179: Autumn Afternoon Beside the North Fork of the Salmon River

This was recorded on a peaceful night in early spring atop a rocky outcrop which jutted out into the North Fork of the Salmon River just downstream of Mule Bridge in Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The night was clear and unseasonably warm for the time of year. The recording runs from about nine at night till about seven in the morning.Though this was recorded two weeks before the official spring equinox I feel comfortable calling it a spring night after the exceptionally mild and short winter in Northern California. Not to mention that as I lay in my tent at dawn while this was recording, I was greeted by the song of an American Robin, a sure sign of spring. I really want to thank everyone that has taken the time to rate and review the podcast, I deeply appreciate your kind words. And I'd like to thank those of you that have commented on the episodes in Spotify, I very much enjoy hearing your thoughts on the recordings. And I especially want to thank the few of you that have donated to the podcast on my, frankly, pitiful and outdated website. It really, really needs to be updated. I haven't touched in at least a couple of years, and it was built a minimum of effort to begin with. I guess I'd rather spend the little free time I have in the field making recordings, not sitting in front of a computer trying to build a website. So it goes.

This was recorded on a calm and sunny winter afternoon on the beach below Smith Gulch on the Lost Coast in the King Range National Conservation Area, Humboldt County, California. The tide was going out, so I set the mic up near the water in the intertidal zone at the border between an area of rocks and tide pools and a sandy stretch of beach. The sand was very coarse, almost tiny pebbles, and it made a pleasant sound as the waves washed up and down the beach. At the start of the recording the waves lapped at the shore only a few feet from the mic, but the tide receded quickly and by the end of this recording it was nearly twenty feet away.

This was recorded on a sunny winter afternoon on the Lost Coast by the Punta Gorda Lighthouse in Humboldt County, California.The colony was quite active on this afternoon, with many newborn pups, their mothers, and massive males making a myriad of interesting, and at times funny, sounds. Though the wind was very light for most of the day, it started to pick up as I was setting up the recording rig. I didn't bring much in the way of wind protection for the mics, so there is quite a bit of wind noise in this recording. Nevertheless, I thought it was worth sharing with you. I hope you enjoy it,

This was recorded on brisk winter night on the high tide line at Mattole Beach on the Lost Coast in Humboldt County, California. The night began overcast, but the clouds slowly gave way to the starry sky, and it was completely clear by the time the first signs of morning twilight appeared in the east. The offshore wind was light, and it carried with it a bit of extra chill as it made its way down the Mattole River, across the beach, and out over the ocean. The waves picked up a bit through the night, and by morning there was good surf for those willing to brave the cold and sharky water.This recording starts at around 10pm and ends a little after 7am, about half an hour before sunrise.

This was recorded on a pleasant fall day beside the North Fork of the Salmon River at the Mule Bridge Trailhead in Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California.

This was recorded on an autumn afternoon by East Boulder Creek in Trinity Alps Wilderness, Siskiyou County, California. Where I recorded this the creek flows through a steep gully, so I placed the mic at the edge of the gully above the creek, but not very far from it. It was a cold day, and at the start of the recording it was cloudy with occasional light snow flurries. But by the end, the clouds began to part and let the sun light through. The area received its first snow of the season the night before, and though it had almost entirely melted at the recording location, there was still a thin layer of snow coating the ground further up in the mountains. While this was recording I hiked up to East Boulder Lake, continued past the three small lakes above it, and up over the ridge to the intersection with the Pacific Crest Trail. It was my first time visiting this part of the Trinity Alps Wilderness, and it was a real treat to get to leave my footprints in the first snow of the season.

This was recorded on a stormy summer night beside a small pond in the forest east of Black Fox Mountain in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. I placed the microphone beside the pond in order to capture the sound of the raindrops hitting the water. I then covered the microphone and tripod with pine needles to prevent the rain from hitting them directly, which would cause unwanted sounds. I think it worked very well.

This was recorded on a clear summer morning in Trail Gulch in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, Siskiyou County, California. I set the mic up in an Alder thicket, not far from Trail Gulch Creek, near the edge of a large meadow. Much of the area burned in a large wildfire in 2021, but the trees and vegetation growing near and along the creek in the immediate area were untouched, with the help of the nearby meadow which provided a natural fire break. The recording starts at dawn, a little before the first birds began to sing, and continues into the morning. Many different birds are heard in this recording, including- American Robin, Lazuli Bunting, Swainson's Thrush, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, and others.There is a little more air traffic on this recording than I'd like, but I didn't think it was so bad that I couldn't share this otherwise beautiful soundscape with you. I hope you enjoy it.

This was recorded on a warm and sunny late spring afternoon by the side of forest road 39N05 near the East Fork of the Salmon River in Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California.

This was recorded on a beautiful spring morning in the forest near Six Shooter Butte in Sattitla Highlands National Monument, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. A gentle breeze blew steadily through the fir and pine trees above as the birds began to sing in the faint light of dawn. Listen for the songs of Yellow Rumped Warblers, Western Tanagers, Hermit Thrushes, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and others.