You can hear the tide slowly approaching in the distance, with activity from all sort of birds in this patch of green in one of the busiest islands of the Bijagos Archipelago.

Recorded by Sounding Wild in the Bijagos Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau

Afternoon ambience from bushland in the New England tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. A light breeze blows through the canopy of the eucalyptus woodland and in the background, birdsong drifts on the cool mountain air.

Recording by Marc Anderson at the Mummel Gulf National Park, NSW, Australia

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

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

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

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!

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.

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

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! 🙏🏼🌏

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

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

Recorded in Sierra Leone by Sounding Wild

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

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.

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

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

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

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

High and dry. There is hardly anything here. No water, no trees, just a small two-track (dirt road where people have driven enough times to form a road, but the ground has never been graded), and a distant horizon. The terrain appears endlessly flat, but after some time walking, I cannot see my car anymore. No towns, people, highways, or aircraft. A strange silence seems to be suspended in the still air. I sit down in the sagebrush and the wind calms. Looking closer I see various small wildflowers growing in clumps, thoughtfully placed near roots and sage. I lay down. It doesn’t feel dirty here. The dusty soil is cool, almost soothing. Eyes close, it is not long before a whir of wings pass not far overhead. Quickly followed by another and a hushed chirp. Something imperceptible has shifted. There is another soft chirp. Another whir, over to the left. Then a trill. Gradually building, a mesmerizing chorus of Brewer’s sparrows and a steady drumbeat of a common poorwill in the distance weave the song of this quiet sage land.

These sounds were recorded on the ancestral land of the Northern Paiute people.

Exceptionally low-noise microphones in various arrays capture the delicate sounds of the environment. If you would like to know more please get in touch.

Recorded in the Basque Hills, Oregon, USA 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

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

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.

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!

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

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

Recording by Martha Mutiso

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

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

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

Recorded in December 2023 on my first — but not last — trip through Costa Rica, a troop of Golden Mantled Howler Monkeys in Costa Rica’s Parque Nacional Corcovado greets the dawn and their neighbors (and the rest of the jungle) the only way they know how. Male mantled howlers have an enlarged hyoid bone, a hollow amplifying bone near their vocal cords that gives the ability to generate great “howling” calls that can heard for kilometers. Howling allows the monkeys to exercise territory and remain in contact without expending energy through movement or bearing the risks of physical confrontation. As someone who likes little more than sitting in a forest listening to nature speak, I approve of this lazing behavior.

While this howling is their most well-known vocal characteristic, I’m rather fond of the popping and grunting that warms up to the howl and pads the time in between. It’s relatively quiet, and is most noticeable only when near the vocalizing howler. You can hear it throughout their first round of howling the beginning.

After speaking with other recordists, I know I am far from alone as someone who loves their sound, but I may be one of the few that enjoys waking up to their calls. Every morning I heard this nearby was a morning I walked to breakfast with a big silly grin on my face.

Neotropic birds come and go throughout the recording, but one persistent voice was the Yellow-throated Toucan, with a rhythmic, bouncing song that seems to carry on forever. There is at least one singing for most of this recording, and later, after the this first hour, a pair begin a duet. Also coming and going are raucous and noisy Scarlet Macaws and Red-lored Parrots, a lone Red-eyed Tree Frog, a visiting Little Tinamou, and more. I’m out of my depth when it comes to identifying neotropical birds, so I’ll let rest of the ecosystem speak for itself.

Recorded by Andy Martin at Parque Nacional Corcovado, Costa Rica

Recording in the Masaai Mara by Martha Mutiso

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

Recorded in January 2017 in Minas Gerais by Melissa Pons

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 Croatia by Ivo Vicic

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

Recording by Martha Mutiso in Tanzania

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

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

Recorded by Martha Mutiso in Kenya

This segment of a dusk chorus in the summer-arid region of Vale do Côa, Portugal, is somewhat a reverse story from the dawn chorus recorded in the same period, although fading out much quicker into a windy night, when low whispering bursts take the place of the singing birds.

In addition to the most audible and easily identifiable species, we can also hear the cuckoo here and there. Other species listed: 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

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

Recoded by Jan Brelih, in Bulgaria

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 

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

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

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

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

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

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 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