In the season finale of Sound Escapes, acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton takes us on a whirlwind tour of nearly every habitat on the planet. From tropical forests to deserts to wetlands, you'll hear what the Earth truly is: music spinning in an otherwise silent space. Thank you for joining us on this sonic journey. We hope each episode brought you …

“By modern standards, Mark Twain was really a switched-on listener,” says our Sound Escapes host, Gordon Hempton. “He brilliantly used sound in the crafting of his novels. Birds would sing at the right time of day and in the right situations. He would use thunderstorms to mark the locations of Jim and Huck's journey down the Mississippi.” In this e…

After a long winter in northern Minnesota, everything seems to awaken at once. From the songs of migratory birds to the croaks of frogs and toads, we can witness a wonderful rejuvenation. In this episode of Sound Escapes, paddle a canoe through Voyageurs National Park alongside Gordon Hempton, the Sound Tracker. We'll hear the hauntingly beautiful …

This week’s episode of Sound Escapes takes us to Pipestone Canyon in Eastern Washington, where you can hear a ridgetop wind come from a mile away. Here, you can not only listen to coyotes in the distance, but also how the coyote waves as it passes through the canyon: a form of dimensional information that Gordon Hempton calls, “The poetics of space…

In this week’s episode of Sound Escapes, experience dawn in the Kalahari Desert as the sun rises over the sandy savannah of southern Africa. It’s nearly level at this part of the Kalahari Desert. The trees are widely spaced. There’s almost no available water. You cannot see very far — the heat itself ripples the horizon. "It's a place that's hard f…

“Water makes every sound imaginable and occupies every frequency audible to the human ear and certainly spans the dynamic range from the faintest sound to near distortion,” says Gordon Hempton, the Sound Tracker. The writings of John Muir can guide our ears, as we listen to the water music: “The deep bass tones of the fall, the clashing ringing spr…

The world's first wilderness quiet park was certified at Ecuador's Zabalo River in 2019. In this episode of Sound Escapes, you'll hear sounds recorded by Gordon Hempton, the Sound Tracker, at Zabalo River Wilderness Quiet Park — deep inside the Amazon. Gordon calls this place a living Eden. "And when we listen there, we listen for miles. Not city b…

"Olympic National Park has taught me that it's possible to not only love a place, but love a place deeply at first listen," says Gordon Hempton. "And spring is when Olympic is at its most musical." Delight in the sounds of Pacific Chorus Frogs, the Varied Thrush, grouse, and many more. ID the birds in this episode: Songs of Spring Bird List Connect…

Today we’re visiting the Zabalo River in Ecuador. It’s a completely undisturbed ecosystem, where all the creatures we hear are all native to the land, and have coexisted and continued to evolve together for thousands of years. No animal is stepping on the communications of another animal. No two birds sound alike. View this episode's Bird List Conn…

A great place to listen to insects — and birds — is a remote mountain lake in the spring. The surrounding mountians and properties of the cold water make these lakes some of nature's great concert halls. Gordon Hempton, an acoustic ecologist and sonic guide for the this series, recorded the sounds of this lake in Washington’s Methow Valley. The air…

The young Samuel Langhorne Clemens - later known as Mark Twain - signed on to train as a pilot on a Mississippi riverboat when he was just 22. He quickly discovered that if he volunteered for the early morning shift, he could experience one of the most incredible musical shows there is. View this episode's Bird List Connect with BirdNote on Faceboo…

Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is a massive inland peninsula, bordered by sections of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers that were permanently flooded as a part of FDR’s New Deal. Humans changed this landscape, but now birds have claimed it - and they are flourishing. View this episode's Bird List Connect with BirdNote on Facebook…

Today we head to Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan, just a few miles north of the Canada/US border. We'll hear a prairie dawn chorus — complete with coyotes. Today he’s taking us to Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park, just a few miles north of the Canada/US border. As you’re listening, close your eyes and envision how all of these voice…

Take a carbon-free journey to Hawaii in the second episode of Sound Escapes. The Song of the Big Island takes us from the waves on the beach to deep within the Hawaiian rainforest. View this episode's Bird List BirdNote is an independent nonprofit media production company. Your dollars make it possible to create sound-rich shows that connect you to…

Gordon Hempton has spent his life recording the sounds of the natural world, from the rainforest of Hawai’i to the vast dry prairies of North America. Then, one morning, he woke up to silence. Ever since his first sudden encounter with hearing loss, Gordon has made it his mission to share the art oftruly listening. He believes that in our noisy, bu…

This is the fourth episode in a short series that captures my journey through Canada, via audio only.

This is the third episode in a short series that captures my journey through Canada, via audio only.

This is the second episode in a short series that captures my journey through Canada, via audio only.

This is the first episode in a short series that captures my journey through Canada, via audio only. Part I is Melbourne, LA, and Vancouver.

Stephen is psychic. Scott Currie and Stephen Dahl enjoy a little ditty from Of Monsters And Men called 'Crystals', off their up coming album, 'Beneath The Skin'. Listen Here - Of Monsters And Men 'Crystals' - The Sound Escape Episode 6thesoundescapepodcast@gmail.com

We don't hate rap and we really like Shad. Scott Currie and Stephen Dahl discuss Shad's 2013 release 'Flying Colours'. Listen here - Shad 'Flying Colours' - The Sound Escape Episode 4thesoundescapepodcast@gmail.com

Darn you doubled vocals! Scott Currie and Stephen Dahl discuss Sufjan Stevens single, 'Should Have Known Better', from his upcoming album 'Carrie & Lowell' coming out March 31, 2015. Listen here - Sufjan Stevens 'Should Have Known Better' - The Sound Escape Episode 3thesoundescapepodcast@gmail.com

Bubble bass, soaring laser synth and more! Scott Currie and Stephen Dahl discuss 'Love Songs For Robots', the title track from the new Patrick Watson album set to be released on May 12, 2015. Listen here - Patrick Watson 'Love Songs For Robots' - The Sound Escape Episode 2thesoundescapepodcast@gmail.com

We believe that this is a song. Scott Currie and Stephen Dahl discuss the arena rocking single 'Believe' from Mumford & Sons upcoming album 'Wilder Mind', coming out May 4, 2015. Listen here - Mumford & Sons 'Believe' - The Sound Escape Episode 1thesoundescapepodcast@gmail.com