A Forest Management Partnership Guide for Florida Landowners

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Sounds

The sounds you hear on this site were recorded in Florida's State and National Forests. Along with habitat ambience, each production features a variety of action sequences and intimate close-up portraits, all recorded naturally in the field using digital recorders and advanced stereo microphone technique.

The tracks

Owl Prelude (Ocala National Forest, Florida)

It is dusk among the pines. A Barred Owl hoots and an immature own answers with harsh, screeching notes. A Chuck-will's-widow sings incessantly. Pig Frogs croak. Insects chirp and trill. Another owl lands nearby and the two greet one another with an outburst of monkey-like calls.


Chuck-will's Encounter (Apalachicola NF, Florida)

At the edge of a clearing, several Chuck-will's-widow sing. One is close by. He begins singing excitedly when another circles overhead. Then he takes flight, grunting and clapping his wings as he chases after the other bird.


Pine Woods Treefrog (Apalachicola NF, Florida)

In a boggy spot among the pines, we hear a mechanical diga-diga-diga-diga, the call of the Pine Woods Treefrog. We also hear the metallic 'gick' notes of Southern Cricket Frogs and the distant nasal quanks of Green Treefrogs. We sit quietly and enjoy this amphibian chorus.


Symphony of Frogs (Apalachicola NF, Florida)

Walking toward distant frog sounds, we discover a large pond. The noisy chorus is dominated by the nasal notes of the Green Treefrogs and the gicks of Cricket Frogs. Pig Frogs grunt periodically and we hear the occasional ruummm-ruummm of a single Bullfrog. Cackling chatters alert us to the presence of Southern Leopard Frogs, with two calling back and forth nearby.


The Night Crier (Wacissa River, Florida)

Our next stop is bottomland swamp forest at the edge of a spring-fed river. A huge group of Green Treefrogs calls from thick cattails and pickerelweed at river's edge. Suddenly, we hear the wailing krreeow-krreeow of a Limpkin, perched high in a cypress tree. The Limpkin, also known as the "night crier," calls and calls endlessly through the night.


Barred Owl Reunion (Ocala NF, Florida)

Night unfolds. We rest in forest near a small stream. Crickets trill and we delight in the sweet chirping notes of the Greenhouse Frogs, calling from shrubs. A Barred Owl hoots loudly from above. Later, it flies to a different perch to meet another owl, and the two hoot excitedly in vocal reunion.


Feeding Spree (Ocala NF, Florida)

We move closer to the stream. A Pig Frog croaks. An immature Barred Owl screams and an adult hoots. Another Barred Owl arrives carrying food, and the youngster calls loudly in anticipation. The adults hoot back and forth until one flies away. Their magical voices enliven the dark night.


Limpkin and the Frogs (Wacissa River, Florida)

Along a river bend we discover a large chorus of Bullfrogs and Green Treefrogs. A Limpkin calls loudly from the river's edge. Its loud, piercing cries symbolize the untamed wildness of the swamp.


Treefrog Serenade (Apalachicola NF, Florida)

From a roadside ditch comes the raspy rraaack-rraaack of Squirrel Treefrogs, punctuated by the squeaks and chatters of Southern Leopard Frogs. At times, we hear the nasal d'waaaaaa of an Eastern Narrowmouth Toad. Less obvious are the distant calls of Pine Woods Treefrogs. At the end, the chorus is graced by the melodic trill of a Southern Toad.


Night by the River (Apalachicola River, Florida)

A new sound emerges when we stop at a river crossing: the melodic peeping of Bird-voiced Treefrogs, calling from a flooded cypress stand. Green Treefrogs also sound off prominently. Listening carefully, we make out the distant gunks! of Green Frogs, the growling snores of River Frogs, the sonorous notes of Bullfrogs, and the hoots of a Barred Owl.


