Sounds Southern

Recorded on October 8, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a nighttime chorus of crickets and katydids beneath the Draconid meteor shower. Rising softly above the steady rhythm of insects are the distant hoots of a Great Horned Owl, establishing its territory and beginning its courtship calls as autumn settles over the hill country. This recording is best heard in a quiet setting, ideal for deep relaxation or drifting off to sleep.

Recorded on October 5, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a breezy autumn day in the pasture. Listeners will hear psithurism moving through the towering Blackjack Oaks and the fall song of a Northern Mockingbird establishing its winter territory in the American Beautyberry and Blackberry thicket below.The Northern Mockingbird’s fall song is remarkably different from its spring song, with only about 1% of its songs shared between the two seasons. Females are also much more likely to sing in fall than during the spring and summer. Listeners will also hear American Crows and Blue Jays calling across the pasture, while a few lingering Ruby-throated Hummingbirds add their chatter and the whir of their wings to the autumn afternoon.

Recorded on September 3, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of morning in the fall garden. Crickets and grasshoppers are bursting with life, while dozens of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds crowd the garden feeders during the peak of fall migration, fueling up for their long journey south. Dog-day Cicadas sing from the loblolly pines, reveling in the heat wave. Other birds raise their voices in the morning chorus, but it is the insect musicians who steal the show. Listeners will hear American Crow, Blue Jay, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Wood-Pewee, House Finch and White-breasted Nuthatch.

Recorded on September 11, 2026 on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of scattered thundershowers moving across the pasture beneath a particularly colorful sunset. Listeners will hear light rain falling on the metal roof, dripping onto the rain drum and deep rolls of thunder as the storm begins to break apart. As the rain moves on and daylight fades, cricket song rises from the fall-blooming plants and grasses.

Recorded on September 4, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a late-summer night chorus beneath a sky full of stars and waxing gibbous moon. Crickets and katydids fill the darkness with rattles, chirps and trills, joined by the fading buzz of a few late-summer cicadas as the season begins to turn toward fall.

Recorded on September 6, 2026 in the Cold Springs woods, this is the sound of a dawn chorus beneath a setting waning crescent moon. Chirping crickets provide a steady rhythm as blue hour gives way to dawn and the quiet woods awaken to birdsong at the turn of the season. The clear, metallic song of a Hooded Warbler stands out from the early September chorus, its four or five notes ringing through the woods in a distinctive weeta-weeta-weet-tee-o, often remembered as “Richie Rich, I’m right here.” Other birds include: Summer Tanager, Yellow-throated Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, Acadian Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Parula, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Flicker, Carolina Wren, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Cardinal, Great Crested Flycatcher, Carolina Chickadee, Wood Thrush, Yellow-breasted Chat, Northern Mockingbird, Gray Catbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher & American Robin.Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear more than 40 minutes of September birdsong beneath the fading moon along with chirping crickets, buzzing cicadas and the chatter barks of an Eastern Gray Squirrel.