Explore every episode of the podcast Sounds Southern

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Recorded on September 6, 2026 in the Cold Springs woods, this is the sound of a dawn chorus beneath a setting waning crescent moon. Chirping crickets provide a steady rhythm as blue hour gives way to dawn and the quiet woods awaken to birdsong at the turn of the season. 

The clear, metallic song of a Hooded Warbler stands out from the early September chorus, its four or five notes ringing through the woods in a distinctive weeta-weeta-weet-tee-o, often remembered as “Richie Rich, I’m right here.” Other birds include: Summer Tanager, Yellow-throated Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, Acadian Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Parula, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Flicker, Carolina Wren, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Cardinal, Great Crested Flycatcher, Carolina Chickadee, Wood Thrush, Yellow-breasted Chat, Northern Mockingbird, Gray Catbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher & American Robin.

Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear more than 40 minutes of September birdsong beneath the fading moon along with chirping crickets, buzzing cicadas and the chatter barks of an Eastern Gray Squirrel.

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Recorded on August 21, 2026 on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of a late-summer thunderstorm breaking a weeklong heat wave. Big thunderheads build at sundown, sending rolling thunder across the hill country followed by brilliant flashes of lightning watched from the shelter of the dogtrot sleeping porch. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear an hour of this rich summer storm as rolling thunder and rain on the metal roof & rain drum gradually fade into evening cricket chirps and the steady dripfall from towering oaks in the pasture.

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Recorded on August 8, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of late-summer dawn as blue hour gives way to first light. After an evening of rainshowers, the morning begins cool and dewy, with the first birdsong rising through the pasture and garden.

A charm of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds takes center stage with the males’ monotonous dawn chip calls, rapid sputtering zeeekididid chase calls and the whir of their wings. Beneath it all, crickets provide a steady trill as the morning chorus builds with Blue Grosbeak, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Wood-Pewee, American Crow, House Finch, Indigo Bunting, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Downy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove and Red-bellied Woodpecker.

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Recorded on July 19, 2026 at the woods' edge around Bullfrog Pond, this is the sound of the first birdsong in the pre-dawn. Against a backdrop of steadily trilling crickets and the occasional calls of a Southern Cricket Frogs, the day begins with the clear, whistled song of an Eastern Wood-Pewee.

Listeners will also hear Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Wood Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, Carolina Wren, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Towhee and Mourning Dove as the sun peeks above the horizon.

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Recorded on July 8, 2026 on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of summer dawn chorus in the pasture. A Meadow Katydid, perhaps an Agile Meadow Katydid, is heard in the foreground, its rapid series of ticks followed by a buzzy trill as blue hour gives way to dawn. As the morning brightens, towering thunderclouds build over the hill country, sending deep rolls of thunder echoing across the hills.

Listeners will hear Summer Tanager, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-breasted Chat, House Finch, Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Kingbird, Carolina Wren, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Cardinal, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Eastern Wood-Pewee.

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Recorded on June 19, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of afternoon thunder as pop-up storms gather over the hill country. The garden is buzzing with birds and bees. Orchard and Baltimore Orioles take center stage while Ruby-throated Hummingbirds chase one another through the flowers, their rapid wingbeats audible from a courtship display.

Listeners will also hear Northern Parula, American Crow, House Finch, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Fish Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Mourning Dove, House Sparrow, Red-eyed Vireo, Chipping Sparrow, Yellow-throated Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Indigo Bunting and Purple Martin before the approaching rain.

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Recorded on June 20, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of an afternoon rainshower settling over the pasture. The light summer shower seems to please the birds, who continue singing while foraging and preening in the soft rain.

Listeners will hear Carolina Wren, Carolina Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-throated Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Parula, House Finch, Downy Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Purple Martin, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hooded Warbler and Wood Thrush. Sounds Southern Extended will hear over an hour of the gentle summer sounds, perfect for relaxing or meditating.

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Recorded on May 9, 2026 on the Way Out West deck, this is the sound of the dawn chorus as the last of the spring warblers move through the hill country. A Prairie Warbler takes center stage, its buzzy zee-zee-zee-zee-zee-zeeeee carrying across the morning air and out over the spring meadow.

Joining the chorus are Yellow-breasted Chat, Northern Cardinal, American Crow, Wood Thrush, Carolina Wren, Brown-headed Cowbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Blue Jay, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Orchard Oriole, Carolina Chickadee, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Purple Martin, Northern Parula, Hooded Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, American Robin, Eastern Bluebird and Northern Mockingbird.

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Recorded on April 25, 2026 in a field along the Little Tallahatchie River, this is the sound of morning birdsong as the rising sun slowly burns away the fog from the river bottom adjacent to a stand of mixed woods. Spring migrating favorites like the Rose-breasted Grosbeak join newly arrived summer residents including Blue Grosbeak, Yellow-breasted Chat, Indigo Bunting, Summer Tanager and Orchard Oriole as they establish territories in the hedgerows along the field edge.

Listeners will hear Northern Flicker, Red-winged Blackbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Field Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, White-eyed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, American Goldfinch, Brown-headed Cowbird, Eastern Bluebird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Brown Thrasher, Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, American Crow, Blue Jay, Hairy Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrow, Carolina Chickadee, Pine Warbler and Eastern Towhee carried across the foggy morning air.

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Recorded on April 25, 2026 in the river bottom at an unnamed creek that empties into the Little Tallahatchie River, this is the sound of a slow-moving creek and the early morning chorus. A recent arrival, the Yellow-breasted Chat, takes the foreground, setting up territory in the thickets along the creek bank. Males carry a wide-ranging repertoire of whistles, cackles, mews, catcalls, caws, chuckles, rattles, squawks, gurgles and pops, repeated and recombined with striking variety.

Beneath the birdsong, listeners will hear the steady glunk of a Green Frog and crickets calling from the dense vegetation along the gravel bar. The morning chorus includes Summer Tanager, Common Yellowthroat, Carolina Wren, Indigo Bunting, Northern Cardinal, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Northern Mockingbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Brown-headed Cowbird, Blue Grosbeak, Wood Thrush, Eastern Towhee, Northern Parula, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Pine Warbler, Orchard Oriole, Gray Catbird, White-eyed Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Northern Waterthrush, Tufted Titmouse, Song Sparrow, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, American Robin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird and Blue Jay.

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Recorded on May 1, 2026 at Heart Place, this is the sound of a nighttime chorus at Bullfrog Pond under May’s Full Flower Moon, also known as the Frog Moon. Spring Crickets and Southern Wood Crickets form a steady backdrop, joined by the rising waaaa of Fowler’s Toads, the soft tapping of Southern Cricket Frogs, like two small pebbles struck together and the short raspy trill of the Cope's Gray Treefrog.

Through the chorus, listeners may catch the faint call of a Chuck-will’s-widow from across the pasture and the nocturnal notes of a Yellow-breasted Chat in the brambles, though both are nearly overtaken by the strength of the amphibian chorus. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear over two hours of this layered nighttime rhythm, well suited for deep rest and relaxation.

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Recorded on April 23, 2026 on the sleeping porch at the dogtrot, this is the sound of night under the Lyrid meteor shower. Crickets and Southern Cricket Frogs provide a steady rhythm, joined by the kowlp-kowlp-kowlp call of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a caterwauling chorus from a nearby Barred Owl pair and the rolling call of a Chuck-will’s-widow, returned to Heart Place in the woods at the edge of Kingfisher Pond.

Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear over an hour of the Chuck-will’s-widow’s calls, along with distant coyote barks and howls, the soft rhythmic movement of an opossum brushing through the grasses in search of a nighttime meal and pausing to drink from the wildlife water feature. Other nocturnal calls include the occasional honk of a Canada Goose and the peent call of a Common Nighthawk plus psitherism moving through the oak trees in the pasture. This recording is best heard in a quiet setting.

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Recorded on April 20, 2026 at Belmont in the river bottom along the Little Tallahatchie River, this is the sound of dawn chorus at the peak of migration season. The recording opens with the delicate, flute-like song of the Wood Thrush. The Wood Thrush’s call is a distinctive, layered three-part call where individuals can be identified by the repeating order in which they cycle through their middle-phrase variants, the ee-oh-lay. Males learn this phrase from neighboring birds and perform multiple variants, typically 2 to 10 clear, ringing notes. When combined with 1–3 variants of a softer introductory phrase and 6–12 variants of a more complex, higher-pitched final trill, a single bird may produce more than 50 distinct songs.

Other voices joining the chorus include: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Carolina Wren, Northern Cardinal, Louisiana Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Northern Parula, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Downy Woodpecker, Acadian Flycatcher, Pine Warbler, American Crow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-eyed Vireo, American Redstart and Tufted Titmouse.

