In June, I headed out on my annual summer recording trip, started years ago as a way to save my dog from the sound of fireworks around the 4th of July. That dog is gone and my current dog is deaf, so the need to avoid fireworks is not as pressing. But the summer solstice
Songs of the summer solstice Read More »
Nestled just south of Mono Lake in eastern California, and north of the dramatic Long Valley Caldera, the Mono Hills beckon with their quiet beauty. These volcanic ridges and valleys are sculpted from pumice soils and lie in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada. Yet, against the odds, the slopes burst with stands of
Sagehen to Sawmill: Solitude and songbirds in California’s Mono Hills 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 »
After I waved goodbye to the Black Hills, I made my way to Ten Sleep, Wyoming. I drove through the Bighorn Mountains, which were still rocking fresh snow from recent storms. It was the last week of May, but winter held the mountains firm in a wintery grip. All the campgrounds were still closed, while
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 »
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 »
This year I decided to expand the acoustic monitoring that I’ve been conducting at the River Fork Ranch in northern Nevada. The Nature Conservancy has been supported of my efforts by graciously providing access to preserves, so I decided to try to monitor at other TNC preserves. In April of this year, I headed south
Like most summers, this year I took a trip in late June/early July, ostensibly to save Shadow from the horrors of 4th of July fireworks. And once again, I found myself on border between northern California, northern Nevada, and southern Oregon. It was a good trip, with a few breezes, but overall good weather, no
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 »
