Wind Is the Original Radio (earth.fm)

In this contemplative natural soundscape, field recordist Jared Blake managed to capture in binaural sound an elaborate, hour-long portrait of the White Mountain National Forest.

From Jared: "These recordings took place throughout the year in the Sandwich Wilderness of the White Mountain National Forest. Each day, I hiked from the parking area directly up the Wonalancet River, jumping from rock to rock. Because I wasn’t on a trail, I was able to experience and capture parts of the Wonalancet largely unknown to the world."

Enjoy! 🙏🏼🌏

The small village Palupõhja is located in the middle of the Alam-Pedja nature reserve in Estonia, where the river Emajõgi flows on the south side of the village.

On the banks of the river, between the many willow, bird cherry trees and bushes the nightingales like to sing. Other birds can be heard in the background: Common Chiffchaff, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Blackbird, Garden Warbler, Cuckoo and others. This was recorded on May 13th, 2021.

Recording and words by Andrus Kannel

For a change from the summer vibes, we are sharing a rich, exquisite soundscape recorded last winter in a Slovenian forest by our contributor Jan Brelih.

We are invited to relax and rest our attention on the sounds of this enchanted forest with ASMR ambience of melting snow in late winter time. The days are getting longer and warmer, the forest is changing.

Hello friends, this is a guest episode from Sound School Podcast, a bi-weekly podcast on the backstory to great audio storytelling.

The wp.earth.fm curator-in-chief, field recordist Melissa Pons brings us into the forest of Sweden, the jungle of Brazil, and to the wolves in Portugal.

Re-published with the kind permission of Rob Rosenthal, PRX and Transom.

Please let us know in the comments if you have any feedback. Enjoy!

Before the Santee Coastal Reserve (SCR) was protected, much of the land was used for rice farming. The habitat created by rice fields is invaluable to wildlife, and is especially so at the SCR now that the property is managed for the benefit of breeding, migratory and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds. Besides the managed rice fields, the SCR also features upland forests of longleaf pine and live oak, bottomland cypress swamps, and freshwater, brackish and tidal wetlands.

Recording by Jared Blake

In the arid outback of Australia, the dawn chorus is often vibrant and diverse. Despite the hostile environment many species thrive. Birds are particularly active early in the day before the heat becomes oppressive and this recording captures the hour after dawn with many birds singing and moving about

Recording by Marc Anderson

A hiding spot below the ground floor, surrounded by trees in bloom, mysterious treks and a lake on the other side. This is the surrounding dawn chorus unfolding and revealing the acoustics through the calls of the heron, the carrion crow, the nightingale and many others.

Recording by Melissa Pons

An unedited, unprocessed excerpt from an attended (listening meditation) night-to-dawn recording made in a small pine forest on the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. Most, if not all, pine forests here are plantation forests of introduced pine species; and most tend to be adjacent to large tracts of pastoral land for the grazing of cattle and sheep. Different pine forests can have quite different acoustic effects. There is also a significant difference between sounds entering the forest from beyond its limits (such as the occasional calls of cows and sheep that can be heard in this recording, and some of the more distant bird calls), and those produced within it (such as the various native birds that can be heard in this recording, including Australian Magpies, Australian Ravens, and, in particular, the fairly nearby song calls of a Fan-tailed Cuckoo). Recorded on land of the Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri peoples.

Recording by Khristos Nizamis

936 acre state park on the coast of Madison, Connecticut. The 2 mile long beach front looks out on the Long Island Sound. All field recordings were made in the Natural Area Preserve part of the park during dawn, dusk and night.

Recording by Jared Blake

This soundscape was recorded at dawn beside a spring fed stream as it winds its way through a lush mountain meadow before joining the nearby North Fork of the Sacramento River. This stream is one of numerous spring fed streams that form the headwaters of the Sacramento River - the largest river in California. The meadow sits at the foot of Mount Eddy, the highest peak in the Klamath Mountains, and is surrounded by a diverse conifer forest consisting of Lodgepole Pine, Jeffrey Pine, White Fir, Red Fir, and Incense Cedar. The birds you will hear the most on this recording are active and energetic Mountain Chickadees as they flit about the branches of the nearby pine trees foraging for insects.

Recording by Kelly Rafuse

Winter requires adaptation and a little change of habits so that we can embrace and enjoy it the best.

Here's for you a curated playlist for this season with winter soundscapes from both hemispheres.

Tracklist:

Night at Fifteen Mile Creek in Early Winter (Khristos Nizamis)

Dawn at Fifteen Mile Creek in Early Winter (Khristos Nizamis)

Birdsong in Flói (Magnus Bersson)

Iceberg Fragments (Daniel Blinkhorn)

Melting Snow in the Forest (Jan Brelih)

Into the Old-growth Forest (Lars Edenius)

Winter Woodland (Marc Anderson)

Morning at a Creek in Early Winter (Khristos Nizamis)

Crackly campfire in the woods of Voloderac (Marko Javorski)

Winter on the Warta River (Joachim Rupik)

Elk Feeding on Snow (Stein Nilsen)

Heavy Snowfall in the Beech Forest (Håkan Karlsson)

Ice on Graubünden Lake (Felix Blume)

Mountain Meadow (Vladimir Arkhipov)

Surrounded by trees, vines, lilies, bromeliads, bamboos and avencas, it is this small waterfall. In the rainy season, its water flow increases, its sound creates a contemplative atmosphere. The water flows between rocks, creates constantly changing rhythmic patterns, designs textures, carries leaves with it and opens paths.

Recording by Veronica Cerrotta

A treat for the holiday season: a Winter soundscape that is very calm and grounding.

Tracklist:

Jan Brelih: Winter Rain Near a Lake

Khristos Nizamis: Wind Deep Creek Solitude

Jan Brelih: Wind Above the Forest Cliffs

Jocelyn + Melissa: Ebb Current in Rocky Shore

The Sumter National Forest consists of 370,442 acres which are divided into 3 distinct sections in western and central South Carolina. The recordings from this tranquil and peaceful soundscape come from the Andrew Pickens Ranger District, which is part of the Appalachian Mountains and contains parts of the Chattooga River. The Chattooga is known as the “Crown Jewel” of the southeast and was the first river east of the Mississippi to be granted Wild and Scenic designation.

Field Recording by Jared Blake

The snow was still melting and it was deep in spots where the sunlight barely touched the ground. Beautiful lakes - large and small - make the acoustics like a mirror and call a variety of wildlife that we can listen to sometimes at the distance, other times much closer. In this long segment of the dawn chorus we can hear the tawny owl, the eurasian woodcock, the great spotted woodpecker, the tree-creeper, the european robin, the redwing, the eurasian wren, the whooper swan, the greylag goose and the great tit, between many others. Some calls I cannot recognise and I wonder if there is a red fox screaming at some point. I believe there was also the golden-eye and common loon. I've seen big big footprints (a wolf?) next to the whole skeleton of a young female elk. I've seen so many animal fresh tracks in the snow I can't forget.

