording tranquil and meditative. It is similar to many dawn choruses in this respect. Played too loudly, the “busy-ness” can be overwhelming. But when played at a low volume level, similar to what a person would actually hear in nature, the orchestra becomes music to the ears.
WHAT IS YOUR CONCLUSION? I need your opinions. Is this a keeper for my “Gentle Bird Songs” production? Or should I toss it out?
My challenge is to come up with at least an hour of qualifying recordings. Right now I have about 35-minutes that meet my criteria. So I still have a ways to go. It’s likely I’ll have to hold off publication of “Gentle Bird Songs” until early summer, after I’ve gathered new material during this spring’s unfolding.
Let me know what you think about this recording!
I like it. I think it qualifies.
Sublime.
I don’t get out in natural settings much at all – knee problems keep me from walking very far. This recording gives me a feeling of connection to outdoor life, It is soothing in a way, sitting in an office but hearing the birds. It does help with my tinnitus (I noted this was mentioned in another comment),
I find the thrush songs really pop out and the overall effect is not calming
It’s a nice recording, but I think it’s too “busy” for a gentle collection. It fits better in a “stirring” or morning collection.
I’m a little late chiming in here but had to say I love this recording and would listen to it often (like a loop) while I work in studio. It’s the kind of sound that would carry me along, while painting, and keep me in “the zone”… I would lose my awareness of it, until it was gone… BUT I would not categorize it as “calming”. To me it is more of a “doing” recording because of it’s busy nature, busy as in the sound of “active” wilderness, if that makes any sense? Perhaps “calming” recordings may be more from… Read more »
This is definitely a winner, Lang. I love it!
Wow, so many comments. And mine will not be nearly as eloquent as some. I’m listening to it late afternoon and without a doubt am feeling calmed. Ready to take a nap!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I LOVE this recording!!!! It is the BEST!!!!
I find this both! What a joy it would be to listen to this in the dead of winter; wouldn’t that get one excited for spring? On the other hand, it is so soothing; I love the undertones of the owls and morning doves. This is such a wonderful recording I would be disappointing if you didn’t include it!
Pinned to my pinterest board Bird’s Love. Gorgeous misty morning filled up with beautiful songs. Thank you for sharing.
I found it tranquil. My conure enjoyed it without squawking, also. I think you should include it.
I love it. wood thrushes are my favorite bird, as is their songs. This is perfect for your “Gentle bird song” recording.
Nothing is more beautiful than wood thrush songs and two are so special. Never throw it out. A perfect morning of songs and very gentle.
I certainly won’t throw it out. My main question is: in which title it will I include it?
Keep it! Iove the wood thrushes which seem to be less frequent in my TN woods.
Tranquil at any volume!! One of my all time favorite sounds! So beautiful, thank you ❤️
Very nice. Reminds me of mornings at my grandmother’s farm. I think there were more wood thrushes then
Love it!!
I think it is very calming; something I would enjoy listening to in the early morning while camping. I don’t meditate, so I can’t comment on that aspect, but I think this is very peaceful.
I see (hear) your question. Is it too busy for what people will consider peaceful? For me, this is more about, “Get up! Get out there! Immerse yourself in all this beautiful song! ” I would definitely want to listen to this recording when waking up in the morning, as my reaction is that it’s exciting and it’s a call to become engaged and become part of something magical.. As a composer, I would employ more space and less activity to create a sense of peacefulness and restfulness. The mind needs little chances to breathe in between sounds. I would… Read more »
Beautifully stated — and interesting to hear from a composer. I had much the same reaction — that I needed more space between songs to have time to let down if this were to be categorized as tranquil as opposed to a “Get up and go” soundtrack.
Yep!
Lisa: What you say perfectly reflects my feelings about the recording. Too bad I am unable to orchestrate nature’s music to my liking. It’s very difficult to find situations where the “layering” you describe is taking place naturally and with no jets roaring, no breeze whooshing, no dogs barking, no roosters crowing, no motorcycles revving, and no humans yelling or screaming or shooting guns. Nonetheless, I’m going after those kinds of soundscapes this spring and summer (especially summer). The easiest formula is to find a small stream that provides a continuous backdrop of pleasing sound, and then record at a… Read more »
Excellent!
I can easily put myself in the picture sitting and enjoying it (and probably waving off mosquitoes)- but not for 6 and a half minutes because it is rather wallpaper-ish. Maybe calming and meditative influences are wallpaper. I would have enjoyed another foreground song or sound feature
yes, it is rather wallpaper-ish, yet that isn’t necessarily a bad thing (as you have pointed out).
Could you put more whippoorwills on that wallpaper? I still haven’t heard the whippoorwill– my second favorite sound in nature.
Gena: The whip-poor-will is going most of the time, but he is not easy to hear. But there are sections of the recording where he comes through the most clearly, such as around 0:44. In fact … to my ears, there are more than one singing, although one is certainly closer than the others, which are buried in the wallpaper.
Maybe you have more than enough feedback by now, but I’ll add my two cents. To me, the soundscape doesn’t sound particularly tranquil or gentle. Too much going on to fit that category – BUT I’d really need to hear the context. A final answer would depend on the nature of the other cuts in the collection. Does it fit in? Barred owls often wake me up in the middle of the night here in southern VT, so those calls in particular (esp. the few sqwuawkier ones) are not tranquil! To fit your collection, I imagine more silence or at… Read more »
Yup … agreed!
I love this! The sound of wood thrushes and whip-poor-wills, to me, bring to mind peaceful settings in the woods, deep in the country. It isn’t too busy for me. I can definitely relax to this.
(I’m trying to figure out how to add my avatar. I loaded one to Gravatar but it isn’t show up on this site yet. I’ll keep trying!)
And my cats relax to your soundscapes, too!
your avatar is visible now … thanks!
Keepergrove
For me, ongoing tranquility is sustained by deepening possibilities, which this recording certainly delivers. I think the cacophonic, rich background paired with the steady counterpoint of the foreground songsters is in perfect balance. Playing this segment over and over only deepens my satisfaction with the experience. I never could tolerate any kind of “background noise,” and still can’t—but I find this recording, kept pure with headphones on, actually enhances thought while promoting well-being. It’s not at all “noisy” to me but remarkably INTERESTING. The continuing loop is excellent: I find I can soon let go of identifying the species and… Read more »
Glad you like it Luane, an thank you for your detailed explanation. Your comments and all the others here have been hugely helpful to me.
I completely agree. I would love to have this in a download that I could play continuously while I read in the morning.
I’ve been listening to this on low volume all day while working on my computer. Very soothing and let’s me think while helping me ignore tinnitus.
Gay: glad to hear that you’ve made excellent use of my recording!
I found myself going deeper into the other sounds, hearing more and more diversity as I sat with it.
I absolutely loved it! I moved from the west central mountains in ID (40 ac. on river in a log home wher II had lived for 30+ yrs) into a small town in the far NE corner of WA to be close to my daughter and I really miss all the sounds of the many varieties of birds and all the abundant wildlife so this was perfect for me! Thank you. ♥
Extraordinarily beautiful, Lang! I do agree with your conclusion to play it at a lower volume. The lovely nature’s orchestra is much more tranquil to my ears. Thank you for sharing this wonderful sound scape. Yes, it is a KEEPER!!!
The question I had to ask myself was, “Is it too alerting; or calming”? For me, it is too alerting. I, like Gene Morton, feel that it offers too many sounds for me to process; thus it is not calming.
Lang, This is lovely – and I agree with those who feel it might not be the most tranquil of your recordings. A couple of hours after hearing this this morning, I came across these words from Spring, by Gerard Manley Hopkins: ‘Through the echoing timber thrush doth so wrench and ring/the ear, it strikes like lightning to hear him sing.’ Oh – I do love the synchronicity of life! Many thanks for your recordings – they bring me much pleasure – though not as much as opening my doors and windows at this time of year and hearing these… Read more »
Nope, too many species. My brain has to hear all of them and that makes it NOT tranquil! I hate cocktail parties too!
