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 »
In southern Nevada, a bit more than 100 miles north of Las Vegas, lies a mountain range known as the Quinn Canyon Range. I first became aware of it when I was pondering over some vegetation maps of Nevada, and noticed that this range had an unusually high diversity of trees. Some, such as white
Although I stayed pretty close to home during the spring, avoiding Covid-19 and all, by June I couldn’t stand it anymore. So I June 1st, I packed up the car and headed into central Nevada to record the sounds of the wild. My first stop was Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, near Fallon. Breeding activity was
Although I focused most of this summer exploring the Great Basin and its soundscapes, I also dabbled on it’s edges in northern California and southern Idaho. In early June, I detoured a bit from my search for Brewer’s sparrows to check out a small mountain range that borders the northern Great Basin. Waters on the
Spring in the Rockies Read More »
I was perusing the internet recently (a bad habit), when I ran across something someone posted about fireflies. I don’t remember the gist of the article, but it did remind me of a magical experience I had with fireflies last summer in the mountains of eastern Arizona. I was actually there to try to record
Starry skies and fireflies Read More »
The Jarbidge Mountain area, in far northeastern Nevada, is considered one of the most remote areas in the lower 48. So naturally, I wanted to check it out, but was a little intimidated by some skirmishes between local ranchers and federal land managers. So when Lang Elliot, in the midst of his sound recording tour
It’s been an insanely busy few months, as I relocate my residence to northern Nevada. But now that the move is done and most of the boxes unpacked, it’s time to filter through the many recordings I made this year and get back to blogging. The move itself was hectic, as I packed up a
First breath of winter Read More »
In September, 2016, I set out on a long road trip, from Carson City to northern Montana, and back to southeastern Arizona. The trip took almost 2 weeks and covered more than 3,600 miles. It was a good test for both my little CR-V camper and my recording equipment, as I ran into a wide
Exploring Nevada’s alps: Lamoille Canyon Read More »
In late June, 2016, I travelled through southern and eastern Utah, looking for good places to record wildlife and good places to hike. So after I left wolf country, I headed north. It was still hotter than blazes, so rather than seeking colorful sandstone, I was looking for cool, shady forests. I had recently re-read
Travels in southern Utah Read More »
In June of this year, I headed back to lobo (Mexican wolf) country in northern Arizona. I drove up to a remote camping area near Escudilla Mountain, arriving on a cloudy and windy afternoon. On the way up to the camp site, I passed several elk cows with small calves at their heels. I set up
El Lobo, part 3: surrounded by ghosts Read More »
Another autumn has rolled around, leaves are changing, days growing shorter, and temperatures are getting cooler. Once again, the fall finds me in pursuit of autumn sounds, of which my favorite is the bugle of rutting bull elk. A couple of years ago, I had a successful time recording elk at Quemado Lake in New
I made my annual summer migration from southeastern Arizona to northern Nevada a few weeks ago, stopping to record along the way. My first stop was in the Blue Range of east-central Arizona, a land of conifers and beautiful grassy meadows. Much of this area was impacted by the 2011 Wallow Fire, and the hillsides
