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The Meadowlark and Water Ouzel - featuring Gordon Hempton
Their songs deliver a joyful concert!
© Daniel Arndt/Eugene Beckes
Gordon Hempton, the Soundtracker, likens the joy he feels after a day of recording Western Meadowlarks (their eastern cousin is seen here on the left...) to the experience of John Muir, who knew individual American Dippers (also known as Water Ouzels; seen here on the right) by their songs. Gordon says Muir “gives a description of the Ouzel that goes on and on. It’s painted like this mythical, sonic creature; the darling of mountain streams. But he had his favorite individual Ouzel that he knew over a period of years and would go to listen to his concert.”
BirdNote®
The Meadowlark and the Water Ouzel
Featuring Gordon Hempton
Interviewed by Todd Peterson and written by Chris Peterson
This is BirdNote!
[Song of Western Meadowlark]
The Western Meadowlark and the American Dipper, or Water Ouzel…
[Song of the Ouzel] …Gordon Hempton, the Soundtracker, at QuietPlanet.com has recorded them both. [Song of Western Meadowlark]
“There are so many tunes that I’ve heard after recording the Meadowlark where its echo bounces off the sides of the valley, and it’s just so beautiful and then I push ‘Stop.’ My day is over. The sun is up. The wind has started to blow a little bit. The acoustics are breaking down. So, you know, now I’m free just to stand up and just feel the joy. I can whistle back to the Meadowlark and we can go into concert together…”
[Song of Western Meadowlark]
[Introduce sound of stream] John Muir, Hempton says, knew specific Water Ouzels by their songs. [Song of American Dipper/Water Ouzel]
“He gives this description of the Ouzel that goes on and on. It’s painted like this mythical, sonic creature; the darling of mountain streams. [Ouzel singing] But he had his favorite individual Ouzel that he knew over a period of years and would go to listen to his concert.”
[Song of American Dipper/Water Ouzel]
Listen again at birdnote.org.[Reprise Meadowlark + Water Ouzel]
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The soundscapes featured in today’s show were recorded by Gordon Hempton and provided courtesy of QuietPlanet.com.
BirdNote's theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2014 Tune In to Nature.org June 2017 Narrator: Michael Stein
ID: hemptong-05-2014-06-20hemptong-05Marantz V Track 93
Sights & Sounds
