Songscapes

A song cycle of waxing and waning intensity begins. Pauses between songs become longer, then shorter, then longer again. Songscapes Season 2: A Day in Cootes Paradise was recorded on July 5, 2019 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Cootes Paradise is a 1500 acre wetland on the western edge of Lake Ontario, owned and managed by the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), a charitable organization. It lies alongsi...

As the morning songs continue, some Black-capped Chickadees arrive with both songs and calls. Songscapes Season 2: A Day in Cootes Paradise was recorded on July 5, 2019 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Cootes Paradise is a 1500 acre wetland on the western edge of Lake Ontario, owned and managed by the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), a charitable organization. It lies alongside the city of Hamilton, On...

With the dawn chorus complete, the Red-winged Blackbirds disperse to their daytime territories, with just a few staying behind. Red-eyed Vireos, Carolina Wren, Indigo Buntings, Yellow Warblers are just some of the other species that emerge from the cacophony.  Songscapes Season 2: A Day in Cootes Paradise was recorded on July 5, 2019 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Cootes Paradise is a 1500 acre wet...

As more birds awake, so do some insects, and squirrels. In the distance, the sounds of a city waking to a new day. Songscapes Season 2: A Day in Cootes Paradise was recorded on July 5, 2019 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Cootes Paradise is a 1500 acre wetland on the western edge of Lake Ontario, owned and managed by the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), a charitable organization. It lies alongside the...

The day begins with the occasional call of the green frog, and distant singing Red-winged Blackbirds and American Robins. As the light emerges, bird songs are brought to the fore, and more species add their voices to the building dawn chorus. Songscapes Season 2: A Day in Cootes Paradise was recorded on July 5, 2019 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Cootes Paradise is a 1500 acre wetland on the wester...

On a cold February night, deep in the woods of Hayesland Swamp, a lone Barred Owl sings its telltale "Who cooks for you?" song. Recorded on February 3, 2019 at Hayesland Swamp Nature Sanctuary in Flamborough, Ontario. Audio editing by Rob Porter and Simon Carter. For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/songscapes

Once fledged from the nest, juvenile Red-tailed Hawks still require regular feeding by the parents. As you will hear in this soundscape, they are not subtle! Also heard in this soundscape: Indigo Bunting, Song Sparrow, Field Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Tree Swallow, American Robin, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and more. Audio editing by Rob Porter. For more information, see http://hamiltonnature.org/son...

The song of the Wood Thrush is one of the most widely-loved songs of all North American birds. Known by the mnemonic "ee-oh-lay", the male song is able to produce two notes at the same time, giving it a flute-like quality. This is a blend of two recordings, recorded on July 1, 2018 & June 30, 2019 at McMaster Forest in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with an iPhone 6S and Edutige EIM-001 microphone....

The Green Frog is a fairly common amphibian found in eastern North America in shallow, permanent water features. It's well known for its "gunk, gunk!" call. In this soundscape you'll hear it along with many other wetland and forest edge singers: Swamp Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Yellowthroat, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Chipping Sparrow, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and more. Recorded o...

The Yellow-throated Vireo shares much in common with it's red-eyed cousins. Their song is only different in its harsh intonation, making it sound like a "sore-throated" rendition of the Red-eyed Vireo song. Found in wet forest habitats, it sometimes overlaps with Red-eyed Vireos, making them difficult to separate to the untrained ear. This soundscape features two different Yellow-throated Vireos,...

Known for the distinctive "puh-wee" call, the Eastern Wood-Pewee is a very common breeding bird in forests throughout eastern North America. They are also very persistent, seeming to sing constantly throughout the day and sometimes continuing long after sunset until it's truly dark out. This soundscape features a nearby flowing creek within a ravine of a small patch of old growth forest. It captur...

The Eastern Meadowlark is typically found at agricultural sites throughout southern Ontario, but can sometimes be found at large open parkland in urban areas. In this soundscape you'll hear both the song and "rattle" call of the Eastern Meadowlark. In the background you'll hear various species such as Red-winged Blackbird, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, Common Grackle, Northern Fli...

The song of the White-throated Sparrow, known by the mnemonic "Oh Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada!", is considered to be one of the most musically pleasing songs... when there is just one bird singing. What happens when several White-throated Sparrows sing together in dawn chorus? The effect is likely to be described differently by each listener. For many it might be described as a soundscape of eeri...

