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RE: Beautiful Snow Ploughs and Frogs

Subject: RE: Beautiful Snow Ploughs and Frogs
From: "Barb Beck" <>
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 16:05:11 -0700
Rich, Walt

Rich - Wonderful recording. What a BEAUTIFUL sound.  Others around much of
the US cannot realize what a truly BEAUTIFUL SOUND is!!! That is a sound I
never thought of recording. I always keep a tin of cookies to run out and
stuff into their cab when I hear it  here (and I drive a big 4x4 suburban
with a winch but still at times have some problems).  Think I will go out
and try to record some if any come by. Our snow plough/road graders have the
big noisy diesel engines not the purr of your machine.  To heck with what
those in the SF bay area types are always recording - a CD full of Show
Ploughs doing their work would be real art here and would sell like hotcakes
in part of the frozen north. Something to sit on soft cushions in front of a
blazing fire and listen to.  Halifax recently got 96 cm (a little over 3
feet) of the really heavy wet stuff.  Even through the ploughs could not get
through I am sure such a CD would have brought some comfort there just as
Walts frogs and others bird recordings help us make it through the winter. A
snow plough recording would also be a GREAT way to get Jim out of bed fast
too - put it on and he would be jumping to move the beasts off the street
quickly 8-)

Walt, Good to hear yours and realize that spring may eventually get here -
of course you found as many species of frogs already this year as we have in
the entire province. Our frogs are either buried deep in pools of water they
hope will not freeze completely or frozen solid under the snow and leaf
litter - well they sure appear completely solid but apparently keep enough
stuff in a liquid state inside the cells so all the ice does not do cell
damage. The adaptations of the critters living here never ceases to amaze
me. I am still trying to get a Spotted Frog Recording.

Thanks to both of you.

Barb Beck
Edmonton
-----Original Message-----
From: Rich Peet 
Sent: March 5, 2004 1:05 PM
To: 
Subject: [Nature Recordists] Re: Out and about with Frogs

Well up here in the north we are not thinking frogs yet.  Thinking
snow shovels as we got 1/2 foot of the wet heavy stuff last night.
Cardinals, Chickadees, Juncos are starting their early spring calls.
Next week I will start spring recording.

If you wonder how we move that heavy snow and clear everything fast
we just spend a lot of money at it.  5 very big Ford L9000 dumptrucks
with blades in front and under fly in goose formation down the
interstates and clear a 3 lane highway with shoulders in one pass.
We use those big L9000's for the local streets too.
As can be heard they are kept in perfect running condition.

740 kb download
http://home.comcast.net/~richpeet/snowplow.mp3
This is one of those sounds that really suffers under mp3 so bear
with a little in the artifact department.

Rich

--- In  Walter Knapp <>
wrote:
> I've been out a bit this week working winter callers. Just the
right
> weather turned up.
>
> Monday, it was back to the Gopher Frog pond. They were calling
well, I
> recorded a full 80 minute disk of them entirely with the SASS/MKH-
20 to
> add to the nearly full disk from two previous visits. While I was
doing
> that, Justin caught one. So, after removing our water filled boots
and
> changing to dry clothes, off into the woods for a photography
session,
> no place near the pond you could wrangle a frog safely. Which also
> resulted in a recording of the release call of the Gopher Frog:
> http://naturerecordist.home.mindspring.com/gopher.release.mp3
>
> Back to the pond, Justin took our subject back to the pond while I
> turned around (this is two ruts through the brush). What's that
hopping
> down the sandy rut? Another Gopher Frog! also photographed. Check
my
> Gopher frog page:
> http://wwknapp.home.mindspring.com/docs/gopher.frogs.html
>
> Now for Tuesday, which was Brimley day. Went off to see if I could
> expand on the two sites I had found last year when I reconfirmed
their
> existence in Georgia. Was fairly easy, full length of the wildlife
> preserve and a bit west of that. Area about 5 miles by 3 miles.
Could
> not get to a lot along Briar Creek due to flooding, was hoping to
follow
> them up the creek. They are probably a lot farther, but we ran out
of
> time. Was a all nighter.
>
> New photos, including one that does not fit the description, this
one
> was watched calling by both Justin and I before being caught and
> photographed:
> http://wwknapp.home.mindspring.com/docs/brimley's.chorus.frog.html
>
> Got about 20 minutes of Brimley recording as well, could have had a
lot
> more but devoted most time to scouting. Used the SASS/MKH-20. And
also
> photographed a Pine Woods Treefrog that wandered through, not their
> calling season. And recorded a very excited batch of Southern
Leopard
> Frogs, there were huge numbers of them calling all over the area.
One
> large mudpuddle in the road I counted a couple dozen fresh egg
masses.
> In spite of there being nicer looking water on both sides and
connected
> to the puddle.
>
> While doing that a Barred Owl flew in to a branch over our heads
and sat
> there curious about what we were doing. No other way to describe
it, sat
> up there like a spectator watching a game until we got back in the
> ranger to go.
>
> Now for Wednesday, last night. Mountain Chorus Frogs were the
subject.
> Not a huge amount recorded as they were insisting on calling only
for a
> little while after each car or truck. SASS/MKH-20 from as close as
10'.
> Justin nabbed 9 of them and we sat down for a photo session, they
are
> the easiest chorus frogs to catch so far. New photos:
> http://wwknapp.home.mindspring.com/docs/mountain.chorus.frog.html
>
> That 9 was not enough to make a dent in the calling numbers and of
> course were tossed back into the fray. It was a roadside
ditch/small
> pool. We had no trouble spotting lots more. Also saw a Gray
Treefrog but
> did not catch him, they'll be calling in a month or so. And Justin
> spotted a large spotted salamander. Yellow spots on body, some red
spots
> on head. Pretty long salamander.
>
> Tried to get a release call from the Mtn. Chorus Frogs. Only a
couple
> brief calls. Need to build some grabber tongs the right size, our
> fingers are too big to set them off.
>
> Anyway, a pretty good out and about this week. Today is rest day.
Each
> of those places are several hour's drive from here.
>
> The American Toads have started, they and pickerel frogs are two
targets
> for the next week or two. And some others.
>
> Walt
> 




"Microphones are not ears,
Loudspeakers are not birds,
A listening room is not nature."
Klas Strandberg
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