Sounds Southern

By Alice PierottiScience Health & Fitness Mental Health Natural Sciences Nature

Sounds Southern episodes

April 22, 2025 Prothonotary Warbler in the Fire Pink Hills
Recorded on April 20, 2025, at Belmont, this is the sound of the dawn song in the artesian hills where fire pink wildflowers are at peak bloom. The spring waters spill into the marshy meadow and wooded swamp below, where the Prothonotary Warbler has returned to its breeding grounds and is busy establishing territory and searching for a prime nest site. Joining the morning chorus at mid-migration warbler season are the Tennessee Warbler, Hooded Warbler & Swainson's Wabler, along with the Indigo Bunting, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-breasted Chat, Common Yellowthroat, White-eyed & Red-eyed Vireos while the fluting song of a Wood Thrush rings out from the understory. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied & Pileated Woodpeckers with their signature calls and drumming are joined by calls from the Blue Jay, Acadian Flycatcher, Northern Parula, Tufted Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Northern Cardinal and Canada Goose. From the swamp’s edge, the glunk of a Green Frog and the sharp clicking call of Southern Cricket Frogs add texture—alongside the chattering of an Eastern Gray Squirrel echoing from the trees. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will also hear a lively hoot-off between a pair of Barred Owls as night give way to day,
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21 min
April 18, 2025 Midnight Mockingbird
Recorded on March 16, 2025, at the dogtrot on the Way Out West Deck, this is the sound of Mississippi’s state bird in the midst of a midnight song marathon. Likely a young male searching for his first mate or an older one singing after losing his mate, the Northern Mockingbird’s song of varied phrases is joined by the barks, cackling and hoooaaaws of a Barred Owl duet. On this cool spring night, with temperatures dipping below 50 degrees, only a few spring field crickets and frogs can be heard—their calls slowed by the chill in the air. This recording is best heard in a quiet setting.

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23 min
April 15, 2025 Cerulean Warbler in the Cold Springs Woods
Recorded on April 13, 2025, near Sardis Lake, this is the sound of the morning woods during the early days of warbler migration season. The mixed forest is alive with warbler song, from the Black-and-white, Kentucky, Hooded and Yellow-rumped Warblers to the star of the morning—the Cerulean Warbler—whose distinctive tune of three buzzy notes, four quick warbles and a high-pitched trill is a rare and welcome sound amid its ongoing population decline due to habitat loss. Listeners will hear the gusting winds rustling the tops of the towering white oaks (a particular favorite of the Cerulean) and additional birdcalls of the Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Cowbird, Carolina Wren and Northern Parula. The rhythmic tapping of Red-bellied, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers adds texture in the background. This is a layered and lively portrait of early spring in the Mississippi hill country—a soundscape of transition, movement and return.

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28 min
April 11, 2025 April Thundershower in the Flowering Dogwood
Recorded on April 6, 2025, at the dogtrot on the sleeping porch during a weekend of steady thundershowers that brought nearly three inches of rain, this is the sound of a gentle, rhythmic rainfall cascading from the metal roof onto the rain drum, accompanied by the low, rolling echoes of distant thunder.
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23 min
April 08, 2025 Louisiana Waterthrush in the Boggy Meadow
Recorded on March 30, 2025, at Clear Springs, this is the sound of a Louisiana Waterthrush as it begins to defend and establish its breeding territory with its sweet, musical song. The soundscape is alive with a blend of year-round residents, early summer arrivals and migrating birds, including the songs of the Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, Chipping Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Indigo Bunting, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, American Crow, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Brown-headed Cowbird and Red-winged Blackbird.
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21 min
April 04, 2025 Black & White Warbler in the Whispering Loblolly Forest
Recorded on March 30, 2025, near Sardis Lake, this is the sound of shifting seasons carried on the wind. Gentle to moderate south winds move through the pines, creating psithurism—the soft rustling of needles and leaves. As one storm front clears and another approaches, a mix of year-round residents, early summer arrivals and migrating birds fill the soundscape, including songs of the Black-and-white Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, American Goldfinch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Dark-eyed Junco, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, American Crow, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren and Northern Parula. This recording is best appreciated in a quiet setting.
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22 min
April 01, 2025 Fowler's Toads under Shining Sirius
Recorded on March 27, 2025, at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a spring night coming to life. Fowler’s toads, just waking up for the season, call out with their raspy Waaaaa, joined by the high, exuberant Peeeep of a few spring peepers and the steady trill of Southeastern field crickets. As the night deepens, the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, known as the Dog Star, rises just above the pond on the southern horizon. This recording is best enjoyed in a quiet setting.
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21 min
March 28, 2025 Morning Mockingbird on the Moonpie Deck
Recorded on March 24, 2025, at the dogtrot on the Moonpie Deck, this is the sound of a spring morning after a night of thunderstorms. As the landscape dries in the first light of day, year-round residents—including the Northern Cardinal, Chipping and White-throated Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Goldfinch and an array of woodpeckers (Red-bellied, Pileated, and Red-headed)—join the chorus. Their calls mingle with those of the Brown-headed Cowbird, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, Belted Kingfisher, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Eastern Towhee, American Robin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Pine Warbler, Cedar Waxwing and White-breasted Nuthatch. Adding to the morning’s lively soundscape are the returning calls of Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireos, marking their seasonal arrival in the hill country. Stealing the spotlight, a Northern Mockingbird, perched in a cedar tree in the pasture, delivers an intricate, ever-changing song to welcome the day.
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28 min
March 25, 2025 Crickets in the Coyote Twilight
Recorded on March 23, 2025, at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a twilight chorus of spring peepers and newly awakened Southeastern field crickets, their peeps and trills rising after a late-day thundershower. In the distance, a lone coyote barks and howls, sending its message across the night. This recording is best enjoyed in a quiet setting.
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21 min
March 21, 2025 Wood Ducks in the Moonlight Swamp
Recorded on March 10, 2025, at Belmont, this is the sound of blue hour settling over the swamp at Clear Springs. Wood Ducks, paired up for the breeding season, ooeek and squeal as they glide and gracefully land between the towering water tupelos. Listeners will hear the ducks engage in ritualized drinking, preening and synchronized shakes, strengthening their bonds. A flock of White-throated Sparrows makes end-of-day chip notes from a tangle of hazel alder and Virginia sweetspire branches, their calls threading through the dusk. Beneath it all, a steady chorus of Spring Peepers plus a few Upland Chorus Frogs and Southern Leopard Frogs hum in the background, their voices rising and falling like a heartbeat, wrapping the soundscape in the pulse of early spring.
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22 min

About Sounds Southern

From the publisher's feed

Sounds Southern immerses listeners in the tranquil and vibrant field recordings of North Mississippi’s hill country. Each episode, presented by recordist Alice Pierotti, offers a…