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

Every tropical forest is unique however, and not all are relaxing sonically. Sometimes the intensity of insect sound can be overwhelming. During our recent field trip to Thailand, the heat and humidity were not conducive. In some locations, such as Khao Sok on the peninsular, the oppressive and sticky air was made even more uncomfortable by being filled with the omnipresent buzz of insects. Even the birds were silenced by this visceral wall of sound.

So I was pleasantly surprised to discover the night sounds on the island of Koh Ngai, off the Thai coast in the Andaman Sea, were some of the most delightfully restful I had encountered.

Koh Ngai is a resort island, with a long, sandy beach on the east side. Over the spine of the island, on the uninhabited west side, is a forest of coastal jungle, peppered with introduced coconut palms. In the small hours of the morning, I would set off in the dark to hike over the island. Setting up my sound recorder some 20 metres away, I would settle down to enjoy the night. Apart from an occasional firefly floating by, the only light came from my recorder’s winking LED lights, responding to the sound levels and giving a little light show that illuminated the legs of the tripod holding the microphones.

The resulting album, ‘A Tropical Night’, presents the last hour before dawn. In addition to a soft chorus of night insects, you will also hear geckos, including the remarkable ‘barking’ gecko, the lovely booming calls of Coucals, a distant Brown Hawk Owl, tree frogs on the forest floor, and the very first birdsong of the dawn chorus. And if you really listen carefully, you may hear occasionally the wash of surf in the far distance.

Listen to a sound sample from the album.

‘A Tropical Night’ is now available as a digital album for download, exclusively from the Listening Earth website.