We did visit several places, John, and did not find the types of
unaltered habitats you mentioned, unfortunately...at least not for
recording biophonies. While we could have got good single species
(bird) recordings with a parabolic dish or shotgun mic, that is not
what our work is about since the biophony of whole habitats remains
our specialty and the mic system we use covers a very wide area.
Also, this is my first trip to the region and to be fair, we were
southeast of Tena about 25km for only five days at a place called
Ali=F1ahui which hardly represents a definitive overview of the region,
as I surely must agree. Perhaps there are other places (which we'd
like to know about if you have the info). Like the description of the
three blind men and the elephant, none were within our purview on
this trip. I'm sure you are right in that very good habitats still
exist. However, we found precisely what I reported however distorted
and limited the description may seem to others.
Over the past 35 years, I've spent a great deal of research and
recording time in the Amazon basin from Peru to Manaus and regions
north and south as well as several tributaries. I can tell you, for
certain, that over 30% percent of my soundscape archive comes from
what I would call either seriously altered or extinct habitats...most
from the Americas.
Currently, we're working on the prospects of a long range research
project similar to the recent study we did for the Nat. Park Service
that would bring us back to Darwin Station and environs for an
extended period and where we could get beyond the "petting zoo" of
the Galapagos you so aptly describe. If and when that happens, we'll
give the Rio Napo yet another try.
All best,
Bernie
>Dear All,
>There are many new wildlife lodges along the Napo in Ecuador. There is muc=
h
>pristine forest around these lodges and it is quite easy to find very good
>habitat where monkeys are quite plentiful. The lowland rainforest can be q=
uite
>disappointing for those coming from the "petting zoo" of the Galapagos as =
all
>species in the former are difficult to see. I don't know where
>Bernie went along
>the Napo, but, to repeat myself, there are MANY lodges surrounded with
>undisturbed habitat where recording is quite easy and productive.
>Over the last 15
>years I have been to all the lodges but one new one and for the
>recordist things
>keep getting better as new lodges open.
>
>Sorry to dispute the popular theory that things are going to hell in the
>rainforest, but this is just not the case in many areas along the Napo, ni=
t
>because deforestation is not progressing, but because more pristine
>areas are being
>made available.
>
>I just returned from 2 weeks in Ecuador and it is still a great place to i=
rd
>and record.
>
>My best,
>
>John
>John V. Moore Nature Recordings
>
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>"Microphones are not ears,
>Loudspeakers are not birds,
>A listening room is not nature."
>Klas Strandberg
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
--
Wild Sanctuary, Inc.
P. O. Box 536
Glen Ellen, California 95442-0536
Tel: (707) 996-6677
Fax: (707) 996-0280
http://www.wildsanctuary.com
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