Recording by Melissa Pons

A deeply quiet Autumn night with tree branches cracking in the cold air and suddenly a shy wolf vocalizes timidly, a tawny owl joins later and finally a big howling of around a dozen of Iberian wolves happen to leave space again for the owl. Recorded in Mafra, Portugal, in the Iberian Wolf Recovery Center which lays in a beautiful Mediterranean Forest.

Recording by Melissa Pons

One of the most common Geophonical sounds, they could mean both great and bad news. Each bolt of lighting releases enough power to charge a fridge for a month.

Recording by Sounding Wild in the Basque Country

Beautiful recording in a morning inside the mangrove forest at the low tide inside the Utria National Park. Colombian Pacific is one of the world’s few remaining areas with no road infrastructure and still vastly intact rainforest expanses.

Field recording by Jan Brelih

A cloud forest high in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, this recording features sounds from a variety of species found only in this cool, misty forests, including the spectacular King-of-Saxony Bird-of-Paradise.

Recorded by Marc Anderson in 2012.

A warm summer soundscape in an early morning revealing a variety of close insects and birds in the background. There is  a lot of movement on the ground and how the soundscape evolves throughout the one-hour recording gives away the landscape’s geography.

This place is an ancient neolithic era settlement: there are monoliths nearby, and the field in which the recording took place has an ancient Celtic stone maze that can only be seen from satellite photos.

Field recording by Steven Baber

An early Summer recording on a Mountain Plateau, from the first light to early morning.

One can listen to the dawn chorus and later to roe deer barking around the microphone array.

Recording by Ivo Vicic

Recorded at sunset in the intertidal zone at low tide during a new moon.

It was a rare sunny afternoon on this rugged stretch of coastline, with strong wind blowing from the north and huge waves crashing far out which created a continuous low roar. Heavy haze hung in the air, kicked up by the wind and crashing surf. The rocky, boulder strewn shore was fully exposed by the low tide, with barnacles, mussels, sea anemones, and a myriad of other kinds of sea life awaiting the incoming tide. Small flocks of shorebirds called Black Turnstones foraged for food on the exposed rocks, quickly moving out of the way as waves crashed against the rocks.

Recorded by Kelly Rafuse

Dawn chorus with thunderstorm high in the mountain valley, approx. 1000m above sea leve in a remote mountain area.

The surrounding mountains create this nice natural echo. Recorded in late Spring

Field recording by Ivo Vicic

There are many species of Cicadas, each has its own sound. They have a special organ called “tymbal” that produces sound, which contains a series of ribs that buckle one after the other when the cicada flexes its muscles. Every time a rib buckles, the rib produces a click.

#fieldrecording by Sounding Wild

There is an arc with this recording that connects to this: we can hear the ocean waves rolling in at high tide, but what creates that wonderful deep roar are the wooden groynes that have been installed along the beach shoreline. They create resistance to the force of the ocean and reduce the amount of longshore drift, helping sand to build up in front of the cliffs. They have been constructed to preserve the shoreline and to protect the dunes and cliffs from erosion. The cliff retreats an average of approx. 2m per year here. Erosion is a natural and beautiful process in and of itself, and one that inevitably occurs over the passing of time. Intervention techniques such as groynes can be used to add an element of control to the situation, and for me demonstrates a constructive collaboration between man, technology and nature which demonstrates how we can create sustainable spaces for future generations to benefit from.

Deep, rolling waves.

Carrying the ocean’s song to the shore

Smooth pebbles caressed by time

Recording by Mat Eric Hart

A morning recording from a grassy coastal woodland on the coast of Queensland. Many trees and shrubs were in flower, attracting a variety of honeyeaters and other nectivorous birds. Later in the recording the birdsong becomes more sparse as the wind increases and the day heats up.

Field recording by Marc Anderson

Depending on the weather at the turn of March and April, you can witness an amazing spectacle of moor frogs mating in small water reservoirs, along with the awakening of nature.

During this period, the males turn a beautiful blue color due to the accumulation of lymph in the subcutaneous lymphatic sinuses. The azure shade of their skin is temporary and only lasts during mating.

The moor frog mating call is unmistakable, sounding like “wuog … wuog … wuog,” resembling a gurgling and chuckling bottle being opened underwater. During the breeding season, the marsh frogs’ amorous calls are often accompanied by deep grumbling sounds produced by common grass frogs, which inhabit the same areas.

Let yourself be enchanted by the evolving soundscape of the frog choir during the early spring sunrise.

Field recording by Jakub Orzęcki. Barycz Valley, Poland

It's a warm autumn morning in the countryside of Rio de Janeiro. A small river flows in the middle of the forest vegetation. Various little birds fly around it. Insects can be heard in the distance. The moisture is concentrated in the soil, close to the river banks.

Recording by Verónica Cerrotta

Recordist: Jan Brelih

Jungle at the Himalayan foothills known as Shiwalik Hills where elephants, tigers and leopards still roam. More saturated bird activity can be observed here, creating a more vibrant acoustic environment, compared to a higher mountain habitat. As the morning goes on, the atmosphere evolves and changes dramatically.

Field recording by Jan Brelih at the Rajaji National Park, India

Welcome to our first bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next weeks, we will share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.

Recorded in Spring 2023, Mud Pond Nature Preserve, Williston, Vermont, USA

Steven is an author, educator, speaker, writer, photographer, a ‘technology demystifier,’ and a producer of video and audio media. To learn more about him and his vast work, visit his website linked below.

https://www.shepardcomm.com/

To learn about who Loren Corey Eiseley was, visit the Loren Eiseley Society at https://www.eiseley.org/

Recorded in the cool montane forests of far north-west Thailand, this evening soundscape features the sounds of crickets and a gentle breeze blowing through oak and pine trees. A Hodgson’s Frogmouth squawks occasionally in the distance. These forests support a range of species associated with the evergreen Himalayan foothills and are an oasis of life in an area where many of the surrounding areas have been cleared or significantly altered.

Field recording by Marc Anderson in Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park, Thailand

Welcome to our second bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next few weeks, we will continue to share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.

Recorded in April 10, 2022, in a riparian woodland along the Winooski River, Richmond, Vermont, USA.

Steven is an author, educator, speaker, writer, photographer, a ‘technology demystifier,’ and a producer of video and audio media. To learn more about him and his vast work, visit his website linked below.

