Northwest Soundscapes

A tiny little bird with an outsized voice, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula, is a bird of the Northern forests. Fearless defenders of their nests, males have been known to chase away Canada Jay mobs raiding for egg meals. The bird in this recording was putting on a continual arial display while I sat eating my lunch. Perched out on a fir limb around 20 feet up, it would sing and promptl...

The Willow Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii, looks as most Tyrant Flycatchers do: challenging, daring you to identify it. The Tyrant Flycatchers all bear a striking resemblance to one another, with some species being almost impossible to discern until they open their beaks to sing. Their buzzy, sharp, staccato syllables are as key to correctly identifying one as the bright patterns and colorations o...

I don't often share the process I go through in prepping bird recordings for licensing and presentation, so I thought I'd share an A-B demonstration. In rapid-fire succession here are a number of Willow Flycatcher song clips, each immediately followed by the original. The Willow Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii, looks as most Tyrant Flycatchers do: challenging, daring you to identify it. The Tyrant...

Brewer's Sparrow, Spizella breweri, is a highly abundant Sagebrush steppe bird of North America, yet it's more likely heard than seen. Tiny and well-matched for hiding the bunches it calls home, they are just as comfortable clambering through Sagebrush like rodents as they are fluttering from one low bush to another. I had my first encounter with in a high subalpine Sagebrush meadow in the Okanoga...

A major BNSF line runs along the Columbia River Gorge that forms the border between Washington and Oregon states, moving freight and other traffic between the coastal harbors and the interiors. I took the opportunity of my wife's short business trip to Yakima (I'm the one with the vehicle)to camp overnight near the rail and record the comings and goings with minimal traffic. Not only do I love rec...

A major BNSF line runs along the Columbia River Gorge that forms the border between Washington and Oregon states, moving freight and other traffic between the coastal harbors and the interiors. I took the opportunity of my wife's short business trip to Yakima (I'm the one with the vehicle)to camp overnight near the rail and record the comings and goings with minimal traffic. Not only do I love rec...

A major BNSF line runs along the Columbia River Gorge that forms the border between Washington and Oregon states, moving freight and other traffic between the coastal harbors and the interiors. I took the opportunity of my wife's short business trip to Yakima (I'm the one with the vehicle)to camp overnight near the rail and record the comings and goings with minimal traffic. Not only do I love rec...

A major BNSF line runs along the Columbia River Gorge that forms the border between Washington and Oregon states, moving freight and other traffic between the coastal harbors and the interiors. I took the opportunity of my wife's short business trip to Yakima (I'm the one with the vehicle)to camp overnight near the rail and record the comings and goings with minimal traffic. Not only do I love rec...

Cliff Swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, are garrulous, squeaky, clanky, just all-around awesome little birds. Highly social birds that often live in massive colonies, they nest in cracks and crevices in cliff walls -- hence their name -- making their homes out of mud and sticky spit. Yum. Often "singing" from the entrance of their home, close recording is extremely difficult. This short collecti...

(UNMASTERED, recorded on 2021-04-27) The Varied Thrush, Ixoreus naevius, is a wisp in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Singing its songs from deep within the trees, difficult to locate in somber reverberate, its voice seems to emanate from the forest itself, crying, "Listen. Listen. Listen." On rare occasions, such as today, you may be graced with a visit while on a recording journey. Sharing...

Olive-Sided Flycatcher, Contopus cooperi, famous for being the bird that orders, "Quick! Three beers!" Proof that even stodgy old birders know how to party. This song sequence was captured with a parabolic, processed clean for sound effects' use while maintaining natural rhythm and pace Learn more at All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Olive-sided_Flycatcher Image Credit: "570 - O...

Pacific-Slope Flycatcher, Empidonax difficilis A long song sequence captured with a parabolic, processed clean for sound effects' use while maintaining natural rhythm and pace Learn more at All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pacific-slope_Flycatcher Image Credit: "583 - PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER (9-16-13) patagonia lake scc, az -01" by Sloalan is marked under CC0 1.0. To view the...

Brewer's Sparrow, Spizella breweri, is a highly abundant Sagebrush bird of North America, yet it's more well heard than seen. Tiny and well-matched for hiding the bunches it calls home, they are just as comfortable clambering through Sagebrush like rodents as they are fluttering from one low bush to another. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brewers_Sparrow/ Image credits "873 - BREWER'S SPARROW...

Recently I had the pleasure to spend several days recording on the wonderfully-named Skull and Crossbones Ridge in the Loomis Natural Resources Conservation Area in Okanogan County. The ridge marks a fascinating intermix of three dominant habitats in the NRCA: subalpine wet meadow, mountain sagebrush scrub, and forest consisting of Lodgepole Pine, Subalpine Fir, and Alpine Larch. Due to an approac...

I'm feeling pretty lucky right now. I was gifted this song last night by a little Swainson's Thrush that lived around my campsite. An excerpt from a 15 minute performance. I hadn't been ready to record yet (I was making supper). This beautiful bird perched approximately 9m away and about 3m upon a Red Alder, at the edge of a cut clearing surrounded by young Western Hemlock and Redcedar. It was dus...

On the morning of 2021 May 17, I stepped out of my tent next to my favorite Okanogan wetland to collect a recorder and microphones I'd left attached to a pole the night. It was a cool, crisp Spring morning, but the life and voices of the marsh and lake were as active as always. This recording covers the Dawn Chorus, from 23 minutes before First Light (at 22:55, 04:46:58 PDT, click the comments bel...

There is a tucked-away lake in a secluded little valley in a wildlife refuge in Northeast Washington where every sound rings through like bells in winter. A few days ago (mid-May, 2021) I happened to be recording shoreside at dawn when a pair of Ravens made their way in and around. Their intimate vocalizations and amused conversations make me smile, but I also feel a guilty as if I'm listening to...

20210118 Ice Lake Howl and Heave - 02 by Andy "soundeziner" Martin

20210118 Ice Lake Heave - 005 by Andy "soundeziner" Martin

20210118 Ice Lake Crack, slushy - 01 by Andy "soundeziner" Martin

20210118 Ice Lake Howl and Heave - 01 by Andy "soundeziner" Martin

A blend of a lower, focused, and steady placement and a higher, unsteady, chaotic placement, they form a nice blustery image that really gives the feel of being in the middle of experience --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just over the Cascade Ridge, in the foothills above Ellensburg, WA, lies one of the best wind energy locations in Washington. Acr...

Placed higher with less wind protection, these are the rear pair. With more direct buffeting and an unsteady position, they are the chaotic essence of gusty wind. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just over the Cascade Ridge, in the foothills above Ellensburg, WA, lies one of the best wind energy locations in Washington. Acres upon acres of wind turb...

Placed low and secure, these are the front pair. With less direct buffeting and a steadier position, they provide focus in a chaotic situation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just over the Cascade Ridge, in the foothills above Ellensburg, WA, lies one of the best wind energy locations in Washington. Acres upon acres of wind turbines dot the area,...

(UNMASTERED, recorded on 2021-04-27) Pacific Wrens are the Red-winged Blackbirds of the forest. Don’t get me wrong -- I love both. They have lively, spritely personalities with unqiue vocalizations. The problem is that they JUST WON’T SHUT UP, and they’re incredibly loud. They’re the aural equivalent of obnoxiously purposeful photo bombers. My interactions with Pacific Wrens go something like this...