'Voices of the Wild' by Bernie Krause now available from Yale University Press

In his newest book, 'Voices of the Wild: Animal Songs, Human Din, and the Call to Save Natural Soundscapes' (Yale Press, 2015), author, naturalist, and soundscape ecology pioneer Bernie Krause expands upon stories of his life-long work in bio-acoustics (and his on-going efforts to share awareness of the world's most beautiful soundscapes) with a glimpse of some of his most delightful and compelling personal anecdotes.



A declaration in support of the appreciation and protection of natural soundscapes, Krause explains a few of the secrets hidden in the natural world's shrinking sonic environments - and how and why they must be preserved for scientific understanding, our cultural heritage, and humanity's physical and spiritual welfare.

The quietly-stated and direct narrative - supplemented by exclusive access to field recordings from wild places around the world - documents, in part, a few of his reflections and early exploration of the field, with the hope of encouraging further consideration and expression of the subject by future generations of field recordists and soundscape enthusiasts to come.

"...Voices of the Wild" is fascinating, urgent, filled with sound and fury and beauty" 

-Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods

Request it from your local bookseller or

Buy It Here.

Reflections on the History of Soundscape Ecology: Berkeley School of Journalism

Audio journalist/producer Greta Mart interviews Wild Sanctuary's Bernie Krause on the early days of Soundscape Ecology for recent radio show.  

The Dark Mountain - Repairing the Silent Spring: A Conversation with Bernie Krause

The harmony, emergence, and patterns which connect us to the natural world have long been of interest to the remarkable scholar Jeppe Graugaard, as he writes about our human experience with the wild, cultural narratives, worldviews, and social change. We thank him for his insightful interview with Bernie Krause, as featured in The Dark Mountain blog.

Read the article here:
http://dark-mountain.net/repairing-the-silent-spring-a-conversation-with-bernie-krause/

Visit Jeppe at his site:
http://patternwhichconnects.com/pwc/welcome.html

Derek and the Cobra

Friend and colleague, Derek Solomon, with wife Sarah, do some amazing work in South Africa and keep us well-posted. We always delight in his latest efforts - finely done sound recording and splendid photographs. Check out the astonishing photo (which really makes us smile) and the details just received. Now that's intrepid! Here's what Derek had to share:

Photo (c) D. Solomon/ all rights reserved.

"The Snouted Cobra Naja annulifera (previously thought to be a subspecies of the Egyptian Cobra) is a large snake averaging 1.5 to 2m in length, and is a common species of the southern African bushveld. It hunts at night favouring toads, but eats other frogs as well as snakes, lizards and birds and is an unpopular visitor to poultry runs. During the day it is often found sunning itself close to its home in a rocky outcrop or termite mound.

The 'spread-hood' threat display of a cobra is actually a defence behaviour used as a warning signal and may be accompanied by a loud hiss. The hiss, given as the reptile exhales, is different in every species of snake. In the case of the Snouted Cobra the initial hiss may be repeated several times and as it strikes it makes a loud 'pfftt' sound. We made this recording at Khamai Reptile Park in South Africa's Limpopo Province."

For more information contact Derek at info@kuyimba.com

Nature Recording Workshop At the Murie Center

Join us in the field late in June, in spectacular Moose, Wyoming, and learn
about the art and skill of soundscape recording with Wild Sanctuary's own experienced Soundscape Team, including master recordists Bernie Krause, Martyn Stewart, and Kevin Colver. The SOUNDS OF NATURE workshop will include both field and indoor sessions in and around The Murie Center and Teton National Park, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The exciting Niche Hypothesis (biophony) offers new insights into listening and recording natural sounds and helps explain why creatures vocalize in special related ways rather than separate and apart. These phenomena and more will be shared with participants who will learn to listen and record in the field with an emphasis on the holistic soundscape and what it reveals. After each field session participants will exchange examples of their discoveries in enjoyable and informative workshop settings. Participants will learn to record everything from insect larvae to amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, arthropods (ants) in areas surrounding the Tetons, hearing how all the voices in a particular habitat setting interact with one another. Minimum required equipment: digital stereo recorder, microphone(s) and earphones. There is no age limit young or old. Workshop limit: 5 participants per leader. For more information contact us.

Sequoia National Park/King's Canyon

Click on the headline for a link to additional information about Wild Sanctuary's work in the field...in this case, Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks.