Songscapes – Details, episodes & analysis

A continuous soundscape of nocturnal field recordings from the Vinemount Meadows Nature Sanctuary in Vinemount, Ontario, Canada in the very early hours of April 7, 2019. Mildly edited to remove louder anthrogenic sounds.

You will continually hear Chorus Frogs.

You will occasionally hear: Mallard or American Black Duck , Canada Goose, and Great Horned Owl (very, very quietly).

You might also very briefly hear: Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, and American Tree Sparrow.

From the Hamilton Bioacoustics Research Project & Hamilton Naturalists' Club.

Audio editing: Rob Porter
Original raw field recordings are available under Creative Commons license at archive.org.

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

A continuous soundscape of morning field recordings from the Vinemount Meadows Nature Sanctuary in Vinemount, Ontario, Canada on April 7, 2019. Mildly edited to remove louder anthrogenic sounds.

You will continually hear: Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, and American Robin

Also present from time to time: Mallard (or American Black Duck) , Canada Goose, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, White-throated Sparrow, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Savannah Sparrow, Common Grackle, Blue Jay, American Crow, Downy Woodpecker , Eastern Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird , Red Squirrel, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Dark-eyed Junco, and Winter Wren.

Audio sourced from the Hamilton Bioacoustics Research Project & Hamilton Naturalists' Club

Audio editing: Rob Porter

The original raw field recordings are available under Creative Commons license at archive.org.

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

The Winter Wren can have one of the most lengthy continuous songs of all of Ontario's breeding birds, and is amongst one of the loudest in spite of its tiny size.

This soundscape was recorded at Petrel Point Nature Preserve in Red Bay, Ontario in July of 2018.

Heard in this recording: Winter Wren, Great-crested Flycatcher, Black-throated Green Warbler, American Redstart, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Common Grackle, Brown Creeper, Yellow Warbler, and more.

Audio editing & recording: Rob Porter

Audio sourced from the Hamilton Bioacoustics Research Project of the Hamilton Naturalists' Club.

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

Together the Blue-winged Warbler and Golden-winged Warbler form a species complex that isn't fully understood. Each species can breed with the other, and produce offspring hybrids that themselves can produce further offspring, leading to all kinds of variations in plumage. This unfortunately has lead to a competition that the Blue-winged Warbler is winning: it is "breeding out" the Golden-winged Warbler throughout much of its traditional range.

In this part we hear the Blue-winged Warbler's respiratory-sounding "Bee-buzzzzz" song, which sounds more like buzzing than warbling.

This soundscape was recorded at McMaster Forest in Hamilton, Ontario on May 11, 2019.

Heard in this recording are: Blue-winged Warbler, Gray Catbird, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Field Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Ovenbird, Song Sparrow, and more.

Audio editing: Doug Welch, Rob Porter

Audio sourced from the Hamilton Bioacoustics Research Project of the Hamilton Naturalists' Club.

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

Together the Blue-winged Warbler and Golden-winged Warbler form a species complex that isn't fully understood. Each species can breed with the other, and produce offspring hybrids that themselves can produce further offspring, leading to all kinds of variations in plumage. This unfortunately has lead to a competition that the Blue-winged Warbler is winning: it is "breeding out" the Golden-winged Warbler throughout much of its traditional range.

In this part we hear the Golden-winged Warbler's "Bee-buzz-buzz-(buzz)" song, which sounds more like buzzing than warbling.

This soundscape was recorded at MacGregor Point Provincial Park on May 19, 2019 using an iPhone with an Edutige EIM-001 omnidirectional microphone.

Heard in this recording are: Golden-winged Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler, Least Flycatcher, Song Sparrow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Crow, American Robin, and more.

Audio editing & recording: Rob Porter

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

The American Redstart is an abundant and friendly warbler that can be found in deciduous forests and forest edges. It has a fairly simple and short warble, with a fairly wide range of variability in the song. In this soundscape, they are singing nearly constantly.

This soundscape was recorded at MacGregor Point Provincial Park along the Old Shore Road Trail on May 19, 2019 using an iPhone with an Edutige EIM-001 omnidirectional microphone. This recording was done one week before the start of the annual Huron Fringe Birding Festival.

Heard in this recording are: American Redstart, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Ovenbird, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Red-eyed Vireo, American Robin, American Goldfinch, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow, and more.

Audio editing & recording: Rob Porter

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

At 5:13 a.m. on May 31 of this year, a male Gray Catbird perched right in front of our field recorder and gave us a nine-minute "interview". The very next morning at nearly the exact same time, he give us another six minutes.

Gray Catbirds are mimics -- males sing to impress potential mates with their diverse repertoire. Studies have found that catbirds with the highest number of different songs and calls are preferred for mating over less well-versed singers.

While there are a wide variety of background singers in this recording, the catbird was so incredibly close to the recorder that they are merely a distant-sounding backdrop. This specific catbird's mimicry is limited to a mixture of harsh calls with short segments from other bird species songs and calls. There is a brief fade out & fade in between the two separate recordings.

Recorded at McMaster Forest, in Hamilton, Ontario.

Audio editing by Rob Porter.

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

The song of the White-throated Sparrow, known by the mnemonic "Oh Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada!", is considered to be one of the most musically pleasing songs... when there is just one bird singing.

What happens when several White-throated Sparrows sing together in dawn chorus? The effect is likely to be described differently by each listener. For many it might be described as a soundscape of eerie other-worldly birds. To the musically-trained ear it may induce cringing.

And, while the sparrows in this recording are mostly singing in the background, their songs dominate the mood of this early morning chorus.

Recorded around dawn at McMaster Forest, Hamilton, Ontario on May 4, 2019.

Audio editing by Rob Porter.

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

The Eastern Meadowlark is typically found at agricultural sites throughout southern Ontario, but can sometimes be found at large open parkland in urban areas.

In this soundscape you'll hear both the song and "rattle" call of the Eastern Meadowlark. In the background you'll hear various species such as Red-winged Blackbird, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, Common Grackle, Northern Flicker, Chipping Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Yellow Warbler, an unknown woodpecker species pecking away at a tree, and a brief cameo by the elusive Orchard Oriole.

Recorded on June 23, 2019 at the Elam Martin Farmstead in RIM Park, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada with an iPhone 6S and Edutige EIM-001 microphone.

Audio recording and editing by Rob Porter.

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

Known for the distinctive "puh-wee" call, the Eastern Wood-Pewee is a very common breeding bird in forests throughout eastern North America.

They are also very persistent, seeming to sing constantly throughout the day and sometimes continuing long after sunset until it's truly dark out.

This soundscape features a nearby flowing creek within a ravine of a small patch of old growth forest. It captures a more lively early morning pewee song transitioning into the simpler and more relaxed song heard throughout the day.

Recorded on June 16, 2019 at McMaster Forest in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Audio editing by Rob Porter.

For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes