Ear to the Wild

Ear to the Wild: The Sound of the Surf at Drakes Beach

With the busy-ness of one’s day to day life it’s easy to forget how the rhythms of nature can sooth us. It’s good to take a minute to tune into this…

Ear to the Wild: The Belted Kingfisher - Gustav’s “Mechanical Bird"

In memory of Gustav Hobel. My friend Gustav and I used to live next door to one another on Sonoma Creek. The Belted Kingfishers would fly by,…

Ear to the Wild: A Northern Mockingbird Singing His Heart Out

The Northern Mockingbird is an impressive singer! This species gets its name from how they mimic the songs of other birds. The more sounds the male…

Ear to the Wild: Western Bluebirds at a Backyard Nestbox

Western Bluebirds are a small thrush that can sometimes be found in backyard nest boxes. Sometimes, if you sit quietly and listen, you can observe a…

Ear to the Wild: Adult Female Elephant Seal Sounds

Adult female elephant seals make a number of different sounds. Marine Ecologist Sarah Codde says, “So, you can hear that softer sound she makes is to…

Ear to the Wild: Musical Geophony at Sugarloaf

In soundscape ecology we think of three different categories of sound. One of those, and really the first, is geophony. It can be quite musical, and…

Ear to the Wild: Elephant Seal Pups at Drakes Beach

In winter Elephant seals gather on Drake’s Beach, at Point Reyes National Seashore. Females give birth to pups and nurse them during this time.…

Ear to the Wild: The Pacific Slope Flycatcher

One bird you’ll hear around parts of Sonoma County in the summer is the Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Once you learn their song it’s easy to recognize.…

Ear to the Wild: American Bullfrogs in Sonoma County

American Bullfrogs were brought to California from the eastern states because the native Red-legged frog had become so scarce. A hundred and…

Ear to the Wild: Winter Solstice at London Lake

I’m up here at Jack London’s old property, at the London Lake. I thought we’d lend an ear to the Winter soundscape here. The lake is nice and full.…

Ear to the Wild: The Rushing Waters of Calabazas Creek

The Calabazas sub-watershed is one of the largest in the greater Sonoma Creek watershed. During major storms it collects an impressive amount of…

Ear to the Wild: A Western Gray Squirrel Sounding the Alarm

Western Gray Squirrels make a rapid tapping sound with their feet. This can be to let a predator know they’ve been spotted. Or to warn other…

Ear to the Wild: Mute Swans Taking Flight

Mute Swans are the ones you see in so many fairy tales. People started bringing them to North America from Europe around the late 1800s. They can…

Ear to the Wild: Using the Cricket as a Thermometer

In 1897 a physicist named Amos Dolbear published a paper called “The Cricket as a Thermometer.” He’d discovered a formula for estimating the air…

Ear to the Wild: A Juvenile Great-horned Owl

Juvenile Great-horned Owls beg for food from adults by making raspy sounding screeches. In the Fall they’re learning to hunt, but they still beg for…

Ear to the Wild: Gray Foxes on a Moonlit Night

As the moon rises a Gray Fox barks. Her voice reverberates across a small field of Coyote Brush and grass. Another Gray Fox responds in the distance.…

Ear to the Wild: An Orchestra of Crickets

The sound of crickets all singing together is sometimes referred to as an orchestra. Late summer and fall is the time when the cricket Orchestras…

Ear to the Wild: An American Bittern in the Mix

If you listen closely to this soundscape you’ll hear a low sound that sounds a little like “ker-plunk, ker-plunk...” That’s a species of bird called…

Ear to the Wild: Ash-throated Flycatcher

Every spring and summer the Ash-throated Flycatcher’s distinctive voice contributes to soundscapes across the West, from Texas to California. But by…

Ear to the Wild: The Underwater World of the Harbor Seal

Harbor seals spend up to 70% of their life underwater. Their aquatic home can sound strange and even abstract to our ears. In this recording from…

Ear to the Wild: Marsh Wrens at Kennedy Park in Napa

Marsh Wrens are about the size of a sparrow. They’re a rusty-brown color, with black and white markings that resemble eyebrows. These were recorded…

Ear to the Wild: Swainson’s Thrushes on the Russian River Estuary

The Swainson’s Thrush is one of those birds that you’re more likely to hear than see. If you paddle along the south bank of the Russian River…

Ear to the Wild: Downy Woodpeckers and Chicks

We’re back at the headwaters of Sonoma Creek, in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park listening to Downy Woodpecker chicks. We were last here in winter, and…

Ear to the Wild: Springtime at London Lake

Springtime at London Lake, in Jack London State Historic Park, is alive with the sound of many species of birds and insects.

Ear to the Wild: The Mysterious Song of the Varied Thrush

The Varied Thrush's song has been described as haunting, ethereal, and mysterious. Listen, and you might just hear the spirit of the old growth…

Ear to the Wild: A Bewick’s Wren at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park

By the end of his second month the male Bewick's Wren has found his own unique Voice. This will be the song he sings for his entire life!

Ear to the Wild: The Red-breasted Nuthatch in Sonoma County

Red-breasted Nuthatches can be found in parts of Sonoma County. You can sometimes hear them in Annadel State Park. The next time you visit your…

Ear to the Wild: Black-tailed Deer Alarm Sounds

Deep down in their DNA Black-tailed Deer are wired to be on alert for predators. When a mountain lion or say, a bobcat is nearby, Black-tailed Deer…

Ear to the Wild: The Western Screech-Owl

They're small, and hard to see at night. But when you hear that bouncing ball rhythm coming from the forest, you'll know it's a Western Screech-Owl!…

Ear to the Wild: A Mourning Dove at Dusk

Mourning Doves get their name from the sound they make. People sometimes describe it as being sad, or mournful, so that's why naturalists have named…

Ear to the Wild, S2-06: Red-winged Blackbirds at Ledson Marsh (Aired: Week of February 12, 2024)

Red-winged Blackbirds have a strong and clear voice. Their songs and calls easily carry over water and across fields. The classic Red-winged…

Ear to the Wild, S2-05: Russian River Quietude, Part 1

The real power of quietude is that it can speak so deeply to our hearts. Like in this moment on the Russian River, on a rainy winter’s day.

Ear to the Wild, S2-04: Restored Habitat at Denman Reach

Many species of bird seem to be making good use of the restored riparian habitat along the Petaluma River, in the Denman Reach open space area.

Ear to the Wild (S2-Ep03) - Pacific Treefrogs in Full Chorus

Pacific Treefrog sounds range from quiet to very loud! The males vocalize to establish territory, and also to attract females. Listen as their chorus…

Ear to the Wild, S2-01 - The Headwaters of Sonoma Creek in Winter

The headwaters of Sonoma Creek, in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, is a place of many moods. In the Spring it’s alive with the sound of birds and…

Ear to the Wild, Episode 39 - The Coming of Night at Lake Suttonfield (Aired: week of December 10, 2023)

Daytime transitions into night along the shore of Lake Suttonfield, in the Valley of the Moon. Great-horned Owls, Acorn Woodpeckers, Crickets, and…

Ear to the Wild, Episode 40 - Rainfall in a Redwood Forest (Aired: Week of December 17, 2023)

There’s something special about being in a Redwood forest when it’s raining. Even a second growth Redwood forest, like here in Jack London State…

Ear to the Wild, Episode 38 - The Bishop Pine Forest of Tomales Bay (Aired: Week of November 27, 2023)

Spend a minute in the Bishop Pine Forest near Tomales Bay on an October morning. How many birds can you pick out from the avian symphony?

Ear to the Wild, Episode 37 - Wild Turkey Adults and Chicks (Aired: week of November 13, 2023)

Turkeys were introduced into California in the second half of last century as a trophy hunting bird.

Ear to the Wild, Episode 36 - The Cooper's Hawk (Aired week of: November 6, 2023)

Cooper's hawks are smaller than the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks. They've evolved to maneuver between the tight branches and other obstacles…

Ear to the Wild, Episode 35 - Northern Pygmy Owl at Dusk (Aired week of: October 30, 2023)

There's something about the steady rhythm of the northern pygmy owl's song that just seems to invite us into the deeper mysteries of the forest.

Ear to the Wild, Episode 30 - Acorn Woodpeckers

Hear the most recent installment of Ear to the Wild with Jack Hines.

Ear to the Wild, Episode 29 - Bodega Bay Foghorn and Surf

Ear to the Wild, Episode 28 - The Adaptable Coyote

Ear to the Wild, Episode 27 - Brewer's Blackbirds on the Napa River

Ear to the Wild, Episode 26 - Mountain Lion - Wild Relative and Teacher

Ear to the Wild with Jack Hines brings you soundscapes with a rich auditory perspective on the sounds of nature in the North Bay Presented by KRCB.