Episodes
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...
Published 03/02/24
Published 03/02/24
I recorded this at my home in the small town of McCloud in Siskiyou County, California. It was a relatively warm winter morning, and a flock of Evening Grosbeaks was busily eating a breakfast of sunflower seeds from a feeder hanging from the branch of a birch tree in my backyard. I placed a microphone on either side of the trunk of the tree(tree ears style) and recorded the action. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soundbynature/support
Published 02/27/24
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...
Published 02/23/24
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...
Published 01/30/24
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
Published 12/29/23
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...
Published 12/21/23
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...
Published 12/07/23
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...
Published 12/03/23
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...
Published 11/30/23
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...
Published 11/29/23
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...
Published 11/23/23
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...
Published 11/13/23
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...
Published 10/16/23
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...
Published 09/27/23
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...
Published 08/23/23
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...
Published 08/22/23
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...
Published 08/19/23
This was recorded overnight beside a mountain stream at the edge of a meadow in the valley of the North Fork of the Sacramento River in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. It was a calm and cool night and, aside from the sound of the water, was fairly quiet until the birds begin to sing at dawn. The recording starts at about 10:30 at night and continues until about 6:30 in the morning. I recorded this during a short, two-night backpacking trip to the area in early...
Published 07/14/23
This was recorded on cool summer night in the forest high in the valley of the North Fork of the Sacramento River in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The rushing water of several mountain streams is heard in the distance, providing a soothing background to a calm and peaceful night. I gathered this recording in the forest not far from my campsite and is what I heard as I lay in my tent drifting off to sleep. I thought it was an especially soothing soundtrack to a...
Published 07/14/23
This was recorded on a sunny and warm summer day in the forest beside a cold mountain stream high in the valley of the North Fork of the Sacramento River in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The recording starts in the morning and continues until mid afternoon. I recorded this during a short, two-night backpacking trip to the area in early July. In order to save weight, I brought a minimal recording set up which included a small recorder, power bank, and a pair of...
Published 07/14/23
This was recorded in the forest on a clear summer morning high in the valley of the North Fork of the Sacramento River in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The air was cool but not cold, in fact relatively warm for 6,700 feet elevation. The rushing water of several streams is heard in the distance as they cascade down the sides of the valley before eventually coming together to form the North Fork of the Sacramento River. In this recording you'll hear many...
Published 07/14/23
This was recorded in the early evening in the forest near Medicine Lake in Modoc National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. Thunderclouds had been brewing for much of the afternoon when finally this thunderstorm sprang to life at the end of the day, so I hastily grabbed my recording gear and set it up beneath a tree in the forest not far from my campsite. On the day day prior to this recording there were thunderstorms which lasted for much of the day, but unfortunately it was also the...
Published 07/08/23
This was recorded on a clear and cool summer night in the Hemlock Campground at Medicine Lake in Modoc National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The lake had only been made accessible a few days earlier when the road was cleared of snow and the campground wasn't officially open yet. I was the only person there and I was happy to enjoy a quiet and peaceful night in solitude. Help this podcast get made by making a donation, becoming a Patreon supporter, or becoming a monthly supporter...
Published 07/07/23