If you are curious about woodpeckers, we recommend you Chris Hails' wonderful website with over 10 articles about them.

The sounds of a summer thunderstorm with soft rain. From under the tree canopy in mountain forest with an altitude of approx. 950m above sea level. The north face of the mountain is massive.

Recording by Ivo Vicic in Jelenje, Croatia

Welcome to our third bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next few weeks, we will continue to share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.

This clip caught Robert at the start of a storm on a overhanging cliff, approaching the seals. Follow him for some minutes, listening to the seals, the thunder, rain and waves slushing in the gully.

Roger has been recording wildlife for almost five decades! He's an author and a member of the Wildlife Sound Recording Society.

Learn more about our friends here.

Welcome to our fourth bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next few weeks, we will continue to share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.

Roger has been recording wildlife for almost five decades! He’s an author and a member of the Wildlife Sound Recording Society.

Learn more about our friends here.

A migratory raptor wich spends its foraging time in West Africa and breeds in southern Europe.

Here in Doñana, there is a specific place in a daunting location where they breed . Unfortunately, we can't say where it is located as local conservationists want to keep it protected from human disturbance, but it is quite a magical place: an old holiday complex now owned by Lesser Kestrels, Little Owls, Barn Owls, Spotted Starlings, White Storks and many other birds. An eerie place, so quiet we could hear our blood pumping in our bodies.

Every evening the Lesser Kestrels - different from the Common Kestrels which don't migrate - would start roosting in the nesting boxes placed by local bird experts to increase the breeding success. The sounds of their squeaky calls echo in this abandoned place, where human presence is no longer found and wildlife thrives in a possibly unspoken collaboration misunderstood by both sides.

Recording by Sounding Wild in Doñana, Spain

Welcome to our fifth bonus episode! Every Tuesday, for the next few weeks, we will continue to share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.

Roger has been recording wildlife for almost five decades! He’s an author and a member of the Wildlife Sound Recording Society.

Learn more about our friends here.

The morning after rain at tare old-growth Pine forest on 3100m in Indian Himalayas, Sikkim region. The recording was made in the morning after night rain with water drops still dripping down from the Pine trees. The birds were very active and diverse which is for this high altitude not much common. This very unique peak is worshipped by the local villagers and is considered a sacred place, therefore, is very much preserved in its natural condition.

Recording by Jan Brelih

Welcome to our sixth bonus episode, already! Every Tuesday, for the next few weeks, we will share short segments about nature, nature sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.

Recorded in the end of winter of 2023, Williston, Vermont, USA.

Steven is an author, educator, speaker, writer, photographer, a ‘technology demystifier,’ and a producer of video and audio media. To learn more about him and his vast work, visit his website linked below.

A short snowstorm since the arrival until it passed.

The recording was done at high altitude in the mountain forest, at the edge of a cabin roof.

The weather is unstable and unusually warm for Winter: the temperature is +1C and snow melts and falls. The storm comes quickly and brings a blizzard with hail and fresh snow, thunder, wind… Ravens can be heard at the beginning of the recording.

Welcome to our seventh bonus episode, already! In these episodes we have been sharing short segments about nature, sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation. These are courtesy of our friend Dr. Steven Shepard.

Recorded April 12, 2023, beaver pond behind elementary school, Williston, Vermont, USA

Steven is an author, educator, speaker, writer, photographer, a ‘technology demystifier,’ and a producer of video and audio media. To learn more about him and his vast work, visit his website linked below.

Earth.fm is a completely free streaming service of 600+ nature sounds from around the world, offering natural soundscapes and guided meditations for people who wish to listen to nature, relax, and become more connected.

Check out our recordings of nature ambience from sound recordists and artists spanning the globe, our thematic playlists of immersive soundscapesand our Wind Is the Original Radio podcast.

You can join the earth.fm family by signing up for our newsletter of weekly inspiration for your precious ears, or become a member and not only enjoy extra earth.fm features and goodies but help us grow new forests on our beloved planet.

Recorded April 12, 2023, beaver pond behind elementary school, Williston, Vermont, USA

Finding my way up a muddy path on an Island in the Pacific is an ideal condition for natural listening. A growing cacophony ebbs and flows as the trail and nearby river weave near and far from each other. Up a steep hill, the water suddenly grows faint. I can hear the wind overhead. Drumming along is the thick bamboo grove that seems to have sprung out of nowhere. I placed two Sennheiser Microphones on a wide stereo bar as far from the trail as I dared to go.

Recorded by Nick McMahan at the Haleakala National Park, Hawaii

Welcome to our eighth bonus episode, already! In these episodes we have been sharing short segments about nature, sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation.In today's episode we have a special guest, Axel Drioli.

Recording made at the Mount Lanaro Nature Reserve, Trieste, NE Italy, January 2021

Axel is a director, wildlife sound specialist, conservationist, and spatial audio designer. 

With his brother Ario, he runs the immersive production brand Sounding Wild. For their current project, Wings Across Continents, Axel and Ario are embarking on an overland expedition following the bird migration through Europe and West Africa with the goal of sharing stories about wildlife with local communities.

https://www.soundingwild.com

This recording was made by a small river in Taman Negara, Malaysia, and starts in the early evening with the last birds and cicadas of the day calling from the surrounding forest. At around 25 minutes the loud ringing calls of Empress Cicada can be heard as the soundscape drifts into the night.

Recorded by Marc Anderson

Welcome to our ninth and last bonus episode, for now! In these episodes we have been sharing short segments about nature, sounds, life and poetry for a moment of reflection and appreciation.In today’s episode we have a very special guest, Lê Quan Ninh.

Recording made Saint-Angel, France in June 2023.

Lê Quan Nihn is a percussionist in the field of contemporary music interpretation and free improvisation. He has also been recording nature sounds in France and Iceland, some of them kindly shared with us on Earth.fm.

Listen to more recordings from him here. To learn more about Nihn and his work, visit his website.

This recording captures the essence of a night spent by a pond during the Flower Moon in the untamed wilderness of the Barycz Valley. The rhythmic ambiance is shaped by the melancholic croaks of fire-bellied toads and the deep resonances of great bitterns, creating a captivating backdrop. As the recording progresses, the symphony of the night unfolds, showcasing the raucous calls of tree frogs, the subtle clicks of bats, and the distinctive cries of the whooper swan.Each nocturnal creature adds its unique contribution to the tapestry of sound, painting a vivid portrait of the wilderness after dark. The ambiance gradually transitions as dawn approaches, seamlessly blending with the emergence of sunlit sounds—the vibrant melodies of birdsong, the jubilant honking of graylag geese, and the lively awakening of nature’s inhabitants.

Recorded by Jakub Orzęcki

!This recording has very high dynamics and so we advise extra care on your listening volume, especially if you are wearing headphones!

The area above Kamniška Bistrica, surrounded by mountains, was hit by a series of extremely powerful thunderstorms. Some of these storms triggered avalanches and flash floods. The recorded storm passed over the area during the night and you can hear the sounds of swollen torrential streams. Later, near the recording location, a flash flood was also triggered. The thunder of the storm echoes beautifully among the rocky walls of the surrounding mountains. What begins as a distant and quiet thunder develops nearer and powerful.

Recorded in Slovenia by Gregor Vida

The Okefenokee is one of the largest, intact swamps in the entire world. There’s only one road into the swamp and it terminates at Stephen C. Foster State Park, a Gold-tier International Dark Sky Park.

Recorded by Jared Blake in the Stephen C Foster State Park, USA

An inescapable sensation of floating fills my consciousness. A state of lucidity. Not entirely awake but not asleep. Conscious of surrounding ripples, the warm meadowlark song drifts in the air. I feel translucent. Light. Time passes and there is no distance between it. Opening my eyes returns awareness to the small tent I’m laying in. Narrowing myself back to a singular perception. Birdsong here carries you away. Do these small melodic Aves feel this expansion they provoke? Awake and listening to spring birds, a meadowlark, a dove, the northern Montana prairie evokes timeless wonder. To exist for years, decades, generations, in calm natural spring-like peace, for just a moment.

Drive across the country. Long straight roads. Steep winding roads. Exhausted but excited to be here. A distant croak from a raven interrupts my thoughts and I return to the moment. Here in this prairie to listen to the dawn. Spring morning air is cool in May. I breathe in deeply and crawl out of the warm sleeping bag. Bright, flat, and yellow-green the prairie is fully awake. I can’t tell you why, but it feels nostalgic looking out across the land here. Like I’ve returned home from a long trip and everything is exactly as I left it. I think we need these moments of waking up from social existence to be alone, completely alone in a natural place. In a way this is the least alone we can be. In deep nature we are truly what we are. Ourselves with no external observation or expectation to be one way or another. Just being. Just observing.

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” 

-T. S. Eliot

Field Recording by Nick McMahan in Montana, USA

It is an early August morning. There is some wind and the sky is cloudy. At this time of the year, the Mulungú blooms: there are several of them, full of red flowers. Now it also blooms the yellow Ipe and the Congea tomentosa, that brings a lot of lilac flowers. There are Embaúbas and a very big Ficus, Avocados, Boldo and Jabuticaba trees. Birds fly from one tree to another, moving their leaves and branches. The ground is full of dry leaves.

Recording by Verónica Cerrotta In São José do Vale do Rio Preto, Río de Janeiro

It’s sunset time on the shore of the lake and the last birds of the day fly over the still water. From the treetops I can hear the movement of leaves and branches. There are some distant sounds that I cannot decipher where they come from or how they are produced.

A few meters away, a white horse shines and takes a deep breath in the darkness.

It’s getting dark. The crescent moon rises and illuminates the ground, the water and the plants with a silvery and mysterious light.

The inhabitants of the night begin to be heard: toads, crickets, owls, bats, urutaus and bacuraus. Some capybaras dive into the water.

Recorded by Verónica Cerrotta in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A relaxing evening song of birds in the a forested hill area near a big lake.

The most common birds on this recording are: Common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), Common blackbird (Turdus merula) , Song thrush (Turdus philomelos), European robin (Erithacus rubecula), Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus), European green woodpecker (Picus viridis) and the Nightjar (Caprimulgidae) at the end of the recording as the night falls.

Other sounds captured: insects, walking of the deer or roe deer nearby and a faraway gentle stream.

Recorded in Croatia, by Ivo Vicic

It’s 5 a.m. at the Ankasa Rainforest. I woke up at around 4:30 a.m. and made my way through the thick darkness to capture the jungle ambience at dawn. Using the torchlight from my phone, I could hardly see anything but the beautiful symphony from the forest urged me to walk on untill I got to the desired spot where I set up my microphones. Enjoy this hour-long soundscape of nature at dawn.

This recording was done by Isaac Amoasi Arkohm, in Ghana, a current grantee of our field recording program.

Experience the raw power of the Pacific Ocean as powerful waves crash upon a secluded sandy beach. The coastline is located in the Colombian region of Choco where there are no roads and the whole coastline is separated by impenetrable jungle hills from the rest of the mainland.

Recording by Jan Brelih in Choco, Colombia

Enjoy this soothing calm calling of birds in the Ankasa rainforest with calm water rushing in the background. The thick canopy of the trees shielded me from the hot sunshine in the tropical rainforest as I recorded these sounds.

Recording by Isaac Amoasi Arkoh

Early fall. Yellow leaves fall from the aspen trees. Quiet between gusts, cool wind blowing from the north. A change of season is in the air. Warm days, cool nights. The vastness of the land is something from classic American western stories. Near the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, the Eastern Rocky Mountains of Montana reach into the clouds. The first dusting of snow coating the peaks. Recorded over night with a wide stereo bar and two MKH8020’s this quiet land is full of beauty and wonder.

Recording by Nick McMahan

In a remote mountain valley, around 1250m above sea level, the surrounding mountains create a nice natural echo felt through the songs of the dawn chorus in the late spring.

Recording in Jelenje, Croatia by Ivo Vicic

A vivid dawn chorus from the steamy forests of lowland West Papua. While the rainforest is still dark, Hooded Butcherbirds sing melodic fluty phrases to welcome the new day. The calls of nocturnal frogs and insects gradually fade as other diurnal species become active.

Recording by Marc Anderson in Birds Head Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia

I travelled to Tarangire National Park in Northern Tanzania just at the end of the dry season and beginning of the rainy season in November. Covering an area of 2,600 square kilometres, Tarangire is popularly known as the land of giants; and from our arrival, you could tell why. The Park is strewn with giant baobab trees that were starting to flower. Not far into the park we encountered another giant’s presence, the African elephant. Apart from these two iconic species and other animals, the park’s birdlife is amazing, with over 500 species of birds that have been recorded here.

It rained heavily a day before we arrived, which brought out nature’s own sound concert. All the wildlife seemed to be celebrating the arrival of the rains. There were nature sounds everywhere! The birds started singing at 2am in the morning and continued throughout the day. Amidst the bird song, there were also crickets, large beetles, bats, frogs, hyenas, zebras and occasional lion roar from a distant, allowing us to sleep and reawaken our senses, be present and reconnect to the natural sounds of Tarangire plains.

