Aside from the loss of entire terrestrial and marine soundscapes and the ch=
anges that have occurred by shifting climate =96 i. e. the N. American appe=
arance of spring 2 - 3 weeks earlier than the early 90s =96 which affects d=
ensity and diversity of wildlife across its entire spectrum of organisms on=
land; and warming waters with its acidification, pollution (noise & chemic=
al runoff) and salinity problems in the oceans of the world, especially ove=
r the past 25 years, nearly everything is changing.
Well over 50% of my archive =96 where I began capturing whole soundscapes s=
ince 1968 =96 comes from habitats so seriously compromised that they are no=
w either pretty much biophonically silent or have changed their texture(s) =
so radically that their signature is no longer recognizable. Because of the=
California drought, the worst in over 400 years, we only heard two or thre=
e Pacific tree frogs from December through February this past winter=85typi=
cally the most abundant frog-voice time of the year. Dusk evening choruses =
of crickets and other insects had begun in late May, fully 3 months before =
their usual onset in late August.
In 1981, when I did an early F-1 digital spring recording at the foot of th=
e Tetons in Wyoming, the dawn chorus combo consisted of warbling vireo, yel=
low warbler white-crowned sparrow, Wilson's warbler, house wren, dusky flyc=
atcher. In 2009, when I returned to the same spot at the same time of year,=
the grouping consisted of hermit thrush, Swainson=92s thrush, cowbird, gro=
sbeak, yellow-rumped warbler, dark-eyed junco, chipping sparrow, white-crow=
ned sparrow and there was far less density. Locals told us stories that the=
natural soundscapes were now unrecognizable from the time of their respect=
ive childhoods in the late 50s early 60s.
Bernie Krause
On Jul 21, 2014, at 6:43 PM, Klas Strandberg [naturereco=
rdists] <> wrote:
>
>
> Whatever, Rob, I think your question is about the most important kind of =
question that we can ask for now.
>
> Here at Telinga, I have recorded "soundscapes" since 1995. The number of =
birds around have lowered to about a third over the last ten years. All I n=
eed to do is count what is on my recordings. Some losses (doves, woodpecker=
s, starlings) can be explained by looking at the number of hollow trees tha=
t are gone with the forest companies and changing agricultural methods (ort=
olan bunting) - other looses have no explanation that I can understand. =
>
> Klas.
>
> At 23:18 2014-07-19, you wrote:
>> Hi--
>>
>> Thanks everyone.
>>
>> Not likely to be sprays at this location. I agree with Vicky that every =
year has its own personality. Its a very lush summer so far; rain has been =
good. A few years ago early and extended warmth led to several additional g=
enerations of hatches during the summer.
>>
>> No large grasshoppers here like Curt describes. Mosquitos below average =
(considering our rain), gnats above average, fireflies average. Frogs are =
no longer calling-- not even greens and gray tree frogs. No Katydids, no ci=
cadas-- just marginal field crickets and some moths. My sister drove up fro=
m Arkansas (from the south) last week; her car had lots of insects on the g=
rille.
>>
>> I ran through my log mentions over the last few years. Cicadas usually s=
tart singing by now with field crickets established and katydids coming on.=
I'm at a warmer latitude than Curt-- about the same as Greg,
>>
>> It does have a creepy "silent spring" impact to hear utter silence at ni=
ght in July. My guess is some local uniqueness from the effects of the col=
der nights.
>>
>> Rob
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jul 19, 2014, at 10:49 AM, Curt Olson [naturer=
ecordists] wrote:
>>
>> > We just got back from a couple days in St. Louis County, MN, north of =
Duluth. We heard some those grasshoppers that make a loud crackling sound w=
hen they fly (sorry folks, I don't know their name). Plenty of fireflies...=
and biting flies... and mosquitoes, of course! It all seemed pretty normal=
for mid-July in northern MN. I expect the racket should be increasing a lo=
t over the next couple weeks.
>> >
>> > Curt Olson
>> > MinnesotaSoundscapes.com
>> >
>> > Rob D. wrote:
>> >
>> > >
>> > > Have others in the upper midwest US noticed almost no insect singing=
this summer?
>> > > We had a very cold winter, a very slow fade-in spring and as yet no =
stretches of really warm days/nights.
>> > > Could populations just be really low? I've seen only a few small cri=
ckets and small grasshoppers.
>> > >
>> > > Its very eerie to have the windows open at night in mid July and hea=
r nothing except a single cricket chirp for 2-4 seconds and maybe again in =
15 minutes,..
>> > >
>> > > Thanks
>> > > Rob D.
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
>> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause=
.
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> Yahoo Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
> Telinga Microphones, Botarbo,
> S-748 96 Tobo, Sweden.
> Phone & fax int + 295 310 01
> email:
> website: www.telinga.com
>
>
>
Wild Sanctuary
POB 536
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
707-996-6677
http://www.wildsanctuary.com
SKYPE: biophony
FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatAnimalOrchestra
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Twitter:
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TED Global talk (12Jun13): http://www.ted.com/talks/bernie_krause_the_voice=
_of_the_natural_world.html
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