Nature Is My Jam

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Recorded with the Sonorous Objects SO.1 microphones and the Zoom F3 Field Recorder, this episode is all about how I find solace and peace by spending time in, on and around Lake Michigan. What makes this recording special, for me, is the muted tones of the lake when the ice has formed. It sounds completely unique and unlike any other time of the year. It is special, especially with the sporadic ice balls that form along the shore when the conditions are right.

These spherical ice formations, ranging from a few inches to over a foot in diameter, are stunning to watch as they roll and bob on the lake’s surface. Although they may look like snowballs, they’re actually formed by layers of ice accumulating around a small nucleus of ice.

February has been a tough month. Despite being the shortest month of the year, it’s packed a gut punch. On February 10, my father-in-law Gary Miller passed away after battling various cancers for years. He died one day before his 75th birthday, leaving behind his wife and two daughters. Although his passing has brought an inevitable change for everyone impacted, I’m encouraged by the resilience of my wife, Rhonda, her sister, and her mom.

A few days later, a mass shooting occurred on the campus of Michigan State University. A deranged individual felt it was necessary to kill three students and injure another three before taking his own life. Although I have many thoughts about this senseless act, it’s difficult for me to move past the anger I feel when I think about it.

When I feel trapped or need time for reflection, I head towards water. Oceans, lakes, rivers and streams have drawn me in for as long as I can remember. The sound of waves crashing on the shore, the breeze blowing across my face, and the colors of nature surrounding me always bring me peace and comfort. Today, I found solace at one of my favorite spots along Lake Michigan.

When I look out at the vastness of Lake Michigan, I’m reminded of its incredible power. This precious body of water has endured for over a billion years, with an ever-changing landscape and surrounding terrain that serve as a source of healing for me. It reminds me that even when things are tough, we can still find hope and joy in the world.

In 2012, I recorded Lake Michigan for the first time, and it seems fitting that I continue to find inspiration, healing, and solace by recording this precious body of water again and again and again.

Recording Details:

• Date and Time: 2/24/2023 | 04:30 PM
• Location: Peterson Road Beach, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
• Landscape/Feature: Lake Michigan, Snow, Ice Balls, Waves
• Conditions: 10-19 degrees F (-12C to -7C), light winds, partly sunny
• Recording Device: Zoom F3 Field Recorder
• Microphone(s): Sonorous Objects SO.1 Microphones

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I would like to thank everyone that has donated or otherwise supported Nature is my Jam by liking, following, sharing and/or subscribing to the podcast. Your support goes directly to creating future episodes and allows this podcast to be ad-free and 100% listener supported. Your kindness means the world to me and I hope you might feel inspired to explore the natural areas where you live.

What does one do when visiting Mexico on a family vacation? If you’re me, then I suspect you would beg for a few hours to record sounds and promise to be back before the rest of the family noticed you were missing. And if you’re still me, you decide to leave the resort property and hike into the jungle telling no one, including security, where you were going, but that’s a different story for a different day.

Welcome to episode 22 of the Nature is my Jam podcast! As always, I’m happy to see you again. This week, we are in a small jungle area a few miles outside of the resort where we were staying on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The resorts in Mexico are stunningly beautiful and cater to your every need, but are a horrible place for trying to record nature sounds. Knowing I could not get a clean recording at the resort, I plotted a course to a nearby Cenote that would take me through a couple of small towns and into a more secluded area of the surrounding jungle.

Have I mentioned it was hot and humid? I mean, it was HOT and HUMID. As the sweat soaked my clothes and the sun did its best to bleach what’s left of my hair, I suddenly became okay with, “I’ll just keep going until I see or hear something cool.” I watched Iguanas sunbathing and the cutest rodent I’ve ever seen scurry into the undergrowth as I approached. The animal I later learned is called an Agouti. I have no pictures but they look kind of like a short-haired Guinea Pig to me. The highlight, however, was getting to a Spider Monkey casually stroll past me as I contemplated the ethics of trying to take it home with me.

