Fog Drizzle

It is early May in the Finger Lakes region of upper New York State. A light rain falls and fog envelops the forest. Spring peepers chorus from a nearby pond. Although the woodland is still awash with browns and grays, signs of spring abound, with tree buds swelling and wildflowers pushing upward through the thick layer of dead leaves.

The soundscape is fresh and pleasing. A mourning dove coos softly in the distance and robins warble sweet melodies from the treetops. A black-capped chickadee, perched in the understory, whistles two-note songs. The pond is rather quiet, but soon we hear the nasal ooo-eek, ooo-eek of a female wood duck. Some minutes later, a yellow-bellied sapsucker drums prominently on a hollow tree trunk. And finally, a red-winged blackbird pipes it’s bubbling conk-la-ree from cattails at the pond’s edge.

May 2, 2016 at 6am. Finger Lakes National Forest near Reynoldsville, New York. Recorded by Lang Elliott.

Hemlocks in the Mist

In deep forest, a light misty rain falls upon a stand of hemlock trees interspersed with hardwoods. Countless minuscule raindrops drench the forest floor. Each drop makes little noise but their combined effect is atmospheric … a gentle and soothing rush that spreads out in all directions, cradling us in a soft blanket of sound.

A wood thrush sings prominently from a nearby maple, infusing the soundscape with melody. We also hear the high-pitched weeta-weeta-weeteo of a magnolia warbler and the ringing teacher-teacher-teacher of a distant ovenbird. We cannot help but smile. Time passes and other birds join in. Oh my … faint songs of a blackburnian warbler, the tinkling ramble of a winter wren, and the buzzy zee-zee-soo-soo-zee of a black-throated green warbler! Such music to our ears!

June 21, 2016 at 8:30am. Shindagin Hollow near Brooktondale, New York. Recorded by Lang Elliott.

Meadow After Rain

It is dawn in late May in a shrubby meadow in the rolling hills of upstate New York. A violent storm passed through in the night and now light rain falls. Numerous gurgling rivulets course through the meadow, draining excess water from the downpour.

As dark clouds recede and blue sky appears, male songbirds of many species burst into song, excitedly proclaiming their territories and filling the meadow and surrounding forest with their music. A ruffed grouse also sounds off, it’s thumping drums periodically erupting from the meadow’s edge. We slowly breathe in the sonic landscape … one of nature’s finest symphonies, pouring forth in this wet meadow at dawn!

The number of songbirds overwhelms us, but we are fairly certain that we hear mourning dove, common yellowthroat, yellow warbler, field sparrow, Baltimore oriole, alder flycatcher, rose-breasted grosbeak, and American crow. We also notice a lone field cricket, trilling softly from the tall grass.

May 26, 2014 at 6am. Overgrown meadow near Caroline, New York. Recorded by Lang Elliott.

A Sprinkling of Jays

It is mid-October. Gentle rain falls upon the forested hillside in mid-afternoon. The majority of leaves have fallen and nearly all of our native songbirds have migrated southward. Some species, however, remain here year-round … the familiar blue jay is one of them.

There is a jay family in the vicinity. We hear their discordant jay calls and their intimate nasal whines, made while foraging in groups. Happy sounds, we surmise, as we watch the jays explore nooks and crannies in search of food, especially acorns.

After a few minutes, we notice a series of high-pitched peeps … the rain-call of a spring peeper, coming from somewhere in the understory. A minute or so later, another peeper sounds off, and then even more as the minutes roll by. Such a relaxed soundscape, so palpably spacious and soothing. Nature’s healing voice on a rainy autumn day.

October 15, 2017 at 2:30pm. Hammond Hill State Forest near Dryden, New York. Recorded by Lang Elliott.