Chuck-will's Portrait (near the Wacissa River, Florida)

At the edge of a pine-woods clearing, we approach a singing Chuck-will's-widow. Barred Owls sound off in the background. We hear insect sounds and the calls of Cricket Frogs. Such a pristine soundscape, the nocturnal voice of the pines.


Dawn Chorus (Apalachicola NF, Florida)

Before dawn, we converge upon a small stream among the pines. A busy birdsong chorus soon unfolds. We hear the high-pitched notes of an Acadian Flycatcher, singing its special twilight song. A Chuck-will's-widow calls in the background and a Prothonotary Warbler sings loudly from nearby shrubs: seet-seet-seet-seet. Soon a Northern Parula joins in, adding its rising, buzzy zeeeup! to the chorus. What an exciting combination of stream-side sounds!


Hawks Aloft (Ocala NF, Florida)

An Osprey whistles loudly in alarm from its nest in a tall cypress. It flies out over the marsh and then returns, calling again. We also hear the soft, nasal alarm calls of a Red-eyed Vireo. What is bothering these birds? The mystery is solved when a Red-shouldered Hawk flies from a treetop screaming loudly, followed by another that was perched overhead, hidden among the leaves.


Call of the Grebe (Wacissa River, Florida)

Returning to river's edge, we are greeted by the chattering outburst of a pair of Pied-billed Grebes, nesting among the cattails. A Limpkin calls in the distance and birds sing in the background. The Grebes chatter again. Soon we hear the harsh calls of a Red-shouldered Hawk, flying toward us and passing close. Again, the Grebes and Limpkin sound off, their calls enlivening the soundscape of the remote riverine marsh.


Voices of the Swamp (Wacissa River, Florida)

Later long the river, we hear loud calls from a Limpkin. Common Moorhens give wild, laughlike outbursts in the background while thunder rumbles softly. The Limpkin continues calling. Moorhens erupt contagiously nearby, one calling right next to us!


Dawn in the Pines (Apalachicola NF, Florida)

We visit a mature pine forest. The dawn chorus still prevails. A Great Crested Flycatcher gives steady, repeated phrases. But our focus is on the beautiful whistled songs of two Bachman's Sparrow. They are incredible singers, magnificent voices of the southern pines.


Dueling Vireos (Apalachicola NF, Florida)

The day unfolds. A gentle breeze blows through the pines. We hear the accented song of a White-eyed Vireo, a unique and cheerful voice of the southern woods. Another soon joins in and the two sing back and forth at their territory boundary, dueling each other with sounds.


Grosbeak Solo (Apalachicola NF, Florida)

It is midmorning. A Blue Grosbeak sings hurried, warbled phrases from a small pine tree in the middle of a clearing. Insects buzz in light wind. In the background, we hear the songs of Northern Cardinal, Common Yellowthroat, Tufted Titmouse, and Great Crested Flycatcher. The sun beats down upon us and we move on to seek refuge in shaded woods.


Pine Woods Medley (Apalachicola NF, Florida)

We rest among the breezy pines. A Great Crested Flycatcher calls. Then a Bachman's Sparrow lands on a limb and sings its beautiful, melodic song. We also hear tapping sounds and liquid notes. It is a Red-cockaded Woodpecker, flying to and from its nest hole in the trunk of a large pine. We close our eyes and relax to this rare medley of bird sounds.


Owl Farewell (Ocala NF, Florida)

We awaken at dusk and walk once again into the dark, swampland forest. Crickets trill, Chuck-will's-widow sing, and Greenhouse Frogs chirp. A Barred Owl lands and hoots loudly, as if to bid us adieu.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Lang Elliot is a naturalist and educator living in Ithaca, N.Y. In 1987 he founded NatureSound Studio, a specialized production studio and wildsound archive dedicated to creating products featuring the sounds of nature.

Ted Mack is a senior librarian at Paul Smiths College in the Adirondacks. A long-time bird enthusiast and recordist, he has joined Land on numerous recording expeditions and is actively involved in the creation of this series.

Find out more at naturesound.com.

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