Sound By Nature

This was recorded on a quiet spring night in a Ponderosa Pine dominant forest in the McCloud flats area of Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The night started of breezy, then gradually became calm and quiet until dawn when birds began to sing.

I recently got a job that's going to make it difficult to get out and do as much field recording as I'd like. I still plan to keep sharing recordings with you, but they won't be coming out nearly as frequently as they have in the past. For that reason I have ended monthly support for the podcast through Spotify Podcasting, and I ended monthly support on Patreon. There are only a handful of you, but I have been extremely grateful for your support over the months and years, thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. There is another handful of you that have made one time donations through my website, I am extremely grateful for your kindness and generosity as well, thank you.

Kelly Rafuse (@soundbynaturepodcast) • Instagram photos and videos (1) Facebook Sound By Nature Podcast

I hope you enjoy this recording. Please do something today that helps protect and preserve the natural world for future generations. Thank you for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

This was recorded on cloudy night on the margin between the beach and the forest at Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Humboldt County, California. The wind, blowing offshore, picked up for a short time during the night and is heard blowing through the branches of nearby stunted Sitka Spruce before settling back down to a light, barely audible breeze. A frog chorus is heard in the distance with the roar of the breaking waves ever present. The recording lasts through the night until dawn, when the birds begin to sing and the squirrels begin to chitter.

For this recording the microphone was oriented such that it was facing north, with the left side to the west and the right side to the east. The beach at this location is backed by its namesake bluffs, and what sounds like wind blowing on the right is actually the sound of the breaking waves reflecting off the bluffs. When I initially heard it, I thought it was gusty wind blowing through the trees atop the bluffs. Though it wasn't windy below them, I thought perhaps the tall bluffs were sheltering the beach from the wind. But upon closely watching the trees on the bluff for movement, there wasn't any to indicate what would have had to be a pretty strong breeze to produce the sound I was hearing. As I listened closer, I noticed the "wind" I was hearing ebbed and flowed closely in sync with the sound of the breaking surf. It was then it hit me that what I was hearing was in fact the sound of the waves reflecting off the bluffs. If you listen closely, you'll hear the same thing on this recording. I thought this was a very cool sounding phenomenon and I'm happy I was able to capture it and share it with you.

This is the last of the recordings I'm going to share that I made on a short camping trip to Gold Bluffs Beach with my daughter for her 17th birthday. She was incredibly patient with me and my borderline obsessive desire to record as much as possible while we were there, and I am very grateful that she was so tolerant of my efforts to do so. You have her to thank as much as me for gathering the sounds of such a beautiful and special place, and for sharing them with you.

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 description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you can't help by making a monetary contribution, that's okay! You can also help by rating and reviewing the show on your favorite podcast platform, or by telling friends about it.

I am truly grateful to those of you that support the show monthly through Spotify for Podcasters and Patreon. Your contributions go directly into making these recordings and I deeply appreciate your help. Thank you!!!

Thanks to everybody that has rated the show, and especially those of you that have written a review on Apple Podcasts. Your kind words mean a lot!

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast. Find them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast. You can also see pictures on the podcast website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sound By Nature Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠. Just look for the post for this episode. And while you're there, please consider making a donation!

If you have questions or comments, please email me at [email protected]

Please do something today that helps make the world a more peaceful place for all living things. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

This was recorded in early spring on a mostly cloudy morning at Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Humboldt County, California. The wind was light and the ocean surface glassy, and I placed the microphone on a bar of sand and small cobblestones exposed by the low tide, close to the water's edge but beyond the reach of the shorebreak.

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 description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you can't help by making a monetary contribution, that's okay! You can also help by rating and reviewing the show on your favorite podcast platform, or by telling friends about it.

I am truly grateful to those of you that support the show monthly through Spotify for Podcasters and Patreon. Your contributions go directly into making these recordings and I deeply appreciate your help. Thank you!!!

Thanks to everybody that has rated the show, and especially those of you that have written a review on Apple Podcasts. Your kind words mean a lot!

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast. Find them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast. You can also see pictures on the podcast website, ⁠⁠⁠Sound By Nature Podcast⁠⁠⁠. Just look for the post for this episode. And while you're there, please consider making a donation!

If you have questions or comments, please email me at [email protected]

I really hope you enjoy this recording. Please do something today and everyday that helps protect the natural world for current and future generations. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

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 an exceptionally enormous tree by Redwood standards, it was still very large tree of 7 or 8 feet in diameter. Spacing the microphones that far apart, with such a big tree between them, doesn't make for an "accurate" stereo recording, but making a recording that accurately reproduced what a person would hear wasn't my intention. I just thought it would an interesting experiment and fun to imagine what a Redwood tree might hear(if it had two human ears, one on either side of its trunk about four feet off the ground), and I was just plain curious about how setting the mics up like this would sound. I was initially reluctant to share this recording, but I figured what the heck, maybe you'd be interested to hear it, too.