Recorded by Martha Mutiso in Tanzania

A nocturnal recording that  gives you a “look” into the secret life of Wolves in nature. We are in the mountain slopes, and the recording spot is near the Wolves, close to a doe carcass killed by the Wolves probably night before; the carcass is mostly eaten.  This is a perimeter of around 20m in diameter, a so-called ‘kill zone’ where everything happens.

The carcass is mostly eaten. What remains is the bones and some soft tissue. You can hear how the bones/spine are cracking in the Wolf’s jaws. Other than that, the Wolves are pretty much silent. There is no howling or other loud sounds because this spot is close to the shepherd dogs (cattle) down in the valley at approx. 1 km of air distance and those dogs are agitated from time to time during the night probably when winds change and start to blow towards them. The north wind (dark Bora) is blowing.

Recorded by Ivo Vicic in Mrzli Dol, Croatia

The upland rainforests of far-north Queensland are home to many species found nowhere else. This recording features the sounds of birds and insects along with a gentle breeze at dusk in this unique habitat. In the latter part of the recording, darkness falls and the sounds of crickets intensify. The wild crowings of Orange-footed Scrubfowl can be heard in the distance.

Recording by Marc Anderson in the Girringun National Park, Australia

Unprecedented and chaotically distributed rainfall in the monsoon of 2023 led to devastating floods in the Himalayan regions, including the Kangra Valley, and adjoining plains of Punjab. River Beas, in and around the town of Mandi, was one of the worst affected due to these floods. The overflowing water from the Himalayan Ranges caused flooding in the other adjoining states of North India as well. Apart from Geological features, Forest patches, and Riverbeds, human-made structures like irrigation canals were also affected due to the sudden, and unregulated surge in the flow of water coming downstream from Himachal Pradesh.

A major cause of the flooding like this, happening year by year, is now being linked to the changes in the Settlement Geography of the inner Himalayas, where the water wreaking havoc in these floods, just exists as Rivulets. As peacefully flowing Khadds. Like the Awa Khadd, you are listening to.

Awa Khadd Rises from the Dhauladhar Ranges in Kangra Valley, and flows downstream to join river Beas, which ultimately drains into River Satluj in the state of Punjab. The Perennial nature of Awa, and similar Himalayan Khadds due to dual sources of water (both monsoon rains and glacier discharge) and an often violent flow due to the topographical contours, makes them suitable for the development of Hydropower projects. The Upper Awa Hydropower project is located on the Awa Khadd. This recording of Awa was done near a village called Kulani, close to the Kulani Hydropower Plant.

Khadd is the local name for a Rivulet in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh in India. These Khadds, rising from various Mountain Ranges, flow as streams of varying magnitudes, contributing to the larger River Ecosystems in the region. They provide drinking water, as well as water for irrigation purposes to the rural and semi-urban settlements on their way to the cities, where the role is further amplified. More importantly, this complex network of Rivulets regulates the natural flow of water in the mountainous terrain of the Himalayas and maintains the ecological balance for the wider Flora and Fauna; an aspect of Himalayan River Ecosystems being urgently looked into, as the Eco-sensitive region has rapidly started facing adverse effects of Climate Change in the recent past.

Recording by

Mustard Lake in Himachal Pradesh, India

Zarnesti has given me what are undoubtedly my fondest memories of our trip to Romania. It was such a beautiful place – so quiet, so verdant and just a wonderful place to be. We travelled there with nowhere to stay and we picked a house up in the hills at random and it just happened to belong to a truly amazing retired older couple. They made us feel like we were visiting family and they had us sit down with them in their warm and hearty living room for a chat and some delicious homemade traditional food.

That evening myself and Alba wandered back down the hill to lower ground where we found ourselves in a National Park, surrounded by lush forest with abundant sources of running water. This was important as I always love to combine dawn choruses with gentle streams – for me this is a dreamy combination and always lulls me to sleep when I am having trouble nodding off.

I checked the weather forecast and saw that there were some rain showers to come so I set about finding a spot where I could leave my drop-rig (Zoom F6 + stereo set of Clippy EM272s) out safely. There were some hiking trails which were quite popular with tourists and locals, so, after walking far enough away from the little dirt road and car park, I again took another smaller track off the main trail. There I found a little valley with a gentle stream. I followed this stream about 50 metres uphill where I was stopped in my tracks by my first ever Salamander! It was so strikingly black and yellow and it was a dream come true for me – I had always wanted to see one. I was starstruck!

Along this stream there was a fallen tree trunk which traversed its entirety and leaned up into the hillside. Walking a few metres up the hill so that the stream did not overwhelm the track, I set my mics just an inch or two inside a rotten crevice of the fallen tree. I knew they would be safe from the rain and would result in a natural sound when rain did fall. I hooked my drop rig up to a power-bank, hid the recorder in a drybag, covered by some leaf litter, and left it to do its job.

That night I was awoken by the rain and was so nervous thinking about my expensive equipment out there unsupervised. It was the first time I had left it out like that, knowing heavy rain was on the horizon. The following morning I went straight down to the valley and collected my equipment – it was bone dry AND I saw another Salamander! It was bigger than the last one and hung around for a closer look.

Before breakfast I uploaded my sounds and was totally blown away. Zero road noise, only a handful of planes, a mesmerising deluge of rain, a stunning dawn chorus amidst a subtle trickling stream, and, best of all, a mystery shape on the sonogram at the end of the track which turned out to be none other than a pair of fighting Brown Bears. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Recorded by Seán Ronayne in Zarnesti, Romania

End of December and it is a pleasant afternoon. It is hot and there are a few white clouds. It rained the previous days and will continue to rain throughout the summer. We hear some cicadas, insects and distant birds. Everything is in apparent stillness, until a warm wind moves the foliage of the forest. Can you feel the humidity?

Recorded by Verónica Cerrotta in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Every year, birds that breed in Europe and Asia migrate south to spend the winter in Africa, passing over Tsavo National Park in Kenya between late September and December. On dark, misty nights during migration, many birds become disoriented and land in the bushes and shrubs around the lights of Ngulia Safari Lodge, situated in the Ngulia Hills Escarpment.  

This year's migration brought a rich mix of migratory and resident bird songs. As day broke, the beautiful savanna was filled with the songs of visiting Nightingales, Warblers, and Orioles, often trying to sing louder than the resident Emerald-spotted Wood Doves, Boubous, Guineafowls, and Francolins. At times, their songs blended into one of the most spectacular dawn choruses I've ever heard. Avian migration is one of the greatest natural spectacles in the world, and it was amazing to record a small part of this sound phenomena in my country. 

This recording is highly dynamic and therefore we ask the listener caution with listening volumes, especially if using headphones.

Recorded by Martha Mutiso in Tsavo West National Park, Kenya 

A very calm secluded bay on the Bulgarian Black Sea, with gentle waves crashing at the stone shore.

Recoded by Jan Brelih, in Bulgaria

Recorded by Martha Mutiso in Kenya

Upon my odyssey for wisdom, destiny cast me ashore on the isle of Little Tobago, a haven where avian secrets awaited, concealed within the artistry of bird banding. Here, amidst the tranquil embrace of nature’s symphony, my passion for recording the melodic tales of the wild began to unfold.

Little Tobago, a minuscule jewel adrift off Tobago’s northeastern shores, a realm within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. A realm of seclusion, where the only passage is by sea, where human comforts relent, surrendering to the unspoiled canvas of the night sky, adorned by the celestial dance of the Milky Way.

This sacred isle cradles a dry forest, a sanctuary for seabirds—Red-billed Tropicbirds, Audubon’s Shearwaters, Brown Boobies, Brown Noddies, Sooty and Bridled Terns—all gracing the island as custodians of the heavens. White-tailed Tropicbirds, a rare sight nesting among the rocks, weaving their tales into the tapestry of this mystical land.

Stepping ashore, one is transported to a Jurassic kingdom. The dry forest, a verdant abode for diverse songbirds and near-passerines, like the Trinidad Mot-Mot wielding anvils to conquer beetle shells, while shearwaters echo their cackling calls in the distance.

The saga unfolds as the Tropicbirds, pelagic wanderers of the azure expanse, commence their aerial ballet. At 2:30 pm, a celestial rendezvous at the cliff’s edge, where winds sculpt destiny. In elegant circles, they harness the invisible currents, orchestrating a grand descent into the embrace of shrubs below.

Yet, should the first dance falter, a daring plunge off the cliff, a daring encore to perfect their art. Enter the Frigatebird, the ocean’s marauder, soaring through the mid-air theater. Aware that Tropicbirds, satiated after a day of feasting, carry the ocean’s bounty, these aerial pirates seize their opportunity. Mid-flight, a violent shake coerces regurgitation, and the Frigatebirds seize the harvest in a daring mid-air ballet.

As the clock ticks towards 4 pm, the winds subside, and the avian performers retire to their roosts, leaving but a fleeting window to capture their symphony. In this ephemeral dance, the Red-billed Tropicbirds emerge as the maestros, rendering their enchanting melodies, making them the most bewitching notes I have ever endeavored to record.

Recorded by Giselle Ragoonanan Little Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

Welcome to our very first episode of this series where we have conversations with the best nature listeners in the world.

In this episode, Mélia Roger discusses how her approach to sound has changed; intimacy and empathy through sound;, and the context of politics and ecosocial conflicts in which sound and listening exists.

"Her work explores the sonic poetics of the landscape, through field recordings and active listening performances. Exploring human non-humans relations, she tries to inspire ecological change with environmental and empathic listening. She believes in the importance of participatory projects in order to share knowledge and personal experiences through sound." (from Portfolio - Selected Works, 2016-2021).

"Mélia Roger is a sound designer for film and art installation. She has a classical music background and owns a Master[’s] Degree in sound engineering (ENS Louis-Lumière, Paris, France). She spent her last year of Master in the Transdisciplinary Studies Program at ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland), where she developed an artistic approach of sound, working with voice and field recordings. She is now living between Paris and Zurich, working for post-production film and her own artistic works."

Find out more about Mélia on her website.

Episode's references:

Donna J. Haraway - Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene

Environmental philosopher Vinciane Despret

Karen Barad -: “On Touching the Stranger Within – The Alterity That Therefore I Am”

Field recordist Marc Namblard

Philosopher Timothy Morton

Glenn Albrecht - Environment Change, Distress & Human Emotion Solastalgia

Bernie Krause - The Great Animal Orchestra exhibition

Solastalgie podcast [French language]

Land Body Ecologies podcast

Field Recordist and Sound Artist Félix Blume

Recording by Martha Mutiso in Tanzania

Welcome to our second episode of this series where we have conversations with the best nature listeners in the world.

In this episode, Chris Hails talks about his multi-faceted career as an ecologist and zoologist in Malaysia, an environmental advisor in Singapore and Conservationist in Switzerland. Nature field recording has been a practice for Chris since tape recorder days. He has a PhD in bird ecology, and his professional activities have led him to research, teach and advise, with the efforts of saving the environment.

We discuss why there is so much disconnection between people and Nature, ways to bridge this gap and be conscious about our own consumer patterns and the connection to politics.

As a staple in this series, we talk about being in nature, deep listening and being alone in the dark outside.

Find out more about Chris on his website.

Episode’s references:

Chris' book Birds of Singapore

Tools for species ID:

Cornell University Bird NET

Merlin App

Xeno-Canto

Chris' Website Wild Echoes

The Sound Approach

Literature and films mentioned:

The Singing Life of Birds. The Art and Science of Listening to Birds by Donald Kroodsma

Memoirs of a Birdman by Ludwig Koch

Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World and The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places by Bernie Krause

The Singing Planet, by Liz McKenzie

Recorded in Croatia by Ivo Vicic

Welcome to our third episode of this series where we have conversations with the best nature listeners in the world.

In this episode, our guest Darcy Spidle, also working under the name chik white, talks with Melissa about his connection to the landscape where he lives in Nova Scotia, dreams and his unique way of approaching field recording, parallel in a way to his musical explorations and performances as well as their specific differences. This is very much a conversation on creativity and the inner and outer worlds.

Darcy is a jaw harpist, screenwriter, actor and - of course - a field recordist. His works, which you can listen on his bandcamp page, are distinguishable intense with a strong aesthetic sense.

As a staple in this series, we talk about being in nature, deep listening and being alone in the dark outside.

Find out more about Darcy on his website.

Episode’s references:

Darcy's essay Trauma of My Mouth

Chris Watson: Stepping into the Dark

Roger Payne: Songs of the Humpback Whale

Lawrence English: Field Recordings from the Zone

Hildegard Westerkamp - Kits Beach

Recorded in January 2017 in Minas Gerais by Melissa Pons

Hello! This is already our fourth episode of the series Artist Talks.

Our guest today is Seán Ronayne, an ornithologist and zoologist with a mission to record all the bird species in Ireland and to inspire change through his work and the fascination he nurtures by animal behaviour and outdoors. One very fascinating topic Seán shares about is how we can listen to the birds' stories if we pay attention to their mimicry. So prepare yourself as we're going to listen to some incredible bird vocalisations on this episode.

As always, we also talk about being in nature and wander in nature at night... alone but holding a parabola.

