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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.

This was recorded on a cold spring night beside rapids on the swiftly flowing North Fork of the Salmon River in Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The Salmon River is part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and is free of dams and significant flow diversions of any sort. The river and its watershed are located entirely with the remote and rugged Klamath Mountains in far northern California. I strapped the mic to an Alder tree such that it was overhanging the water at the river's edge, which had nothing to do with the fact that I forgot to bring my tripod, I swear.

This was recorded on a breezy spring afternoon in the forest beside the Pacific Crest Trail in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Shasta County, California. Listen for the footsteps of a passing hiker, that thankfully didn't disturb my conspicuously placed microphone, early in the recording.

This was recorded on a clear spring night beside Dry Lake in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The recording starts just before midnight and ends just before sunrise.

This was recorded on a clear and sunny spring day beside the North Fork of the Salmon River near Idlewild Campground in Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The river was flowing swift and high with abundant snowmelt originating in the Marble Mountains, a sub-range of the Klamath Mountains. On occasion, Steller's Jay's call raucously nearby from the bare branches of the White Alder growing along the river's edge. This river is part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and lies entirely within the Klamath Mountains in far northern California. According to Wikipedia- "Unlike most other large California rivers, the Salmon is completely free flowing, with no dams or significant flow diversions of any kind. It is one of the most pristine areas in the Klamath River system and one of California's most pristine rivers."

This was recorded on a cloudy spring evening during low tide at Mattole Beach on the Lost Coast in Humboldt County, California. There was a light offshore wind and the ocean surface was glassy, a rare treat at a place that is commonly quite windy.

This was compiled from parts of the overnight recording I made tree ears style on a Mountain Hemlock tree standing near Russian Lake in the Russian Wilderness on a very warm summer night in mid July. The first part of this recording was heard in the previous episode, after which the frogs quieted down and the air traffic picked up. Along with the air traffic came curious cloven hoofed visitors, Black Tailed Deer, that stopped by to investigate my recording rig no less than seven times throughout the night. When I retrieved my gear the morning after I set it up, there was nothing to indicate that it had been inspected the night before, so I was delighted to find upon monitoring the recording that it captured the sounds of the nocturnal inspectors.

This was recorded on a partly cloudy and warm summer evening beside Russian Lake in the Russian Wilderness, Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The wind was calm and the lake was still as frogs sang in chorus and snowmelt streams flowed gently into the lake on its far side. This was recorded tree ears style on a Mountain Hemlock tree standing about twenty feet from the lakes edge. The recording starts just after sunset. This is the first part of what was an all night recording at this spot by the lake. The night started quietly but air traffic picked up due to firefighting operations on the Shelly Fire which was burning about 15 miles to the north. I was hoping to get a good long duration recording at this spot, but the abundance of low flying air traffic, not to mention some curious deer, prevented that from happening.