At 5:13 a.m. on May 31 of this year, a male Gray Catbird perched right in front of our field recorder and gave us a nine-minute "interview". The very next morning at nearly the exact same time, he give us another six minutes. Gray Catbirds are mimics -- males sing to impress potential mates with their diverse repertoire. Studies have found that catbirds with the highest number of different songs a...

The American Redstart is an abundant and friendly warbler that can be found in deciduous forests and forest edges. It has a fairly simple and short warble, with a fairly wide range of variability in the song. In this soundscape, they are singing nearly constantly. This soundscape was recorded at MacGregor Point Provincial Park along the Old Shore Road Trail on May 19, 2019 using an iPhone with an...

Together the Blue-winged Warbler and Golden-winged Warbler form a species complex that isn't fully understood. Each species can breed with the other, and produce offspring hybrids that themselves can produce further offspring, leading to all kinds of variations in plumage. This unfortunately has lead to a competition that the Blue-winged Warbler is winning: it is "breeding out" the Golden-winged W...

Together the Blue-winged Warbler and Golden-winged Warbler form a species complex that isn't fully understood. Each species can breed with the other, and produce offspring hybrids that themselves can produce further offspring, leading to all kinds of variations in plumage. This unfortunately has lead to a competition that the Blue-winged Warbler is winning: it is "breeding out" the Golden-winged W...

The Winter Wren can have one of the most lengthy continuous songs of all of Ontario's breeding birds, and is amongst one of the loudest in spite of its tiny size. This soundscape was recorded at Petrel Point Nature Preserve in Red Bay, Ontario in July of 2018. Heard in this recording: Winter Wren, Great-crested Flycatcher, Black-throated Green Warbler, American Redstart, Black-capped Chickadee, No...

The Northern Waterthrush arrives late April in the Hamilton area, preferring swampy forested habitat. Its song is described as a loud and ringing warble, that accelerates into a jumble of quick notes. For the trained ear, it is similar to the related Yellow Warbler. This soundscape is derived from recordings made in the morning of April 25, 2019 at Hayesland Swamp Nature Sanctuary, Flamborough, On...

In 2019, the Hamilton Naturalists' Club acquired a new property in the Upper Hayesland Swamp, known now as the Hayesland Swamp Nature Sanctuary. It is a flooded forest in the spring, providing habitat to many wetland wildlife species. This soundscape opens with harsh song of the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), and as the morning progresses the soft and airy songs of the Winter Wren and Brown Cr...

A short recording that includes the song of the Eastern Whip-poor-will. This species is now only heard and seen in the Hamilton area during migration, as the local breeding populations have all collapsed. To hear one sing, you need to be up at night or at dawn during the brief migration window as they are a nocturnal bird. This song was a pleasant surprise discovery in our recordings. This recordi...

This urban recording begins at dawn with the wind-down of the outlandish nocturnal mating calls ("peents") and display of the American Woodcock. Next comes the Song Sparrow and Northern Cardinal as the light grows. Finally, the Field Sparrows and Eastern Towhee begin their songs. Of the songbirds of the Hamilton area, these represent a mix of early migrants and year-round resident species. This so...

Birds can be most abundant along "edge" habitats--between one discrete habitat and another. Here you will hear a mix of urban birds--Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove--along with the boreal species Yellow-rumped Warbler and a lakeside Song Sparrow. This soundscape was recorded close to a small road that divides ancient cedar forest from lake in a cottage setting. Recorded at Isthmus Bay,...

The Red-eyed Vireo is known for its repetitive song, which can sound like a loop of questions and answers. They sing throughout the summer in forests across Eastern North America, even in the hot afternoons. You may also hear a warbler or two as well... Recorded on July 19, 2018 at Otter Lake, on the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula, Ontario, Canada. Audio editing: Rob Porter Audio sourced from the Hamil...

Throughout the winter, we have recorded many Eastern Coyotes, also known as the "song dogs". This is a collection of coyote choruses in multiple locations near Hamilton, Ontario throughout the winter of 2019. Audio editing: Rob Porter Audio sourced from the Hamilton Bioacoustics Research Project of the Hamilton Naturalists' Club. Original raw recordings are available under Creative Commons license...