Okay, Wassom, six paragraphs in and we still don’t know what you recorded this week. Well, let’s get to it then! I found a small section of jungle where I could hear birds and other wildlife scurrying through the underbrush (is it called underbrush in a jungle?). I recorded for two hours and got some amazing sounds, albeit with a bit of background noise from another resort and what sounds like maybe some construction. I could only identify a Great-Tailed Grackle, Great Kisadee and a Hooded Oriole by sight. Not sure if their sounds are in this recording, though. I heard a member of the Dove family as I was editing this episode but didn’t see any. The database in my birding app is sparse for Mexico, so my apologies that I wasn’t able to provide a species list this week.

Recording Summary:

• Date and Time: 10/30/2022 | 11:00 AM
• Location: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
• Landscape/Feature: Small jungle area a few miles from a beach resort
• Conditions: HOT, HUMID with RELENTLESS SUN
• Recording Device: Zoom F3
• Microphone(s): Sonorous Objects SO.1
• Digital Audio Workstation: Adobe Audition

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May the closeness of friends and the comfort of home renew your spirits this holiday season.

I would like to thank everyone that has donated or otherwise supported Nature is my Jam by liking, following, sharing and/or subscribing to the podcast. Your support goes directly to creating future episodes and allows this podcast to be ad-free and 100% listener supported. Your kindness means the world to me and I hope you might feel inspired to explore the natural areas where you live.

Summary:

Welcome to episode 28 of the Nature is my Jam podcast. As 2022 winds down, Mother Nature is going to remind us she is all powerful and wants to add some excitement to the season’s holidays. We have a major winter storm heading our way and if the weather predictors are right; we are going to end the year with a doozy of a blizzard. With this in mind, I wanted to record what I am calling the ‘calm before the storm. It was a cold yet mild day here in northern Michigan and I, once again, found myself along one of my favorite beaches along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

We are the Peterson Road Beach, which is near Honor, Michigan and very close to the Platte River Campground. This recording features gentle waves and a very light wind. While it was a mild day in terms of wind, the temperatures dropped throughout the day and the skies got very dark. My watch notified me of blizzard and extreme weather warnings the entire time I was recording, and my wife even called to make sure I hadn’t fallen off a bluff or into a ravine. Severe weather warnings, I’ve noticed, bring a hint of concern *and* excitement to everyone affected. While the storm is still a day away, instinct creeps in and everyone does their best to prepare and, well, wait.

The Rest of the Story:

The truth of the matter is that while it was extremely cold along the lakeshore, I was in no real danger during the recording. Dressed for the weather, I knew I’d be able to get back home before any major snow or drop in the temperature. My truck can get through snow and I always bring extra clothing, water and a personal emergency beacon that will notify family and first responders via satellite if I need help.

The storm is definitely on its way and I plan on getting out to record as long as long as I can get down our tiny two-track and out onto a main road. If we don’t get plowed out for a few days, then I’ll explore and record right in the backyard. It could be a long few days of being housebound and I’m okay with that. The fireplace will roar, hot cocoa will be at the ready and a long backlog of Hallmark Xmas movies will entertain us for days.

Recording Details:

• Date and Time: 12/21/2022 | 3:30 PM
• Location: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore
• Landscape/Feature: Peterson Road Beach
• Conditions: Extreme Cold, Light Wind, Very Cloudy
• Recording Device: Zoom F3
• Microphone(s): Audio Technica BP 4025
• Digital Audio Workstation: Adobe Audition

Support the show

Thanks for listening! ❤️ Your support means the world to me. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter for daily updates.

Send us a text

I would like to thank everyone that has donated or otherwise supported Nature is my Jam by liking, following, sharing and/or subscribing to the podcast. Your support goes directly to creating future episodes and allows this podcast to be ad-free and 100% listener supported. Your kindness means the world to me and I hope you might feel inspired to explore the natural areas where you live.

Welcome to the 14th episode of the Nature is my Jam Podcast. Based on feedback from last week’s episode (and trust me, you had a lot of feedback!), we need a palate cleanser from the mesmerizing persistence of the Eastern Whippoorwill. The consensus is that we could have done with more mesmerizing and less persistence. Although I disagree, I have heard your voice.