But you’re not the typical listener, Gene. Then again I agree that it’s not exactly “tranquil”. I’m torn as to where, exactly, I will use this recording. One thing is for certain, though … I need to tackle the tranquility-thing this coming season and get lots of soundscapes that are suitable for easy listening. And now I have a ton of “listeners” to give me feedback as I share the results. Bring on spring and summer. I’m ready to rock!
For me, this is both busy and tranquil. The Wood Thrush song (to me, the most heavenly sound in the world) makes all the “busyness” take on the character of soothing, I think. I would include it if I were you, Lang! Thanks for another beautiful soundscape.
Definitely a keeper!
Perfect
Thank you.
Loved it and think it should be included in the collection.
Thanks Juanita! Any chance I can talk you into doing the “gravatar-thing,” so I can see your pic alongside your comments?
Tranquil yes
I think this is perfect for Springtime early morning tranquil,and really love the Wood Thrushes!
Perfect! I’ll be first in line for this new soundtrack when it’s available.
Also like your audio notes recorded after the chorus. Lets us know what you were thinking. Cool.
John: Before year’s end, I plan to launch a podcast series where I’ll talk about my adventures in the field, loaded with superb audio of course. Part of the plan is to do on-the-scene podcasts, where my narration is recorded right there in nature, in real time. The only problem right now is my voice … it’s rather messed up due to throat cancer treatment many months ago (radiation). I sure hope it eventually returns to normal, or nearly so. Otherwise I’ll be out there croaking with the frogs (I can think of worse things, I suppose).
Looking forward to those podcasts! And praying for your full and complete recovery!
Amen!
Love the recording, but it says good morning rather than good night to me.
Carole … well, it certainly was a “good morning” when I recorded it! I wonder, then, if the word “tranquil” implies dusk or night, at least for most people?
I would agree with Carole that this feels like wake-up music rather than tranquil, settling-in music for later in the day.
Thank you for taking the time and effort to make – and share – this wonderful recording of our feathered friends’ symphony… It’s downright magical, and good for the soul! So by all means, Yes! Please keep it in your “Gentle Bird Songs!”
I love this soundscape. Much as I love the song of the wood thrush, just hearing the two of them would have sounded ike a “a field guide to bird song”, whereas the owl, dove, Cardinal, and, especially, the whip-poor-will, were a perfect counterpoint to the thrushes. Wonderful!
Nancy: Glad you like it!
It’s lovely, thanks! Off-topic but in response to feedback request on new issues in geberal, I’d love more frog recordings, and wonder if a downloadble version of Frog Concertos is still possible…
I plan at least two or three titles featuring frog and toad choruses, just like in Frog Concertos. But this will have to wait until I get my store re-design done.
I love it! More of this PLEASE! 🙂
I find it VERY relaxing.
I used to have some wonderful birdsongs in the morning, but now we have a neighbor with a dog
that does nothing but bark bark bark.
🙁
I love it!
This reminds me of a beautiful sunlit morning sitting with a cup of coffee on the back deck of a chalet way up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with a soaring view out towards Pinkham Notch.
I heard what I now know to be a Wood Thrush and counter called (three parts) with him for the better part of a hour until my lips could whistle no more.
Such tranquility!
Toby: You counter-sang with a Wood Thrush? How cool is that?
Well, I love thrush songs, but this track does sound a little frenetic to me — partly because of the background chatter. Also, the thrush songs that make my heart leap are usually more languid with longer pauses — and in a hushed forest. So for me, this doesn’t feel tranquil. There’s no “rest” time between songs. I mostly hear bird songs in the evening, so I like a pause that is long enough for me to fully breathe in the song I just heard and then breathlessly await the next — and feel again that leap of joy in… Read more »
I tend to agree with Pat. I’ve never heard that many Wood Thrush songs together like this! Lingering, languid, luxurious, lilting, and plumb lovely are words to describe the Wood Thrush song. This is an energizing compilation. Nevertheless, thank you for sharing this! Love it!
so nicely said … “Lingering, languid, luxurious, lilting, and plumb lovely”.
My feelings about whether this recording is fitting for your “Gentle Bird Songs” collection are almost exactly what Pat has said. It is a beautiful recording, but a little too intense, non-stop and energetic for my idea of gentle and meditative. But I do like it very much for its own building powerful energy!
Definitely a keeper