Aside from it being experimental, another reason I was reluctant to share this recording is due to the fact that there is a bit of faint noise pollution. It wasn't the usual air traffic, and this spot is far from any highway, so I'm guessing it was the distant sound of heavy equipment working on the ongoing Redwoods Rising forest restoration project. I was definitely a little bummed out to hear it on this recording, but I don't think it takes too much away from the otherwise beautiful soundscape. If you'd like you can learn more about the forest restoration project here- Redwoods Rising - Save the Redwoods League

Interesting fact- On September 5, 1980, Redwood State and National Parks was designated a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations.

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 description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you can't help by making a monetary contribution, that's okay! You can also help by rating and reviewing the show on your favorite podcast platform, or by telling friends about it.

I am truly grateful to those of you that support the show monthly through Spotify for Podcasters and Patreon. Your contributions go directly into making these recordings and I deeply appreciate your help. Thank you!!!

Thanks to everybody that has rated the show, and especially those of you that have written a review on Apple Podcasts. Your kind words mean a lot!

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast. Find them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast. You can also see pictures on the podcast website, ⁠⁠Sound By Nature Podcast⁠⁠. Just look for the post for this episode. And while you're there, please consider making a donation!

If you have questions or comments, please email me at [email protected]

I really hope you enjoy this recording. Please do something today that helps protect the natural world for future generations. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

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 description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you can't help by making a monetary contribution, that's okay! You can also help by rating and reviewing the show on your favorite podcast platform, or by telling friends about it.

I am truly grateful to those of you that support the show monthly through Spotify and Patreon. Your contributions go directly into making these recordings and I deeply appreciate for your help. Thank you!!!

Thanks to everybody that has rated the show, and especially those of you that have written a review on Apple Podcasts. Your kind words mean a lot!

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast. Find them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast. You can also see pictures on the podcast website, ⁠Sound By Nature Podcast⁠. Just look for the post for this episode. And while you're there, please consider making a donation!

If you have questions or comments, please email me at [email protected]

I really hope you enjoy this recording. Please do something today that helps protect the natural world for future generations. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

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 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 description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you can't help by making a monetary contribution, that's okay! You can also help by rating and reviewing the show on your favorite podcast platform, and by telling friends about it.

I am truly grateful to those of you that support the show monthly through Spotify and Patreon. Your contributions go directly into making these recordings and I am extremely grateful for your help. Thank you!!!

Thanks to everybody that has rated the show, and especially those of you that have written a review on Apple Podcasts. Your kind words mean a lot!

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast. Find them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast. You can also see pictures on the podcast website, Sound By Nature Podcast. Just look for the post for this episode. And while you're there, please consider making a donation!

If you have questions or comments, please email me at [email protected]

I really hope you enjoyed this recording. Please do something today that helps protect the natural world for future generations. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

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.

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 far out on the lake. Geese are heard in the distance calling from the ground, with the occasional flock heard flying high above. Listen for the solitary call of a Red Tailed Hawk, and distant flocks of Sandhill Cranes in flight.

There was an unfortunate amount of air traffic the day this was recorded, but I liked this recording too much not to share it with you. I hope you like it as well and don't mind the air traffic too much.

I recently got a new production assistant! She is a sweet dog named Molly and she was a big help with this episode. I look forward to her help with many, many future recordings.

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 description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

If you can't help by making a monetary contribution, that's okay! You can also help by rating and reviewing the show on your favorite podcast platform, and by telling friends about it.

A big thank you to those of you that support the show monthly through Spotify and Patreon. Your contributions go directly into making these recordings and I am extremely grateful for your help.

Thanks to everybody that has rated the show, and especially those of you that have written a review on Apple Podcasts. Your kind words mean a lot!

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast. You can find them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast.

If you have questions or comments email me at [email protected]

Please make an effort to reduce the amount of single use plastics you use and do your best to keep them and all plastics out of the environment. Many small actions added together can have a big impact! We can all make a difference on this planet by making more conscientious choices about the stuff we use and thereby leave a smaller footprint on the environment and help preserve nature for future generations. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

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 part of the largest dam removal and river restoration project in American history. As the water behind the dam is drawn down, the first step of its eventual removal, the massive quantity of sediment that built up over its lifetime is being carried downstream for its long overdue meeting with the Pacific Ocean. The removal of the dams will return the river to a free-flowing, natural state and will restore spawning habitat for salmon, steelhead, and many other fish. If you'd like to learn more about the Klamath River dam removal, click on one of the following links-

Klamath River Renewal (klamathrenewal.org)

Dam Removal on the Klamath River (americanrivers.org)

Klamath Dams Removal | California Trout (caltrout.org)

Klamath River: Largest dam removal in U.S. history begins : NPR

Fourth dam breached on the Klamath River - OPB

Please support me by making a contribution, I could really use it. You can do so by clicking the following links or the link at the end of this podcast description-

⁠⁠https://soundbynaturepodcast.com/donations/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/soundbynaturepodcast⁠⁠

Thanks to everybody that has rated the show, and especially those of you that have written a review on Apple Podcasts. Your kind words mean a lot, thank you!!

If you'd like to see pictures of the area this was recorded, check out the Instagram or Facebook page for the podcast. You can find them by searching @soundbynaturepodcast.

If you have questions or comments email me at [email protected]

Please do something today, and every day, that protects and preserves nature for current and future generations. Thank you very much for listening. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sound.

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!