Sounds of Old Mission Peninsula: Coyotes and Owls at the Old Mission Lighthouse Park

08/25/22 • 30 min

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Welcome to the 12th episode of the Nature is my Jam Podcast! This week we are taking in the hiking trails and beautiful geography of the Old Mission Point Park, on Old Mission Peninsula. The major attraction in this area, aside from the many wineries, is the Old Mission Point Lighthouse, which began service in 1870. My mantra for this area is, ‘come for the lighthouse, stay for the trails’. The hiking really is perfect, approachable for all fitness levels, and never crowded.

My goal for this recording was to capture the nocturnal calls of the Barred Owl. I was successful in recording their distinctive sound, but my microphone placement could have been better. Next time! This recording is very reminiscent of a typical Northern Michigan evening. Imagine sitting in front of a campfire, watching the stars and hearing owls in the distance. A bonus in this recording is a pack of coyotes howling and hunting.

This post is light on photos this week because of a corrupt SD card but I took a few with my phone. If you are in the area, then you should definitely treat yourself to a few hours on these trails. The terrain varies and the trail meanders through beautiful meadows, climax forests, deep ravines, and sandy Lake Michigan beaches. The wildlife is plentiful and vocal!

As always, thank you for listening and I appreciate your support.

Recording Summary:

Date and Time: 8/23/2022 | 5:00 AM
Location: Grand Traverse County, Michigan, USA
Landscape/Feature: Old Mission Peninsula, Mission Point Hiking Trail
Conditions: Night, Light Breeze, Clear Skies, Mild Temps
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.

As always, thank you for listening and I appreciate your support.

Recording Summary:

Date and Time: 8/23/2022 | 5:00 AM
Location: Grand Traverse County, Michigan, USA
Landscape/Feature: Old Mission Peninsula, Mission Point Hiking Trail
Conditions: Night, Light Breeze, Clear Skies, Mild Temps
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.

Previous Episode

Sunset at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Gentle Waves on the Beach: A Different Perspective

Quick Note: I am on my way to Houston, Texas to help a friend pick up his new overlanding trailer. Our annual camping trip had to be postponed, so we used the time to make a road trip from Michigan to Texas. I’m taking my camera and a recorder, but I’m guessing that chances will be slim that I will have time to do any recording. Fingers crossed.

Welcome to the 11th episode of the Nature is my Jam Podcast! We are still at the Peterson Road Beach at Sleeping Bear Dunes and revisiting the gentle waves from last week. I received a lot of great feedback for that episode and thought it would be fun to listen to the waves from a different perspective; the seismic activity of the waves recorded from beneath the sand on the beach.

While I was recording the normal wave activity last week, I had the Zoom F3 paired with the Lom Geofón to record seismic activity. The Geofón is hand built in Slovenia by a cool group of field recordists and engineers. Getting one of their microphones is an effort as they don’t build many and the demand is very high. They will announce when an item is planned to be in inventory and then it is a mad dash to get your order confirmed before they sell out. There is a reason their gear is in such demand! Their version of the geophone is an omnidirectional microphone that has been adjusted specifically for field recording. For this session, I used the spike adapter so I could easily capture the sound from beneath the ground.

This recording is around 25 minutes and very different from what one might consider a natural soundscape. I find the sound to be very hypnotic and feel a sense of calm as I listen. This may come across as abstract, but this is the sound I would conjure up in my head if someone asked me to describe the heartbeat of Lake Michigan. Let me know if you agree!! As always, I love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for areas to record. Have a great week!

Recording Summary:

Date and Time: 8/9/2022 | 9:15 PM
Location: Benzie County, Michigan, USA
Landscape/Feature: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore | Peterson Road Beach
Conditions: Sunny, Warm, Gentle Wind
Recording Device: Zoom F3
Microphone(s): Lom Geofón
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.

Next Episode

Sounds of Perch Lake: The Mesmerizing Persistence of the Eastern Whip-poor-will

Welcome to the 13th episode of the Nature is my Jam Podcast. This week we are, once again, on the shores of Perch Lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. I attended an event last week to see two authors, Jerry Dennis and Dave Dempsey, speak about their love of the Great Lakes and the challenges we could face in the years to come. Fresh water is becoming scarce and the popularity of our state as a great place to live, drawing people from all over the country to move here.

The topic gave me pause, and I thought about the Eastern Whip-poor-will and how I have heard it less and less over the years. I can vividly remember countless nights listening to the Whip-poor-will as I fell asleep and their song being part of a quintessential Michigan summer. Still a presence in Northern Michigan, their numbers seem to fade as each year passes...... or we just can’t hear them over the din of human progress.

That thought remained me throughout the weekend and I thought it would be a good idea to record the Eastern Whip-poor-will this week for the podcast. Of course, there are no guarantees when setting out to find a specific species, but luck was in our favor this week. This episode finds us on the shores of Perch Lake, one of my favorite birding locations.

As I was setting up my recorder and microphone, a Great Egret silently hunting in the grasses and coming closer to where I was setting up startled me. I quickly grabbed my camera and cursed myself for not bringing a longer lens, but I got this photo. I was excited to record my first ever sighting of this beautiful bird, but had to get back to the task at hand as the light was fading quickly. As the Great Egret flew off to the other side of the lake, I pressed record and hiked back to my Jeep with high hopes for the next morning.

You might agree we had success in capturing the whip-poor-will and I’m happy to share this recording with you. I selected a section of the recording where the song of this amazing bird is prominent and focused. You will also hear crickets, frogs and owls, but they are the supporting act for the star attraction.

As always, thank you for listening and I appreciate your support.

Recording Summary: