Sound By Nature

This was recorded on a cold and sunny morning beside Medicine Lake in Modoc National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. I made this recording at the same time the previous episode was recording, about 250 meters away.

I used the binaural recording technique for this, in which a microphone is worn on each ear in order to capture sound as closely as possible to the way we naturally hear. I strongly recommend using headphones for the best listening experience.

The air was absolutely still and the sunshine was pleasantly warm on the otherwise cold morning. I put on my binaural microphones and sat on the sandy shore at the very edge of the lake. The sunlight caused its frozen surface to expand, causing cracks and producing an abundance of otherworldly sounds.

I find it very difficult to sit silently while wearing binaural microphones, as they pick up the sound of the slightest movements, breathing, and even stomach rumbles. Breathing silently is not as easy as it sounds, especially when not acclimated to the elevation the lake sits at, which is about 6,800 feet or 2,070 meters. Though I tried hard, you may hear a faint breath here and there. This was as long as I could go before I had to shift my sitting position, clear my throat, and take a few normal breaths. That said, I thought this recording was worth sharing. I hope you like it!

This was recorded on a cold, sunny, and still morning at the edge of frozen Medicine Lake in Modoc National Forest, Siskiyou County, California.

Early in the morning the sun was obscured by clouds, but after they passed by and the sun shined upon the icy lake, surreal sounds began emanating from the surface. The ice at the edge of the lake snapped and crackled, and long cracks ran across the the icy lake surface, creating strange and otherworldly sounds. The recording has not been altered in any way, this really is what it sounded like.

I am extremely thankful to those of you that have helped me by making monthly contributions and one time donations. Every cent of your contribution goes directly into the production of these recordings, and you are directly helping me produce this podcast for yourselves and all listeners. Thank you so much for all of your help!

If you are interested in supporting me, you can do so by clicking the following links or the link at the end of this podcast description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast, you can find either of them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast.

If you have questions or comments email me at [email protected]

MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH!!!

Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

I recently made some wind protection for my SAAM Microphone in order to get better recordings on windy days. Several people remarked that it looked like Cousin It from the Addams Family, so that's what I've started calling it. I went to Medicine Lake, in Modoc National Forest, on a very cold and windy day in order to test it out, and these are the results.

These are the raw files straight from the recorder(Zoom F6) with no editing of any kind. All I did was apply a five second fade to the beginning and end of each clip and combine them into one audio file.

The first minute and a half is the mic with only the wind protection I got from the manufacturer, and the second minute and a half is the mic with Cousin It(the wind protection I made). I don't have an anemometer so I can't say exactly what speed the wind was blowing, but I can say that it was blowing pretty hard. I'm guessing the stronger gusts were 25-30 miles per hour(40-48 kilometers per hour). The spot by the lake I did the test was surrounded by Lodgepole Pine, you can clearly hear the wind blowing through them in the background.

I was pretty happy with how it worked, Cousin It did a great job of protecting the mic from the wind. I look forward to using Cousin It to get recordings for you without fear of the microphone being overwhelmed by unwanted wind noise.

This was recorded on a cold and clear autumn day in the forest high above Cabin Creek near the Pacific Crest Trail in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta County, California. A light breeze blew through the tops of the Douglas Fir trees towering above, shaking loose rain that was still clinging to the needles from the night before. The recording starts just after sunrise and continues until just before sunset.

I am extremely thankful to those of you that have helped me by making monthly contributions and one time donations. Every cent of your contribution goes directly into the production of these recordings, and you are directly helping me produce this podcast for yourselves and all listeners. Thank you so much for all of your help!

If you are interested in supporting me, you can do so by clicking the following links or the link at the end of this podcast description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast, you can find either of them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast.

If you have questions or comments email me at [email protected]

MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH!!!

Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

This was recorded beneath a stand of Mountain Hemlock and Lodgepole Pine on a breezy autumn day at Porcupine Lake in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The air was cold and crisp as the sun shined through passing high clouds, while gusty wind blew through the trees surrounding the clear water of the high mountain lake. Unbothered by the wind, a small banditry of Mountain Chickadees made its way through the trees, calling cheerfully as they flitted among the branches foraging for food.

If you are interested in supporting me, you can do so by clicking the following links or the link at the end of this podcast description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast, you can find either of them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast.

If you have questions or comments email me at [email protected]

MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH!!!

Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

This was recorded on a clear autumn day near the Pacific Crest Trail in a deep, shady, and densely forested mountain gulch at the bottom of a small waterfall on Trough Creek in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta County, California.

I am deeply grateful to everyone that has helped me by making monthly contributions and one time donations to the podcast. You are directly helping me produce these recordings for you and all my listeners. Thank you so much for all of your help!

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, you can do so by clicking the following links or the link at the end of this podcast description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast, you can find either of them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast.

If you have questions or comments email me at [email protected]

My heart aches for all of those suffering at the hands of people in power, all around the world. I desperately hope that the ideological, political, and religious differences that stoke violence and conflict can be resolved or put aside before any more people suffer and die. Regardless of our differences, we all bleed red and deserve to be treated with compassion and dignity.

Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

This was recorded on a rainy autumn night in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta County, California. A breeze blew through the trees above early on then gradually subsided as the rain fell steadily through the night before becoming lighter as morning drew near.

This was recorded tree ears style in which a small microphone is placed on either side of the trunk of a tree, in this case a White Fir. I placed the mics low on the trunk in order to better capture the sound of the rain hitting the forest floor. I hope you like it.

I am so grateful for my monthly supporters, both past and present, and those of you that have made one time donations. Your generosity is deeply appreciated. Thank you.

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, you can do so by clicking the following links or the link at the end of this podcast description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast, you can find either of them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast.

If you have questions or comments email me at [email protected]

Please do something today and every day that helps preserve and protect nature and our environment for the benefit of future generations. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

I recorded this in the meadow at the south end of Taylor Lake in the Russian Wilderness, Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California.

It was a warm morning for the elevation of the meadow(6500') thanks to the cloud cover overnight. The bumblebees, butterflies, and other pollinators were out early, flying from flower to flower getting their of fill of nectar. Cows grazed out of sight, hidden from view by the many willow thickets which populated the meadow, their presence betrayed by the clanging of their cowbells.

I laid the microphone down in the grass amongst the abundant white flowers blanketing the meadow(I've been trying to identify them but have been unable to). As you listen imagine yourself laying down in the meadow with the bumblebees and other pollinators buzzing all around. I recommend listening with headphones for the best listening experience.

This was recorded on a cloudy night beside Taylor Lake in the Russian Wilderness, Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The recording starts at around midnight and continues until sunrise.

The night was fairly calm with a faint breeze blowing through the treetops. Cows grazing in the area were active for a good portion of the night as they slowly made their way, with cowbells clanging, to the meadows at the south end of the lake. They eventually settled down and their noisy bells fell mostly silent until dawn. A brief and very light rain shower passed during the night, and again in the early morning as the buzz of flying insects increased with the morning light.

I am so grateful for my monthly supporters, both past and present, and those of you that have made one time donations. Your generosity is deeply appreciated. Thank you.

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, you can do so by clicking the following links or the link at the end of this podcast description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast, you can find either of them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast.

If you have questions or comments email me at [email protected]

Please do something today and every day that helps preserve and protect nature and our environment for the benefit of future generations. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

This was recorded on a warm summer day beside Taylor Lake in the Russian Wilderness, Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. I placed the microphone near the edge of the lake beneath White Fir trees just behind the shrubby Alder growing at the water's edge. The recording starts at about midday and continues until the late afternoon

The day started out breezy, then after a while the wind subsided before picking up again in the late afternoon. Small thunderstorms pass by south of the lake, with a few rumbles of thunder heard in the distance. Cows grazed on the far side of the lake, and their cowbells are heard throughout the recording.

There is some air traffic which is unavoidable on a long recording like this, pretty much anywhere during the day. Most of it is commercial air traffic and flying high, but there are a couple of lower flying airplanes which were involved in firefighting operations on the multiple wildfires burning in far northern California which were sparked by lightning in the days prior to the recording. You will also hear the distant voices of other visitors who were likely unaware of how well sound carries across a lake like this.

In the past I would have used only a portion of this recording, omitting human generated sounds as much as possible. But in my desire to provide you with an honest idea of what you would actually hear at this place and time, I decided to use the whole recording including the anthropogenic sounds. I hope you don't mind.

I am incredibly grateful to those of you that have supported the podcast in the past, and those of you that still do. There aren't many of you, which to me makes your contributions that much more meaningful. Thank you so much for supporting what I do.

If you are interested in supporting this podcast, you can do so by clicking the following links or the link at the end of this podcast description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast, you can find either of them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast.

If you have questions or comments email me at [email protected]

I really hope you enjoy this recording. I hope it inspires you to get out and spend time in nature, and to do what you can to help preserve it. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.