This was recorded on a calm early spring morning in Murrelet State Wilderness, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Humboldt County, California. The nearby tributary stream of Squashan Creek flowed swiftly in the gully below as birds sang in the early light of dawn. First to sing on this morning was the Varied Thrush, followed by the complex, rapid song of the Pacific Wren. This part of the forest wasn't far from the ocean, and its hushed roar can be faintly heard in the distance. I made this recording tree ears style on a Coast Redwood standing beside the Fischer Grove Trail. Though it wasn't a ..read more

I recorded this on a cloudy night at the beginning of spring on Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Humboldt County, California. The wind was light and blowing offshore, and through the night the tide went from high to low and back to high by morning. The recording started at about 9 p.m. and continues till a bit before sunrise at about 7 a.m. This recording is entirely free of noise pollution. Do you like the podcast and want to help it get made? You can do just that by making a contribution! Just click one of the following links or the link at the end of this podcast de ..read more

This was recorded on a clear and sunny winter afternoon at McArthur Swamp, Shasta County, California. Gusty wind rushed across the grassland, rustling the tall dry grasses and swooshing past their stiff stalks. McArthur swamp is an area of protected wetlands and grasslands adjacent to the Tule River and Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park located just north of the small town of McArthur. The area provides wintering habitat, essential food, breeding grounds, and nesting areas for waterfowl and other birds, and is an important stopover for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway. Do you like the po ..read more

I recorded this on a breezy winter afternoon beside Big Lake in the northeast corner of Shasta County, California. The sky started off mostly cloudy with rain showers to the west, but the showers dissipated as they moved eastward towards the lake, and the clouds broke up allowing the sun to shine through. In this episode the constant lapping of small wind waves against the tule lined shore is punctuated by the soft sound of the wind blowing through the bare branches of nearby trees and the gentle rustling of dry grasses. Various species of ducks call as they bob on the surface in large flocks ..read more

This was recorded on a cloudy January evening during an outgoing tide on the beach beside the mouth of the Klamath River in Del Norte County, California. The steady roar of large surf breaking in the distance is punctuated by the waves pushing in against the powerful current of the river and rhythmically crashing against the shore. The river was running high and was colored chocolate brown with the abundance of sediment it was carrying from the recently breached Copco No. 1 dam far upriver near the California-Oregon border. The one-hundred year old dam is the last of four to be breached as par ..read more

This is a compilation of clips from the past year of the podcast, blended together for your enjoyment. Thank you so much for listening this year! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soundbynature/support ..read more

This was recorded on a rainy night at the very end of autumn in a stand of Quaking Aspen trees beside Bigelow Meadow in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. I made this recording tree ears style by placing a small microphone on either side of the trunk of a Quaking Aspen tree that was standing near the edge of the meadow. The leaves had long since fallen from the tree and those surrounding it, and the leaf litter carpeting the ground made a good sounding surface for the falling rain. This is the second night of a three night drop rig recording I made at this location. I ..read more

This was recorded on a cold and windy late autumn day at the edge of Medicine Lake in Modoc National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. At the location beside the lake where this was recorded, shards of ice that looked like broken plate glass were piled up along the shore. This occurred sometime in the days prior, when the lake had frozen over and the thin ice was broken up by wind and blown across the surface of the lake to its edge, where it accumulated into a long pile which stretched for several hundred feet along the shoreline. As the biting wind blew unobstructed across the frozen lake ..read more

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 sa ..read more

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 ..read more