Wind Is the Original Radio

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

Dawn chorus from a rare pinsapo (Spanish fir) forest in the mountains of Andalucia. Starting softly at first light, the song of a Eurasian Robin is the first to herald the new day. As the day brightens the songs of many other species fill the air. In the background the soft tinkling of bells can be heard from goats on a distant hillside.

Recorded by Marc Anderson at Parque Nacional Sierra de las Nieves, Spain

Recoding by Seán Ronayne, in Zarnesti, Romania

A coveted silence drenches the deep valley. Winter at it’s finest. With closed eyes, I discern the

Recorded by Nick McMahan in the Washington River

A classic quiet Savannah dawn chorus from this part of the world.

Recording by Sounding Wild at the Outamba-Kilimi National Park, Sierra Leone

Growing up in the mid-Atlantic states of the US and with roots and time lived in the Deep South, few sounds bring me to a state of transcendence like the orchestrated song of insects at night. The spectrally tight but densely-layered score of hundreds or thousands of insects pulsing, ratcheting, trilling, buzzing, and singing in concert is soothing my the ears and the best sleep-aid I can experience for myself.

There’s so much life in a chorus, and it’s not only insects. Frogs occasionally beep. Bats flutter by. The occasional leaf drops from the canopy. This is my happy place.

Recorded on the last night of a stay in a private lodge on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, near Parque Nacional Corcovado.

Recording by Andy Martin at the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

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

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