I was just looking through some old work and came across my bird song ditties … a project that is at least six years old. I created these for kids, to help them learn to read while also exposing them to common bird songs. Let me know what you think of them!
READ MORELang Elliott
Salamander Migration Extraordinaire
by Lang Elliott | Mar 11, 2016 | 50 comments
In early March, the daytime temperature rose into the low 60s (Fahrenheit) and then it rained all afternoon. This is the magic formula that stirs the mole salamanders into action. Out of the earth they climb and then trek toward their breeding sites …
READ MOREGoal-Oriented Nature Immersion?
by Lang Elliott | Mar 9, 2016 | 41 comments
This morning, I got up at dawn and went out with my video gear in hopes of getting some nice footage. It was a frustrating session. When it comes to nature immersion, is it really a good thing for me to be driven primarily by my goals, and by the technology I am using to capture images and sounds? The following essay addresses this concern …
READ MOREAmerican Woodcock – PeentMeister
by Lang Elliott | Mar 3, 2016 | 17 comments
Wintering in the southern states, the American Woodcock (which I affectionately refer to as the PeentMeister) will soon begin its trek northward, arriving on its breeding grounds as early as late February in states such as Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. The breeding display is remarkable …
READ MORECrested Redbird
by Lang Elliott | Mar 2, 2016 | 39 comments
I enjoy making up my own names for birds, especially when I’m not happy with the accepted common name. A case in point is the Northern Cardinal, one of our most common backyard birds here in the East. What have I decided to call it, and why? Read this post to find out!
READ MOREHermit Thrush at Dusk
by Lang Elliott | Feb 26, 2016 | 53 comments
Wrap your ears around this splendid recording: a lone Hermit Thrush, calling and singing at dusk against a backdrop of spring peepers. I made this recording in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. How exciting to witness the awe-inspiring transition from dusk into the darkened night …
READ MORETrickling Brooksong
by Lang Elliott | Feb 25, 2016 | 47 comments
It is early summer … I am sitting next to a small, trickling brook in deep forest, celebrating the dawning of the day. Various songbirds soon chime in, including Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Veery, Blue Jay, and Dark-eyed Junco. What a tranquil and healing combination of natural sounds …
READ MORERobin Singing at Dusk
by Lang Elliott | Feb 24, 2016 | 55 comments
Searching my collection for unused soundscapes, I came across this jewel: a lone American Robin singing at dusk with spring peepers chorusing in the background. This is a zen-infused recording, a simple yet profoundly moving soundscape that is at once relaxing and sublime …
READ MOREBirds Thinking Spring
by Lang Elliott | Feb 22, 2016 | 41 comments
I rise at dawn on this fine winter morning and excitedly venture out in my yard to record bird sounds. It is chilly, 24F, with snow patches clinging to the ground. Our pond is frozen over, reflecting the rising sun. Though winter still has a firm hold, there is a surprising variety of bird sounds …
READ MORECaprock Coulee Soundscape
by Lang Elliott | Feb 15, 2016 | 20 comments
Enjoy this beautiful summer dawn chorus from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota. Listen for the songs of American Crow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Mourning Dove, Painted Bunting, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, and crickets …
READ MORENature Immersion
by Lang Elliott | Feb 14, 2016 | 32 comments
We are born into a magical world of sensory delight, our beings naturally tuned to our surroundings. We are part of nature, our senses connecting us to the whole like an umbilical cord, allowing us to commune with and be nurtured by the source from which we have sprung …
READ MOREDream of Spring
by Lang Elliott | Feb 11, 2016 | 67 comments
As temperatures plummet here in upstate New York, I cannot help but dream of spring. Yesterday I stumbled upon a dawn chorus from May 31 in 2013, recorded at a beaver pond not far from where I live. When I listened to it, I was struck by its inherent beauty, by the sweetly balanced mix of frog and bird sounds as dawn unfolds …
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