Sounds Southern

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.

Recorded on August 30, 2026 at the prairie remnant along Cold Springs Road, this is the sound of a dawn chorus of insects and birds as summer begins to loosen its grip on the hill country. After a record-hot August, fall-blooming plants are beginning to flower, with hardy Partridge Pea and Little Bluestem shining despite the heat. Migrating birds are beginning to pass through the hill country, joining resident birds as summer winds down. Crickets and a couple swamp cicadas provide a steady late-summer backdrop for Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren, Summer Tanager, Common Yellowthroat, White-eyed Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, Wood Thrush, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Gray Catbird, Red-eyed Vireo, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker and American Crow.

Recorded on August 28, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a late-summer morning chorus as the first wave of Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration brings a growing charm of hummingbirds to Heart Place. Listeners will hear the whir of their wings and chatter of their calls as they dart among the fall-blooming plants and feeders. Joining the morning chorus are Killdeer, Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-shouldered Hawk, Summer Tanager, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Yellow-throated Vireo, Pileated Woodpecker and Eastern Bluebird.

Recorded on August 26, 2026 on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of a late-summer night chorus while the Night-blooming Cereus, also known as Queen of the Night, is in bloom. Insect musicians chirp, click, zip, rattle and lisp through in the humid landscape as the flower opens for the night. Though the Night-blooming Cereus is a tropical plant, it has an interesting place in Southern culture. In the 1930s, Eudora Welty, one of the recordist’s favorite authors, formed the Night-Blooming Cereus Club, gathering with friends for late-night watch parties on her porch when the plant came into bloom.

Recorded on August 21, 2026 on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of a late-summer thunderstorm breaking a weeklong heat wave. Big thunderheads build at sundown, sending rolling thunder across the hill country followed by brilliant flashes of lightning watched from the shelter of the dogtrot sleeping porch. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear an hour of this rich summer storm as rolling thunder and rain on the metal roof & rain drum gradually fade into evening cricket chirps and the steady dripfall from towering oaks in the pasture.

Recorded on August 16, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a summer morning in the middle of an August heat wave. The steady trill of field crickets provides a backdrop for the morning chorus, with Eastern Wood-Pewee, American Crow, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Tufted Titmouse, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Carolina Wren and Mourning Dove.This recording is best heard in a quiet setting perfect for meditating or a moment of stillness.

Recorded on August 12, 2026 on the Way Out West Deck, this is the sound of a nighttime insect chorus beneath the Perseid meteor shower and a dark new moon sky. The rhythmic chorus of crickets and katydids fills the summer night, creating a gentle lullaby well suited for relaxing, meditating or drifting off to sleep.

Recorded on August 7, 2026 on the sleeping porch at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a late afternoon pop-up thundershower, one of those sudden Mississippi summer storms born from the heat of an August afternoon. Listeners will hear approaching thunderclouds followed by increasing rain falling softly on the metal roof and onto the rain drum. A soothing summer storm, perfect for relaxing or clearing the mind.