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.
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Binaural Soundscapes | Podcasts | Videos | Birds | Mammals | Amphibians | Reptiles | Insects | Ramblings | Miscellaneous
Wood Thrushes Countersinging
Behold this lovely 3D binaural soundscape that I just uncovered … two Wood Thrushes singing back-and-forth at dawn, recorded in hardwood forest at Land Between the Lakes Kentucky way back in 1995. Such a welcome reminder that SPRING is just around the corner!
Mindfulness and Nature Soundscapes
As an experiment in the realm of nature sounds and meditation, I just collaborated with meditation expert Allen Weiss who heads up Mindful USC, a mindfulness program at the University of Southern California.
Forest Drizzle Meditation
Enjoy this lovely Forest Drizzle soundscape, which is a test-run of a new experimental post format that I’m calling “soundscape meditations” … brief narrated introductions followed by at least several minutes of “pure nature” … maybe it’s a workable format, or maybe not!
Aravaipa Waterscapes
In the spring and early summer of 2017, I made three visits to the remote and picturesque Aravaipa Canyon in southeastern Arizona, truly an “oasis” in the desert. There I gathered many supremely immersive and relaxing soundscapes, most including the gurgling of the year-round Aravaipa Creek that passes through the canyon …
Okanagon Thrushscape
Toward the end of my 2017 recording expedition, I traveled to the Okanagon Valle region in British Columbia where I managed to snag an excellent soundscape featuring three Swainson’s Thrushes singing in Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa) in the mountains east of Oliver, B.C.
Thunder Crickets
While digging through my archive of binaural recordings in search of those I think are suitable for relaxation, meditation and healing, I came across this jewel. I’m calling it “Thunder Crickets” and it portrays a thunderstorm passing near a shrubby meadow in late September, here in my homeland of upstate New York …
Porcupine Panderings
Ever heard a Porcupine squeal in the dark of the night? Well, I heard and recorded a squealing porcupine long ago in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, and that’s why I was able to identify the source of the mysterious sounds I captured just a few weeks ago in my beloved Shindagin Hollow …
Coqui Magic Nightscapes
Just for fun, I’ve been exploring recordings from my trip to Puerto Rico in March of 2013, especially those gathered in the El Yunque National Forest where Coqui frogs fill the rainforest with vibrant melodies. Featured here are four amazing nighttime soundscapes that will give you a taste of what it sounds like deep in the forest in the wee hours before dawn …
Catskill Beaver Pond
I’m fresh back from a workshop retreat with David Abram in the Catskill Mountains and I managed to get some interesting nighttime soundscapes at a nearby beaver pond complex. Featured are the howls and yips of Coyotes (Coy-Wolves?), the screams of a Barred Owl, and the chips of a Flying Squirrel …
Crickets, Drip, Owls and Peepers
Tomorrow, I’m off to the Catskills to attend a workshop with David Abram, author of the splendid book “Spell of the Sensuous.” Should be fun. But to keep y’all happy while I’m gone, I’ve decided to post a new immersive binaural (3D) soundscape … I’m calling it Crickets, Drip, Owls and Peepers and I recorded it on the 25th of September 2017 in nearby Shindagin Hollow.
The Clucking Munks
Did you know that chipmunks respond to hawk fly-bys with a special “aerial predator alarm call” … a hollow, resonant cluck … cluck … cluck … cluck … cluck … that is unmistakable? Well, perhaps you’ve heard it but didn’t know who was making it or why … it sounds like this …
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.
