Listening Earth Blog

To see budgerigars in the wild is a wonderful experience. In the drier parts of Australia, they are found in sometimes huge flocks, taking to the air with a roar of wings, their green and yellow plumage flashing against the blue sky. When they alight, trees can be full of chattering budgies, clustering together, preening each other, fluttering from one branch to another. It is one of the delights of the outback.

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Tags: Australia, bird sounds, birdsong, Budgerigars, meditation music, natural sounds, nature CD, nature download, nature music, nature sounds, sounds of nature

Spring is well underway around home here in Victoria, and the bush is alive with birdsong. We’ve been out and about recording in recent weeks, with some lovely results.

In late September, Sarah and I undertook a short (but adventurous!) field trip to Mutawintji National Park in outback NSW (more later!).

We arrived home just in time for a gathering of local members of the Australian Wildlife Sound Recording Group. Continue Reading »

Tags: Australia, bird sounds, birdsong, Honeyeater, meditation music, natural sounds, nature CD, nature download, nature music, nature sounds, sounds of nature

A Rufous Woodpecker flew across the open meadow, toward the grove of pine trees in which I was sound recording. It landed on a tree nearby, and I could see its lovely, rusty plumage illuminated by the first rays of morning sunlight. They defy gravity, these large woodpeckers, clinging to tree trunks with formidable claws, and often hopping along the undersides of branches. After a cursory inspection of the tree, the woodpecker took wing again, simultaneously filling the air with its electrifying call; a mixture of “Keik, keik, keik…” and a metallic clinking that is absolutely indescribable.

I was becoming aware that this morning’s sound recording was not going to be a soothing and gentle one!

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Tags: meditation music, National Parks, natural sounds, nature CD, nature download, nature music, nature sounds, sounds of nature, Thailand, Thung Salaeng Luang National Park

Frog choruses are very appealing, and make some of the most musical of nature recordings. Which is odd in a way, because frogs have very little vocal expression. Sure, they make great noises, but they are unable to modify their vocalisations or express feeling in the way that mammals or even birds are able to. When a frog makes its call, it just… makes its call. Continue Reading »

There are times when nature’s sounds and the physical landscape come together to create a moment that is utterly magical. Such an occasion involved the voice of one of the world’s most sublime songbirds, the Pied Butcherbird, and the cathedral-like acoustic of Ormiston Gorge in the Australian desert.

The recording we made of the butcherbirds in Ormiston Gorge features on the opening and closing tracks of our album ‘Spirit of the Outback’.

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Tags: Australia, bird sounds, birdsong, meditation music, natural sounds, nature CD, nature download, nature music, nature sounds, Pied Butcherbird, sounds of nature

The average time that visitors stay at Uluru (Ayres Rock) National Park is only one and a half days. Which is not only surprising, but very sad, as Uluru is far more than just a picture postcard to be ticked off the tourist itinerary.

Situated on the edge of the great western desert, Uluru is not only a wonderful place to experience the life of the desert, but ‘the rock’ itself also creates and protects its own range of micro-habitats for plants and wildlife.

Which is what our nature sound album ‘The Experience of Uluru’ is all about. Continue Reading »

Tags: Australia, bird sounds, birdsong, meditation music, natural sounds, nature CD, nature download, nature music, nature sounds, sounds of nature, Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park

When Sarah and I first began Listening Earth in 1993, I had no training or guidance in how to go about recording nature sounds. I simply turned the recorder on when something interesting caught my ear; a particular species calling, or a pleasing harmony in the sounds around me. As soon as the subject of my recording stopped, or I thought I had enough material, I would switch off and go in search of something else. The result was a great number of short recordings, few more than about 5 minutes long.

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Tags: Australia, bird sounds, birdsong, Blue Mountains National Park, meditation music, natural sounds, nature CD, nature download, nature music, nature sounds, sounds of nature

Being in a tropical forest in the depths of night can be one of the most relaxing and meditative experiences for me. In total darkness, with a chorus of nocturnal insects chiming in the night air, I would describe it as being immersed in a hypnotic sound bath. Very peaceful.

So I wanted to create a nature sound recording that captured that sense of stillness. Continue Reading »

Tags: meditation music, National Parks, natural sounds, nature CD, nature download, nature music, nature sounds, night sounds, sleep sounds, sounds of nature, Thailand

Swift Parrots (Lathamus discolor) are pretty little creatures. Not only are they beautiful birds, but there are estimated to be only a few thousand of them left in the wild.

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Tags: Australia, bird sounds, birdsong, Lathamus discolor, meditation music, natural sounds, nature CD, nature download, nature music, nature sounds, sounds of nature, Swift Parrot

In part one, I discussed music as background listening to enhance your study or work environment. I concluded that what makes for good music is what engages our minds and feelings. However in studying, this can be distracting, and not what we want. Ideally, we are looking for listening that is vital, not soporific, whilst not being overly distracting either.

This is where nature sounds may offer a unique listening choice.

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Tags: better studying, enhanced study performance, meditation music, mental development, natural sounds, nature CD, nature download, nature music, nature sounds, sounds of nature