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About this sound
While moving through this small wooded area try comparing it to a small city. Can you see how trees become houses, bushes become hiding places, and branches become rest areas? Try to imagine the different cultures that would live in this small city. The juniper brushes, Russian olive trees, and cottonwood tress around you can all be compared to apartment complexes. If you looked into a juniper bush you might see an abandoned bird nest that a mouse family has taken over. Living next door to them in the Russian olive tree may be some of their relatives and a robin family. It is even possible to have a visiting raccoon spend a couple nights a week in a neighboring cottonwood. The pond becomes a grocery store in this city-like forest. Birds are supplied with insects to snack on and if their diets call for something meatier, the moist ground offers a good selection of worms. The wetlands also supplies mice and rabbits to its predatory customers. The footprints left behind are as varied as those you might find in a city. Do the different cultures where you live get along as well as the animals in this small forest?
Why parks record sound
The NPS Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division monitors soundscapes in parks across the United States. Natural quiet is treated as a resource to protect, like clean air or dark skies: noise from aircraft, vehicles and machinery can mask animal communication and change the experience of a place.
More sounds
Pond Trail Sign 6: The Power of Nature
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Pond Trail Sign 5: Migration
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Pond Trail Sign 3: Metamorphosis
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Pond Trail Sign 4: Tracks
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Pond Trail Sign 1: Wildland Romance
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Sources & credits
- Pond Trail Sign 2: The City by US National Park Service – Public domain