Sound By Nature

This was recorded on a peaceful night in early spring atop a rocky outcrop which jutted out into the North Fork of the Salmon River just downstream of Mule Bridge in Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The night was clear and unseasonably warm for the time of year. The recording runs from about nine at night till about seven in the morning.

Though this was recorded two weeks before the official spring equinox I fee...

This was recorded on a calm and sunny winter afternoon on the beach below Smith Gulch on the Lost Coast in the King Range National Conservation Area, Humboldt County, California.

The tide was going out, so I set the mic up near the water in the intertidal zone at the border between an area of rocks and tide pools and a sandy stretch of beach. The sand was very coarse, almost tiny pebbles, and it made a pleasant sound as the waves w...

This was recorded on a sunny winter afternoon on the Lost Coast by the Punta Gorda Lighthouse in Humboldt County, California.

The colony was quite active on this afternoon, with many newborn pups, their mothers, and massive males making a myriad of interesting, and at times funny, sounds.

Though the wind was very light for most of the day, it started to pick up as I was setting up the recording rig. I didn't bring much in the wa...

This was recorded on brisk winter night on the high tide line at Mattole Beach on the Lost Coast in Humboldt County, California.

The night began overcast, but the clouds slowly gave way to the starry sky, and it was completely clear by the time the first signs of morning twilight appeared in the east. The offshore wind was light, and it carried with it a bit of extra chill as it made its way down the Mattole River, across the beach...

This was recorded on an autumn afternoon by East Boulder Creek in Trinity Alps Wilderness, Siskiyou County, California. Where I recorded this the creek flows through a steep gully, so I placed the mic at the edge of the gully above the creek, but not very far from it. It was a cold day, and at the start of the recording it was cloudy with occasional light snow flurries. But by the end, the clouds began to part and let the sun light...

This was recorded on a stormy summer night beside a small pond in the forest east of Black Fox Mountain in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California.

I placed the microphone beside the pond in order to capture the sound of the raindrops hitting the water. I then covered the microphone and tripod with pine needles to prevent the rain from hitting them directly, which would cause unwanted sounds. I think it worked v...

This was recorded on a clear summer morning in Trail Gulch in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, Siskiyou County, California.

I set the mic up in an Alder thicket, not far from Trail Gulch Creek, near the edge of a large meadow. Much of the area burned in a large wildfire in 2021, but the trees and vegetation growing near and along the creek in the immediate area were untouched, with the help of the nearby meadow which provided a natural...

This was recorded on a cold spring night beside rapids on the swiftly flowing North Fork of the Salmon River in Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California.

The Salmon River is part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and is free of dams and significant flow diversions of any sort. The river and its watershed are located entirely with the remote and rugged Klamath Mountains in far northern California.

I strapped ...

This was recorded on a clear and sunny spring day beside the North Fork of the Salmon River near Idlewild Campground in Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The river was flowing swift and high with abundant snowmelt originating in the Marble Mountains, a sub-range of the Klamath Mountains. On occasion, Steller's Jay's call raucously nearby from the bare branches of the White Alder growing along the river&#...

This was compiled from parts of the overnight recording I made tree ears style on a Mountain Hemlock tree standing near Russian Lake in the Russian Wilderness on a very warm summer night in mid July.

The first part of this recording was heard in the previous episode, after which the frogs quieted down and the air traffic picked up. Along with the air traffic came curious cloven hoofed visitors, Black Tailed Deer, that stopped by t...

This was recorded on a partly cloudy and warm summer evening beside Russian Lake in the Russian Wilderness, Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The wind was calm and the lake was still as frogs sang in chorus and snowmelt streams flowed gently into the lake on its far side.

This was recorded tree ears style on a Mountain Hemlock tree standing about twenty feet from the lakes edge. The recording starts just after s...

This was recorded early on the morning after summer solstice on the Chimney Crater lava flow in the Medicine Lake Highlands in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. Numerous Common Nighthawks were flying around over the lava flow hoping to find a mate. The recording starts before dawn at about 3 am and continues until sunrise.

The nighthawks call frequently as they fly around, and the males occasionally make...