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Recorded on April 20, 2026 at sunrise along the Little Tallahatchie River, this is the sound of peak spring migration. The morning, covered in fog along the river bottom, builds with Wood Thrush, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee and Northern Cardinal, joined by Indigo Bunting, Red-eyed Vireo, Canada Goose and Summer Tanager, with light breezes moving through the tops of the trees and the barks of an Eastern Gray Squirrel. A stream of warblers carries the center of the recording, including Black-throated Green Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Pine Warbler and Prothonotary Warbler alongside Northern Parula, American Redstart and Louisiana Waterthrush.

Listeners will hear the tree canopy filled with the drumming and calls of Red-headed, Hairy, Downy, Red-bellied and Pileated Woodpeckers, as well as Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Carolina Wren, Brown-headed Cowbird, Blue Jay, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher, American Crow and Red-winged Blackbird, creating a layered morning chorus well suited for meditation or improving one’s mood.

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Recorded on April 17, 2026 in the Cold Springs woods, this is the sound of a spring morning full of birdsong. Migrating and resident warblers dominate the scene, with a trio of newly arrived resident Worm-eating Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler and Northern Parula lifting their voices in conversation.

The recording opens with low morning cow bellows from a nearby pasture, underscored by crickets and a growing chorus of birds, including Blue-winged Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Pine Warbler, Ovenbird, American Goldfinch, Red-eyed Vireo, American Robin, Gray Catbird, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Brown-headed Cowbird, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Prairie Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Chipping Sparrow.

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Recorded on April 12, 2026 at Cold Springs, this is the sound of sunrise in the cypress swamp. Newly arrived Prothonotary Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush and Swainson’s Warbler dominate the morning chorus, while Eastern Cricket Frogs call from the understory.

Other voices in the chorus include Summer Tanager, Northern Parula, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Common Yellowthroat, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Brown-headed Cowbird, Brown Thrasher, Chimney Swift, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Canada Goose and American Crow.

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Recorded on April 10, 2026 at Heart Place, this is the sound of a spring night under a third-quarter moon. Listeners will hear the distant howl of a lone coyote alongside the steady chorus of Eastern Cricket Frogs, Southern Cricket Frogs, Fowler’s Toads, Southern Wood Crickets and Southeastern Field Crickets. This green noise is perfect for calming down in times of stress.

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Recorded on April 12, 2026 at Clear Springs, this is the sound of the dawn chorus along the Little Tallahatchie River at the swamp's edge. The steady trickle of artesian springs flowing from the hills floods the understory of hazel alder, pawpaw, river cane, brome-like sedge and cinnamon fern, while the Swainson’s Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush countersing as they establish breeding territories.

Other voices in the morning soundscape include the Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Prothonotary Warbler, Northern Parula, Northern Cardinal, Yellow-throated Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Common Yellowthroat, Brown-headed Cowbird, Yellow-throated Warbler, Carolina Wren, Hooded Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch, Red-eyed Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, Blue-headed Vireo, American Crow, Red-shouldered Hawk, Wild Turkey, Chimney Swift and American Robin, along with the drumming of Pileated and Downy Woodpeckers and tapping call of the Southern Cricket Frog.

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Recorded on March 30, 2026 at Heart Place, this is the sound of the sundown chorus at the woods edge, with violet wood-sorrel in full bloom beneath a stand of loblolly pines. Wind moves through the trees in a soft psithurism as the last of the March breezes carry newly arrived swallows, Northern Rough-winged and Cliff, as they wheel and dance on air..

Joining the evening bird chorus are Song Sparrow, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Wren, Chipping Sparrow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Robin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Crow, Northern Parula, Downy Woodpecker, Cedar Waxwing, Purple Finch, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, White-throated Sparrow and House Finch, along with the distant meow call of a peacock from a nearby farm.

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Recorded on March 22, 2026, at the woods edge surrounding Bullfrog Pond, this is the sound of a dawn song of new migrants and year-round residents preparing for spring. An Eastern Gray Squirrel gives its nasal calls while March winds move through the pines and the oak grove on the hilltop.

Canada Geese are beginning spring courting rituals on the ponds at Heart Place and other voices in the dawn song include Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Crow, House Finch, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, House Sparrow, Carolina Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch, Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Barred Owl, Pine Warbler, Eastern Meadowlark, Chipping Sparrow and Red-winged Blackbird.

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