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
Drumming of the Drums
Have you ever heard a drumming drum? Not the barrel kind of drum, but rather a drum of the fish variety, more particularly the Freshwater Drum ? Well, unless you’re one of the very few to have been up-to-your-neck in a “symphony of drums,” you’re sure to be amazed by this recording by firefly expert Lynn Faust, made in Beaver Creek near Knoxville, Tennessee.
Turtle Song?
Have you ever heard a Snapping Turtle sing? No? Well, then listen to this recording … you’re not going to believe your ears!
Tranquil? Or Not?
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, featuring 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 and a lone Mourning Dove …
Where Did Spring Go?
Winter has returned in spades! There’s perhaps five inches of snow on the ground and last night the temperature dropped to 10F. It feels like mid-January, and it’s hard to believe that it was in the high 60s no more than a week ago. So I spent the morning in my studio, huddled in front of my computer, editing bird videos I gathered during warmer weather the week before …
Frog Pond Fun
I’ve just received a new toy … a fairly high-end camcorder that shoots in ultra high definition (4K) and is loaded with bells-and-whistles that will help me get splendid cinematic footage. Just for fun, I hauled it out to our frog pond last night and looked for some test subjects …
Bluebird Courtship Feeding
Bluebirds are at it again, courting in preparation for their nesting season. I’ve been hearing them sing for about two weeks, so I went this morning, hoping to videotape one in full song. I was not successful, but I did manage to capture something very special… mating feedingbehavior!
Mockingbird Songster
I rose early this morning and drove to a nearby natural area in hopes of getting videos of a Northern Mockingbird. Luck was with me. Shortly after arriving, I found a cooperative singing male and managed to snag some fairly nice footage, with decent sound to boot!
Phoebe Two-Song
Our Eastern Phoebe showed up about a week ago. This morning he was singing like crazy, so I shot some video. Have you ever noticed that the male has two different song patterns? …
Dawn at Willow Pond
This morning I visited Willow Pond, a favorite spot of mine in the nearby Finger Lakes National Forest. It was cool and foggy. There was not much activity … a few male Red-winged Blackbirds setting up territories, a Song Sparrow or two singing from shrubbery, a few woodpeckers drumming in the distance …
Beaver Moanings
What kind of voice does the American Beaver have? Would you ever guess that the young make expressive moans from within the den, especially in the autumn of the year? This is my all-time favorite beaver recording! Listen with an open heart and you will fall totally in love with these little guys …
Porcupine Squeals
Having posted recordings of the groundhog and raccoon, several of my readers inquired about the porcupine. So here’s a recording of porcupine squeals that I made in the Adirondack Mountains way back in 1988, at the very beginning of my nature recording career …
Raccoon Fight
Just having published a blog post featuring a groundhog fight, I’ve decided to post a raccoon fight for comparison. This is an old recording, from September of 1990, yet it is still my best example of fighting or scuffling within a family group …
Groundhog Fight
Late this afternoon I went on a nature walk near where I live in upstate New York. While ambling along a trail through the forest, I was startled by loud screaming, coming from a large pile of brush right next to the trail. There I spied two groundhogs, locked together in a fight …
Wood Frog Cacklefest
Last night was a great night for Wood Frogs, here in upstate New York. The temperature reached nearly 60F during the day and a thunderstorm passed through in the evening. After dark, I drove to one of my favorite locations and hiked through the forest to a small woodland pool …
Robin Awakening
I am so excited! I just discovered another jewel … a recording of an American Robin awakening at dawn next to a small mountain brook. It only lasts five minutes, but it is so incredibly pleasing to my ear. Please don’t play it too loudly … it is made of fine silk and should be handled with care!
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