Seán's website Irish Wildlife Sounds

Seán's SoundCloud and Twitter

Listen to Seán's recordings on earth.fm

Watch ‘My mission is to record all of the bird species in Ireland’, a piece for the Irish Times, by Kathleen Harris.

References talked about in this episode:

The Great Animal Orchestra: Bernie Krause

Jay mimicry of a cat on Xeno-Canto: XC585280; recording by Adrianna Muszyńska

A new month of episodes starts with Christine Hass, a field biologist with a background on social behaviour of mammals. She has extensive recordings and stories from her journeys in the American West. You'll be drawn by Chris' attentive ear to environmental subtleties and connection to place with all her (truly) wild adventures outdoors. We also talk about the various impacts of forest fire and how to listen and record water.

Please check Chris blog containing not only journal entries from her trips as well as equipment and techniques advice.

Episode's references:

Field Recordist Lang Elliott

Book What the Robin Knows, by Jon Young

Recording in the Masaai Mara by Martha Mutiso

This soundscape was recorded in an indigenous reserve called Wacoyo, in Meta (Colombia), after the sunset. You can hear insects from all over the valley. The reserve has an extension of 8050 hectares, and it is inhabited by 31 communities of approximately 340 families. The climate is dry tropical, and its biome consists of an alluvial savannah.

Recorded by Nícolas Gutierrez García in Resguardos Indígenas de Wacoyo, Meta, Colombia

Hello and welcome to our 6th episode of this special series.

Today we have a wonderful conversation with award winning sound artist Félix Blume, who has a variety of works in many distinct regions of the world, marked mainly through his collaborative process.

We talk about forms of listening, sound authorship, the power of sound to inquire and understand and working with children.

You can find the rich work of Félix in his website: https://felixblume.com/ and in his vimeo: https://vimeo.com/felixblume

Books mentioned:

The Falling Sky - Davi Kopenawa Yanomami with Bruce Albert

R. Murray Schafer - The Tuning of the World

Juliette Volcler - L'orchestration du quotidien - Design sonore et écoute au 21e siècle

Artists mentioned:

Chris Watson, Gordon Hempton, Bernie Krause

Recording by Martha Mutiso

Hello and welcome to our 7th episode of this special series - only one left for this season to close!

Today we have a super informative and fun conversation with Rüdiger Ortiz-Álvarez, a biologist and film-maker with a PhD in Ecology. In 2019 he became an National Geographic Explorer and made the incredible documentary Ecotone, which we'll be talking about in this interview.

We discuss human disconnection with nature, ancient ecosystems, animal and human languages and how they possibly intersect in a given geography. We'll also get to know the story of how Rüdiger fell in love with sound which shifted his life.

You can connect with Rüdiger on his Twitter and Instagram, as well as finding more about his grant with National Geographic here.

Don't forget to check his recordings in our website on his artist profile.

Field recording work: Songs of the Humpback Whale: Dr. Roger Payne

Books mentioned: The Great Animal Orchestra: Bernie Krause

Musical artists mentioned: Stura with the album Llangres and Gregorio Paniagua with Batiscafo

A calm nocturnal ambience recorded in the rainy season in a tropical rainforest in western Thailand. At this time of year, the frogs are very active and can be heard chorusing throughout this recording, along with the sounds of insects, and rain gently dripping from the canopy above.

Recorded by Marc Anderson in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand

Eight episodes went by so fast! Symbolically, this episode with Axel was the first one to be recorded. Since our conversation, Axel travelled south into the west coast of Africa and is currently in Sierra Leone, to record and tell the stories of migratory birds in the East Atlantic Flyway. So, this will be a special one!

We talk about the dynamics of this impressive journey, how technology led Axel to nature and out of the studio, his crazy blindfolded experiment in the streets of London, our general will to encounter "exotic" animals and how that can deafen us to the wonders right outside our window.

Learn about Axel and Ario's project on the Sounding Wild page and connect with them on Instagram and Twitter. You can listen to some of their recordings on earth.fm.

Episode's references:

Virtual Barbershop (listen with headphones)

Book Becoming Wild: How Animals Learn Who They Are, by Carl Safina

Field recording work: Songs of the Humpback Whale: Dr. Roger Payne

If you have been enjoying this season of Artist Talks reach out to us, maybe leave a comment where you listen to the podcast.

Until next time!

To record a soundscape characteristic of this region – and attempt to encapsulate my observational thoughts and views as a soundscape recordist – I arrived at a preserved section of the forest. The Pambar Shola plantation acts as a nursery for shola trees, which grow in the shade of taller pines and eucalyptus. A visual change was provided by a few rhododendrons – a Himalayan species believed to have spread over 1,200 miles (2,000 km) during periods when the temperature and ecology of the Western Ghats and the Himalayas were similar, due to seed dispersal by birds.

I stationed my equipment beside a small stream, the sound of which, to me, symbolized the larger ecological processes taking place over centuries in the Western Ghats, to create a soundscape which could become a starting point for discussing Vattakanal, as per the hypothesis I am trying to explore through this project. At a personal level, I will remember this flowing water as the sound of sunrise in a tropical forest in the Western Ghats, layered with the sounds of birds, the occasional howling of Nilgiri langurs, and the distant barks of dogs which had followed me along the trail.

This excerpt is from the article Soundscapes of Lesser Nature, by Mustard Lake, a grantee of our field recording grant program.

Early in the morning I walk along a remote lake in Ecuador’s lower Amazon basin. Far from a city, road, or town, the sounds here are all natural. Thick foliage covers the ground and sky. Everywhere is muddy. Leaves dripping from a recent rain. Dawn approaches and the barking croak of giant frogs gradually becomes less frequent. Mysterious birds calling nearby. The jungle here is one of the most unique and pristine environments I have witnessed. Evoking a sense of magic for me anytime I listen.

Recording by Nick McMahan

This was recorded on a spring day in the forest near White Deer Lake, a seasonal lake in Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

The lake is large and shallow when full, but only lasts a couple months in spring before drying up entirely. It’s surrounded by coniferous forest of Ponderosa Pine, Lodgepole Pine, and White Fir. At the time I made this recording there were only a few small pools of water left. I arrived late in the morning and the sky was blue and sunny above, but clouds were beginning to build all around. I set up the microphone in the forest not far from the lake under a dense bunch of young White Fir trees which provided shelter from rain and wind when the storms eventually passed overhead. The clouds continued to build until the first rumbles of thunder were heard in the distance. The chirping calls of Mountain Chickadees and Dark-eyed Juncos are heard along with other birds, and frogs can be heard in the distance in the remaining pools of the fast drying lake. As the storms moved closer, gentle rain began to fall and a light breeze blew through the trees above. The thunder became increasingly loud and powerful until it passed directly overhead.

