The Music of Nature Blog
Hi Friends! Welcome to my Music of Nature blog, an ever-growing collection of free online articles, place-based celebrations, audio postcards, photo and video studies, musings and more … all created in celebration of the voices of the natural world.
Scroll down to access recent publications or else drill down via the category links. You may also search for specific content (such as individual species) by using the search box below.
Binaural Soundscapes | Podcasts | Videos | Birds | Mammals | Amphibians | Reptiles | Insects | Ramblings | Miscellaneous
Light Rain and Blue Jays
Featuring light rain and the calls of blue jays and spring peepers, this remarkably immersive 3D binaural field recording is best appreciated by listening over headphones.
Desert Sojourn – Podcast
I’m pleased to announce a 25-minute podcast featuring 3D binaural nature recordings that I gathered in Organ Pipe National Monument in southern Arizona … 300,000 acres of prime Sonoran Desert habitat, a veritable wonderland for nature lovers and sound recordists such as myself.
Las Cienegas National Conservation Area
In early to mid-April of 2017, I made two visits to Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (altitude 4600 feet), a showcase refuge of grassland and riparian forest located about eight miles north of Sonoita, Arizona. I had very good luck recording there …
Pena Blanca Lake
In early April of 2017 I made a brief, evening-to-dawn visit to Pena Blanca Lake (elevation 4000 feet) in the scenic Pajarito Mountain foothills to the northwest of Nogales, Arizona. A popular destination for nature lovers, the lake and its surroundings yielded some very exciting recordings.
Organ Pipe National Monument
In late March of 2017, I spent nearly a week recording at Organ Pipe National Monument in extreme southern Arizona next to the Mexican border. I had very good luck, recording both day and night in the Sonoran Desert habitat, surrounded by Saguaro, Organ Pipe, Cholla and Prickly Pear cacti …
Big Bend Sound Delights – Podcast
I’m pleased to announce a 21-minute audio podcast commemorating my early to mid March visit to Big Bend National Park in Texas. Along with bees buzzing, great insect choruses, and the gurgling of the Rio Grande, enjoy the songs of Canyon Wren, Cactus Wren, Mexican Jay, White-winged Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Great-Horned Owl, Elf Owl, Western Screech-Owl, and more! …
The Voices of Lost Maples – Podcast
Hi all! I’ve just finished my podcast commemorating my March 6-8 visit to Lost Maples State Natural Area in the Hill Country of Texas. I was accompanied by my field assistant Beth Bannister and we had a topnotch “nature sound experience” there. Please join us in our adventure …
Pauraques On My Mind – Podcast
At long last, I have finished my podcast for the Lower Rio Grande Valley. It is long overdue; it’s been almost two weeks since Beth Bannister and I zoomed through the region. Features recordings of Common Pauraque, Plain Chachalaca, Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, White-tipped Dove, Eastern Screech-Owl, and more!
Big Bend National Park
I arrived in Big Bend National Park on March 9, accompanied by my field assistant Beth Bannister. The Park was super-crowded because of college students on their spring break, but we were fortunate to obtain a camp spot in the popular Basin Campground, high in the Chisos Mountains …
Lost Maples Natural Area
From March 6-8, field assistant Beth Bannister and I explored Lost Maples State Natural Area, in the Hill Country near Vanderpool, Texas. I’ve recorded at Lost Maples a number of times and was excited to visit, but was concerned that there would be little to record so early in the spring. I’m happy to report that was I wrong …
Lower Rio Grande Valley
Enjoy the unusual sounds of Common Pauraques and Plain Chachalacas, recorded from March 7-9 in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of extreme southern Texas. These Central and South American species only range into the United States in this region …
The Louisiana Coastal Marshes
At long last, I hereby publish the first podcast of my 2017 journey, highlighting a variety of recordings that I just made in the coastal marshes of Louisiana, in and around three National Wildlife Refuges. Featured are the voices of: Red-winged Blackbird, Loggerhead Shrike, King Rail, Nutria, Least Bittern, Northern Cardinal, Midges, Northern Cricket Frog, Boat-tailed Grackle, and Common Moorhen!
Music of Nature Podcast Now Live
Hi all! A “teaser” for my new “Music of Nature” podcast is now up on SoundCloud, and is also available on iTunes and Stitcher. If you’re a podcast aficionado, please subscribe now! My podcast won’t officially blast off until my 2017 Soundscape Recording Expedition begins late this month …
Touching Base – 22 Jan 2017
Hello everyone! This is just a quick “check-in” to let you know what’s up in my life. Other than my forthcoming Soundscape Recording Expedition to the western states, the “big news” in my life is that I will be soon be moving out of my studio space of nearly fifteen years …
Winter Birdscape
Winter is generally quiet here in the rolling hills of upstate New York, with the exception of the gurgle of brooks, wind in the trees, and occasional bird sounds. A few years ago, I made a special effort to record winter soundscapes. For the most part, I was not that successful. But on one ocassion, I got lucky …