This week, we venture out to the Leelanau Peninsula to visit the Lighthouse West Natural Area, part of the Leelanau Conservancy. While the natural area is small in stature at 42 acres, it is mighty in terms of the wildlife present and the unique geography of the area. Most notably, it is a certified bird habitat, meaning, “the native plants in this landscape support healthy bird populations by producing an abundance and diversity of insects.” This distinction is the real reason I wanted to visit this area. The fall migration will begin soon and I want to be fully prepared for those hectic couple of weeks of birding.

Next door to the Leelanau State Park, this natural area doesn’t get the tourist traffic or the noise. From the small parking lot, the trail meanders through a meadow for a short distance before plunging into a large stand of mature maple trees. It’s quite a contrast in terrain, but it changes again as the trail goes along an ancient bluff and eventually levels off into what is called a “boulder terrace”. Created eons ago, when the lake level was much higher, the terrace was a visual reminder of a different time. There is also evidence of massive boulders left by the glaciers.

As I approached the beach, the sun was just setting, and the crickets made themselves known. The sky turned a brilliant yellow and orange while the waves slowly washed ashore. It was stunning. I placed the recorder and microphone by some gnarled cedar trees, hoping to catch the ambience of the surrounding crickets and cicadas without being overwhelmed by the waves. Not to fear, I also placed a second recorder in the meadow and captured some very talkative owls and a pack of very busy coyotes. That recording will be available next week.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks again for your continued support!

Recording Summary:

• Date and Time: 9/6/2022 | 4:45 AM
• Location: Leelanau County, Michigan, USA
• Landscape/Feature: Lighthouse West Natural Area | Lake Michigan
• Conditions: Night, Light Breeze, Clear Skies, Mild Temps
• Recording Device: Zoom F3
• Microphone(s): Sonorous Objects SO.1 Microphone Pair
• Digital Audio Workstation: Adobe Audition

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Disclaimer: I didn’t record this episode deep in the forest or on a deserted stretch of beach. I spent the weekend in my backyard, taking part in the 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count. Temperatures ranged from the mid-20s (F) into the high-40s over the weekend. The wind was BRUTAL, with gusts hitting 30 miles per hour. This is not a clean recording, but it accurately reflects the conditions in which I found myself during this event.

As a birding enthusiast and a self-proclaimed citizen scientist, I am taking part in the 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a global event that encourages people to observe and count the birds in their backyard, local park, or any other location for at least 15 minutes on one or more days during the event. The event for 2023 began on Friday (2/17) and ends tomorrow (2/20). Despite insane wind and less-than-ideal birding conditions, I identified 14 different bird species during the event, including some of my favorite songbirds and a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers.

Participating in the GBBC was not only fun and rewarding, but it also had important scientific value. By counting birds and reporting my sightings online, I contributed to one of the largest bird surveys in the world and helped scientists track changes in bird populations and their distribution over time. Even though my observations were from a small area, it’s still valuable data that can help identify hotspots of bird diversity and monitor the spread of invasive species.

The following are the bird species I identified during the event:

• Mourning Dove
• Bald Eagle
• Downy Woodpecker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Tufted Titmouse
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• Cedar Waxwing
• Northern Cardinal
• House Sparrow
• American Goldfinch
• Common Raven

I hope you will consider joining me next February for the next bird count. Let me know how many birds you are able to identify in this recording!

Recording Details:

• Date and Time: 2/19/2023 | 07:15AM
• Location: My Backyard on Spider Lake | Traverse City, Michigan
• Landscape/Feature: Backyard with Cedar, Pine, Maple and Oak trees on Spider Lake
• Conditions: 20F to 45F, Extreme Wind, Sunny
• Recording Device: Zoom F6 Field Recorder
• Microphone(s): Sonorous Objects SO.1 Microphones
• Digital Audio Workstation: Adobe Audition

Support the show

Thanks for listening! ❤️ Your support means the world to me. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter for daily updates.