In March of this year, I headed south to the desert to do some sound recording. More accurately, I visited three deserts—the Great Basin, Mojave, and Colorado. It was the second week of March, a little early for much bird activity, but I still came home with some good recordings and a welcome break from
At the edge of spring: listening across three deserts Read More »
In south-central Utah lies an area of corrugated sandstone that looks like someone took a giant backhoe and scooped out a huge chunk, leaving the rest to the vagaries of erosion. It’s called the Box Death Hollow Wilderness, and given its ruggedness and difficult access, it’s probably one of the least visited wilderness areas in
Exploring Utah’s Box Death Hollow: Adventures Along Hell’s Backbone Read More »
In early September, I set off to check on a couple of my acoustic monitoring stations near Beatty, Nevada (more on that in an upcoming blog post). As I was already on the road, I decided to make a real road trip out of it and check out a spot in Utah that’s been eluding
Vanishing voices: Pinyon Jays and the changing Nevada landscape Read More »
After I left Canada, I headed back to the Little Rockies in Montana, where another breezy night kept me from getting any good recordings. Then I explored the northern end of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, where the campgrounds were just opening. I found a nice, dispersed area and pulled into a campsite some distance
Thunderstorms and pikas – exploring the Wyoming Range Read More »
After my recording trip to Red Rock Lakes, I headed east, across Yellowstone, to the Pryor Mountains. The plan was to meet Lang Elliott at the Pryor Ice Cave and try recording inside the cave. The plan was thwarted by a muddy road, with foot-deep ruts, which was too much for my small SUV to
Prairie – at last! Read More »
On my sound recording trip last May and June, after I left Castle Gardens in Wyoming, I traveled to Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southern Montana. I’ve been here a couple of times before and it’s one of my favorite places on the planet. The shortest route was through Yellowstone, but since I
Return to Red Rock Lakes Read More »
In late May 2024, as part of my prairie recording expedition with Lang Elliott and Beth Bannister, I checked out Red Bird Canyon in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota. I arrived there late in the afternoon after being pushed across Wyoming by a strong tailwind. Although not very deep or extensive, the canyon
Back in the middle of May, I packed up my car and my dog and headed east to meet up with some friends in South Dakota. Lang Elliott and Beth Bannister were heading west from New York state to get some prairie sound recordings, beginning in Kansas, moving west to eastern Colorado, then heading north
Dawn at Cleve Creek Read More »
After being gob smacked by the beauty of the Wallowa Mountains, but disappointed in the opportunities for sound recording, it was time to head south. My first stop was in the Blue Mountains, west of La Grande. The rugged peaks of the Wallowas smoothed into rounded pine-covered mountains surrounding meadows and small streams. I found
Exploring northeastern Oregon, Part 2 Read More »
One of my favorite places to visit and record in northern Nevada is Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, near Fallon. It’s a collection of ponds, ditches, and marshes, where the Carson and a portion of the Truckee Rivers end. It is such a critical oasis in the arid Great Basin that it’s part of the Western
Seasons of Stillwater revisited Read More »
Spring has arrived full force in the western US, and with it the bird breeding season. Resident birds and newly arrived migrants are singing up a storm as they set up territories and attract mates, adding an incredible sonorous background to our daily lives. In early April, I headed over the Sierras to see and
Early spring in the Sierra Nevada foothills Read More »
As I usually do in early July, this last summer the dog and I headed off to the hinterlands of northern Nevada. The trip is timed to allow us to get far from civilization to spare Shadow the horrors of fireworks. This years trip took us across central Nevada to Ruby Lakes Wildlife Refuge, then
That time when the dog got stoned Read More »
