Nature Sound's Podcast

  First of all I feel I have to apologize for the lack of podcasts this year, I had all good intensions to keep them rolling but my work has gotten in the way, now I have to produce these great little broadcasts when I can…..Thank god for people like David Dawson of "on the wing? and the RSPB to fill in these huge gaps I create.I have many podcasts in the can as they say and hope to produce them a little later in the year including my trips to Mexico and the threatened Arctic national wildlife refuge.For now let me play you a delightful recording made in South-east Arizona on pursuit of the elusive Whiskered screech owl……Ramsey canyon was the setting; we stayed in the B&B next to the Nature conservancy headquarters. Each night we went out in search of the owl and finally……

Recorded on Alcatraz island, the colony of some 3000 Western Gulls that inhabit the rock.

September 20, 2005 (Washington, DC) - Thousands of Americans from across the country gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol this morning to voice their opposition to plans to drill the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Following a rally on the Capitol's west lawn with a diverse slate of political, religious and Native American leaders, enthusiastic groups of Arctic Refuge Action Day participants swarmed House and Senate office buildings to speak to their congressional representatives about the upcoming vote on Arctic Refuge drilling. Among the crowd were more than 1500 citizens who boarded buses late last night or in the pre-dawn hours to attend from as far away as Michigan and Wisconsin. "Capitol Hill was a sea of blue 'Save the Arctic Refuge' shirts today," said Cindy Shogan of the Alaska Wilderness League. "The sheer numbers of citizens and the level of commitment today were unlike anything we've ever seen in this campaign to protect the refuge. It was an inspirational day."

BIRDS OF ANWR The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge I took it upon myself to visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge once I believed that oil exploration would become inevitable under the present administration (George W Bush ) I set out again in June of this year (2005) and headed for a 3 day stint camping among the wildlife. I had previously been to the refuge 3 times before but this time I felt more compelled.

I took a trip to Big Bend National Park intent on recording the Colima Warbler. There are probably some 200 pairs here in the park and Big Bend is the only place in Northern America where they breed, High up in the Chisos Mountains. Each spring/summer Colima Warblers nest in the surrounding oak canyons. we climbed the Pinnacles Trail (climbing 1700 feet) and believe me, this was a hard climb in the heat! I set out with my wife at 6:30am and on the way up the Pinnacles trail we saw Mexican Jays, Canyon Towhees, Titmouse, white-throated swifts, Canyon Wrens and Blue Grosbeaks. after about 5 hours we encounter the Colima Warbler. This large, mostly brown and gray warbler with a yellow rump is one of the least studied warblers in North America, very little is known about its population size and what threatens its survival.

8/24/2005 Common Murre Tatoosh Island WA. What a fabulous experience, I was invited by the University of Washington to stay with the Biologists on the Island and record birds, this recording was done in a blind right in the center of the Murre colony. Various bangs you here are the Murre hitting the one-way glass, certainly up close and personal! MP3 recorded with M/S MKH/40-MKH/30 Sound Devices 722....... 4:43sec