Recording by Kelly Rafuse

In the first weeks of 2024, finally, a real winter has arrived with beautiful snowfall and temperatures of -19°C. A day before that, I packed my gear and went to the location deep in the forests of Kočevski Rog, away from any settlements where I camped overnight. The night was dark and cold but I knew that the next morning, I would be rewarded with the first proper snowfall of the season. Capturing the sound of snowflakes is a very peculiar process one which requires some creative approach and experimenting techniques. Besides physically enduring the severe cold, positioning all the gear while trying to still stay focused on capturing the sound itself. Another thing to consider is that snow, unlike rain, is considerably less dense therefore even a gentle breeze spreads it all over, even beneath a protected enclosure or natural shelter. I placed my recording setup beneath the large pine tree, taking advantage of its large branches for some protection. To shield my setup from any snowflakes, that still found their way, I have snugly wrapped the tripod and other parts with a cozy woolen blanket. The blanket has gently protected all metallic parts from flakes landing on them and creating unwanted artificial clicks. It also provided some warmth to my beloved mics, staying in such harsh cold conditions.

Recorded by Jan Brelih in Kočevski Rog, Slovenia

The sounds of a pine forest in spring in Dalarna county, Sweden. A variety of bird species sing including Common Chaffinch, Tree Pipit, Great Spotted Woodpecker & Common Wood Pigeon.

Recorded by Marc Anderson, in Kullen, Sweden

This was recorded on a cloudy evening during an incoming tide on Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, part of Redwood National and State Parks, which together are designated as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. The beach is broad with low dunes covered in tall grass, and backed by high bluffs and lush, temperate rainforest. A gentle breeze was blowing offshore from the dense forest atop the bluffs, across the grassy dunes, and out over the crashing waves. The steady roar of big surf breaking far out was accompanied by the crash of waves breaking on the shore, which ran up the beach and washed back down. I placed the microphone atop a grassy dune at the edge of the shore, beyond the reach of the rising tide.

Recorded by Kelly Rafuse, in California, USA

This recording was made at night, in a valley.

About 400 meters away from the recorder there is a big Fig Tree. It is a very, very big tree and every time its big heavy leaves fall,  you can feel the sound they make when they touch the ground.

The sounds of nocturnal insects create a homogeneous texture that highlights the stillness of the night.

Silently a horse appears grazing.

Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by Verónica Cerrotta

Hello friends!

This episode is a very special edition - a replay of our Deep Listening Party on Earth day in YouTube.

This version is a 2 hour edit and you can follow the timestamps below. To listen to the recordings in their full length visit our page at https://earth.fm

A big heartfelt thank you to all who sent their messages, named their favourite recordings and to all that contribute with their wonderful sounds.

What does Nature sing on a place that has seen blood spilled in behalf of kingdoms’ territory dispute, species extinction and the abandonment of land?

During the whole time I spent in this region, that was on my mind. It was psychologically difficult and the rocky and dry shrubs didn’t offer much solace. I think about the attempts of land domination and how a harmonious and reciprocal  relationship could reflect on the landscape.

This recording invites us to listen with an open mind.

The main species on this recording are: Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus), Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio), Common Blackbird (Turdus Merula), Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), Common Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus), Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix).

Recorded by Melissa Pons in Portugal

Recorded in Sierra Leone by Sounding Wild

An excerpt made from a long form stereo reef recording made at full moon in June 2018 above the reef at LINI, North Bali.

LINI is an NGO dedicated to community development through sustainable fisheries in north Bali, Indonesia. Their work includes aquaculture to mitigate illegal fishing for the aquarium trade, reef restoration and capacity building in local communities to nurture sustainable livelihood.

This recording was made with a pair of aquarians into a Zoom H4N, secured in a waterproof barrel on a raft tied to a buoy above the most mature reef restoration area. Amongst the sound of the shrimp, you can hear various fish chatting, grunting and farting – message me if you know who the mermaid is.

Recording by Alice Eldridge

A breezy afternoon in the lowland rainforest of Sabah, Borneo.

Although the birdsong is more sparse than earlier in the day, many birds are active and can be heard calling and moving about in the the surrounding forest.

Recorded by Marc Anderson

Recently we visited a beautiful paradise in the Eastern Arc Forests of Tanzania—the Amani Nature Forest Reserve. This reserve protects the unique, biologically important sub-montane forest ecosystem of Tanzania’s East Usambara Mountains. Home to unique and endemic biodiversity, the reserve contains stunning flora, fauna, and trails to explore.  

Our guide suggested visiting the lesser-traveled Kiganga trail. True to his word, as soon as we left the small town adjacent to the forest, we were greeted by the quiet tranquility of the forest. The only sounds were the distant sound of Zigi River flowing through the forest and the high-pitched calls of cicadas in the canopy above. We stopped to listen for a while before choosing a tree to set up the recorder. At dusk, the loud cicadas gave way to the more nocturnal animals—crickets, bats, and hyraxes. The hyrax’s call occasionally rose above the crickets, echoing through the forest all night! 

Field recording by Martha Mutiso in Tanzania

Growing up in the mid-Atlantic states of the US and with roots and time lived in the Deep South, few sounds bring me to a state of transcendence like the orchestrated song of insects at night. The spectrally tight but densely-layered score of hundreds or thousands of insects pulsing, ratcheting, trilling, buzzing, and singing in concert is soothing my the ears and the best sleep-aid I can experience for myself.

There’s so much life in a chorus, and it’s not only insects. Frogs occasionally beep. Bats flutter by. The occasional leaf drops from the canopy. This is my happy place.

Recorded on the last night of a stay in a private lodge on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, near Parque Nacional Corcovado.

Recording by Andy Martin at the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

A classic quiet Savannah dawn chorus from this part of the world.

Recording by Sounding Wild at the Outamba-Kilimi National Park, Sierra Leone

A coveted silence drenches the deep valley. Winter at it’s finest. With closed eyes, I discern the distant white noise of a creek flowing beneath the snow. Alongside one of the small lakes, a coyote crosses the ice on the opposite shore, noticing my presence as well. As early dusk descends, a small flock of Canadian geese flies overhead, their honking resonating against the steep valley walls—a common sight during this season. The geese are nearing a lake that has a unique nearly musical echo emanating from it. The chatter of trumpeter swans who have made this pond home for the winter. Evening light fades and the swans move to various nearby water sources that have not frozen, greeting each other with loud echoing calls. Moments of silence are equally piercing in this winter valley.

Recorded by Nick McMahan in the Washington River

Recoding by Seán Ronayne, in Zarnesti, Romania