It is dawn in midsummer after a night of rain. Drip falls from the treetops, splatting against leaves and the ground. Wood Thrushes sound off in the distance and a lone cricket trills. Such an exalted mix, an elixir so pure. How careful we must be to keep our minds calm and quiet and our senses free of interference, so that we do not miss the extraordinary beauty that nature showers upon us.
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Catbird Night Song Reborn
by Lang Elliott | Aug 16, 2021 | 47 comments
In late May of 1991, I came upon a gray catbird singing at night under a full moon, with bullfrogs and green frogs sounding off in the background. I documented the event with my parabolic microphone, which, unfortunately, was a single-mic setup that produced a recording devoid of any sense of space. Join me as I attempt to breath new life into that recording by transforming it into a spacious binaural listening experience.
READ MOREMockingbird Song Bout
by Lang Elliott | Jul 26, 2021 | 72 comments
Enjoy this 4K video featuring a Northern Mockingbird singing from its perch in an apple tree. If you know your bird sounds, you should hear phrases that remind you of the songs of northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, blue jay, gray catbird, white-breasted nuthatch, wood thrush, eastern towhee, northern flicker, hairy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker … and maybe more!
READ MORETurkey Roost
by Lang Elliott | Jul 5, 2021 | 63 comments
During my recent visit to Aravaipa Canyon in early May, I captured a pristine soundscape featuring a flock of Wild Turkeys, calling excitedly at dawn from their roost in a towering cottonwood tree. You’ll love it … a potpourri of yelps, gobbles, purts, and mysterious low frequency hums that are only audible from a short distance … “turkey talk” at its very best!
READ MOREWind, Ravens, Reeds
by Lang Elliott | Jun 27, 2021 | 40 comments
At first light, I hike into Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park. Gusty wind blows through a dense thicket of stiff reeds, producing a plethora of snaps, crackles and pops. Frolicking ravens croak repeatedly as they fly up and down the Rio Grande River, their calls echoing off the steep cliffs above. Such a pleasing, enveloping mix of the sounds of the wind, ravens and reeds!
READ MOREAravaipa Dreamer
by Lang Elliott | Feb 10, 2021 | 40 comments
I cannot tell a lie … I am the Aravaipa Dreamer. Day in, day out, I dream of being in Aravaipa Canyon, one of my favorite places on Planet Earth. And now it appears my dreams will come true. In early March, I will be embarking on a three-month nature recording expedition to the Southwest …
READ MOREBusy as a Beaver
by Lang Elliott | Jan 10, 2021 | 55 comments
Early last autumn, I recorded the sounds of a beaver colony that had taken up residence in a nearby wetland. My venture was a success. Not only did I capture the scraping, chewing and moaning sounds of the beaver, I also documented periodic visits by barred owls, their resonant hoots echoing across the landscape.
Although I’m happy with my recordings, a drama was unfolding that concerned me … a drought had nearly dried up the wetland, forcing the colony to move upstream to the last remaining section with water. In what appeared to be a frantic bid to avoid catastrophe, the beaver quickly built a new dam, constructed a new den, and then began deepening the channel by shoving large amounts of mud on to the banks … clearly a “last-ditch effort” to preserve their aquatic environment.
READ MOREAutumn Trek Podcast
by Lang Elliott | Dec 30, 2019 | 30 comments
Join Lang on an autumn nature recording expedition to Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky, where you will enjoy the howls and yips of coyotes, the hoots of and screams of barred owls, and much more.
READ MOREYasuni Soundscapes – Binaural Podcast
by Lang Elliott | Dec 18, 2018 | 22 comments
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve just published Yasuni Soundscapes, a fully-binaural, 30-minute narrated podcast featuring 23 recordings I made in early November in Ecuador’s lowland Amazon rainforest.
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by Lang Elliott | Dec 1, 2018 | 18 comments
I’m fresh back from the Ecuador rainforest and excited to share soundscapes I recorded at the wonderful Sani Lodge, located along the Napo River about 50 miles downriver from Coca, Ecuador.
READ MORESpring Delights 2018 – Binaural Podcast
by Lang Elliott | Oct 20, 2018 | 24 comments
Spring Delights 2018 is a 24-minute podcast featuring immersive 3D binaural recordings I gathered this year during the height of spring. Don your headphones and join me on this incredible journey.
READ MOREDelayed Spring – April 24-May 1, 2018
by Lang Elliott | May 3, 2018 | 21 comments
It is early May and the great warbler migration is upon us here in upstate New York. Although the weather has not been the greatest, I managed to gather recordings on four different days and put together Delayed Spring, a new binaural 3D podcast …
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