Winter Wren in a Carolina Cathedral, With Gordon Hempton

Gordon Hempton, the Sound Tracker, records the sounds of nature in pristine places. Mesmerized by a Winter Wren singing in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest of the Carolinas, Gordon chased the bird up and down a mountain before capturing its song at close range. But when he listened to the recording, he realized the wren sounded better at a distance. “The old-growth forest actually sweetens the sound,” he says. “You need that space, those acoustics . . . to bring it into true music for you.”
The sounds in today’s show were recorded by Gordon Hempton and provided courtesy of QuietPlanet.com.

BirdNote^®

Winter Wren in a Carolina Cathedral

Featuring Gordon Hempton, Interviewed by Todd and Chris Peterson

This is BirdNote.

[Eastern Winter Wren recorded up close in Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest]

Gordon Hempton, the Sound Tracker, records the sounds of nature in pristine places.

“It’s not about the sound, it’s about the place…I mean I started out as the Sound Tracker…I thought it was about the sound. And so I heard this Eastern Winter Wren singing in the Joyce Memorial Forests in the Carolinas by the Slick Rock Wilderness, and I immediately fell in love with his song and so I begin to…chase it. [Eastern Winter Wren song recorded close]

He’d flutter off, go up the mountain; I’d carry my heavy equipment up the mountain. I’d get in position and he’d flutter down the mountain; I’d go down the mountain. I was really determined to get the song…and I was low on batteries because it was such a cold, frosty morning - I pulled the batteries out. I put them on my belly to heat them up, to raise the voltage. I get the recording, and I ask myself, “How come it sounds so much better at a distance?” Ok? And it’s because the old-growth forest actually sweetens the sound…it’s because you need that space, those acoustics to sweeten, to bring it into true music for you.” [Eastern Winter Wren recorded at a distance, in the "cathedral" of the forest]

Gordon Hempton provided the recordings courtesy of QuietPlanet.com. Hear them again when you begin at birdnote.org. [Fade out with the Winter Wren]

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The soundscapes featured in today’s show were recorded by Gordon Hempton and provided courtesy of QuietPlanet.com.
Eastern Winter Wren recorded at Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, in North Carolina.
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

ID# WIWR-04-2014-01-31WIWR-04

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