Sounds Southern

Recorded on January 3, 2026 at Sardis Lake, this is the sound of waterfowl and wading birds beneath the light of the full January supermoon, also known as the Wolf Moon. Listeners will hear the quacks, burps, chitters, high whistles and deep rolling calls of courting Gadwalls, Mallards, Green-winged Teals and Hooded Mergansers, along with the harsh squawk of a passing Great Blue Heron. The water comes alive with splashing and swirling as a few hundred American White Pelicans collectively forage in the calm shallow waters near the dam’s levee wall. A distant train whistle carries across the lake while gentle waves lap the sandy shoreline, adding to the nocturnal winter soundscape. This recording is best listened to in a quiet setting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on January 3, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of the dawn chorus beneath the first full moon of the year, a bright winter supermoon. As night gives way to morning, listeners will hear House Finch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, American Crow, Dark-eyed Junco, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue Jay, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Song Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Goldfinch, Hermit Thrush, Brown Creeper, American Robin, Northern Flicker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird and Red-tailed Hawk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on December 22, 2025 at Enid Lake, this is the sound of gentle waves under gray winter skies as a flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls feeds on a small school of fish near the lakeshore. The soft rhythm of the water caressing the shore creates a soothing green noise ideal for quiet listening or meditation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on December 24, 2025 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of field crickets singing and a distant Great Horned Owl hooting in the woods below the dogtrot. As blue hour fades and dawn breaks on Christmas Eve morning, winter birds begin their early dawn chorus including a kingfisher at Bullfrog Pond. This delicate recording is best appreciated in a quiet setting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on December 18, 2025 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of rain on the sleeping porch at the close of a winter thundershower as sunset light fades and raindrops tap the rain drum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on December 21, 2025 on the shores of Enid Lake, this is the sound of gentle waves lapping softly along the shoreline. The steady rhythm creates a calming green noise that is ideal for relaxation or sleep. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on December 14, 2025 in the wooded swamp at Belmont, this is the sound of a quiet winter afternoon as brisk breezes move through towering bald cypress and water tupelo and rattle the dry swamp grasses. Wood Ducks splash and whistle from the water while Brown Creeper, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, American Crow, Tufted Titmouse and Winter Wren add their voices to the cold air as a bitter cold front settles in, dropping temperatures sharply and marking the onset of the stillness of halcyon days. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on November 17, 2025 at Heart Place, in the woods surrounding Bullfrog Pond, this is the sound of a late autumn chorus of crickets singing from the fall grasses. Wind moves through dry leaves overhead as hickory leaves, red oak leaves and acorns drop softly onto the ground, punctuated by the sharp call of an Eastern gray squirrel. This quiet recording is best appreciated in a still setting and is ideal for relaxation or meditation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on November 24, 2025 at the dogtrot, in the woods circling Bullfrog Pond, this is the sound of a late autumn morning alive with delicate birdsong as winter migrants settle into the hill country. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hermit Thrush, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Fox Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, House Finch, White-throated Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, American Crow, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Common Grackle, Chipping Sparrow and Red-shouldered Hawk all lend their voices to this lively cold-season chorus, with the Golden-crowned Kinglet singing high from the tops of the loblolly pines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on December 1, 2025 on the sleeping porch during evening blue hour, this is the sound of dripfall from the blackjack oaks and soft drizzle on the porch's metal roof falling onto the raindrum. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will also hear a flock of passing wild geese in the distance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on November 23, 2025 at Heart Place, this is the sound of the bird chorus at dawn. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear twenty minutes of a Great Horned Owl’s hoo-awws as blue hour shifts into sunrise. Listeners will also hear the morning calls of the Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Hermit Thrush, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, American Crow, Northern Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco, Eastern Towhee, Blue Jay, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fox Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker and the gentle psithurism of wind moving through the trees. This delicate recording is best enjoyed in a quiet setting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on November 22, 2025 on the sleeping porch at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a perfect fall day for migrating birds. Winter species are arriving in the hill country and large flocks of Snow Geese are moving toward the Delta side of Panola County where they will overwinter on fallow farm fields and wetlands. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear the squeak of the porch door and my cat’s meow along with almost an hour of bird song from Blue Jay, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Carolina Chickadee, American Robin, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, American Crow, Hermit Thrush, Dark-eyed Junco, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Cedar Waxwing, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, House Finch, Snow Geese, Killdeer, Swamp Sparrow, Red-tailed Hawk, Chipping Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird and Brown Thrasher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on November 11, 2025, from the Way Out West deck, this is the sound of wind pushing out an early-season cold front that dropped temperatures below freezing for two nights. Overhead, a geomagnetic storm reached rare G4 levels, sending the aurora borealis dancing as far south as Mississippi. The wind moves through the trees, creating the soothing sound of psithurism, with the occasional dry post oak leaf skittering across the deck. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear the chime of the bell as I close the door to the windy night and my sweet cat Suny's meow. This recording is best enjoyed in a quiet setting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on October 26, 2025, on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of an all-night rain moving in under a bruised, green-tinged sky. The eerie color comes from sunlight interacting with water droplets and ice particles within the storm clouds—reddish-yellow light scattering through moisture and refracting off hailstones. This rare phenomenon is most vivid near sunset, when the low angle of the sun enhances the storm’s strange, luminous hue. Listeners will hear the steady fall of rain onto the metal roof and rain drum and Sounds Southern Extended listeners will enjoy over 75 minutes of the soothing rain plus the soft squeak of the hinges as I close the porch door for the night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on October 27, 2025, at Sardis Lower Lake, this is the sound of crickets singing in the shoreline grasses as the day fades. The soft pink noise of their steady rhythm creates a calming soundscape, perfect for relaxation or meditation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on October 26, 2025, at Heart Place after a weekend of steady rain, this is the sound of dripfall from the mockernut hickory and the rising chorus of crickets as evening fog settles in and the autumn day draws to a close. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on October 23, 2025, at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a breezy autumn day in the pasture.The wind rustles through the leaves of a giant Southern Red Oak in a mast year, scattering acorns below as the bright, musical trills of Allard’s Ground Crickets rise through the air. Listeners will also hear the calls of Blue Jays, American Crows, a Northern Flicker and a Red-shouldered Hawk riding the thermals above Heart Place. This recording is best enjoyed in a quiet setting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on October 18, 2025, from the sleeping porch, this is the sound of an approaching thunderstorm in a squall line that swept across the Southeast, dropping more than three inches of rain at Heart Place over the course of the autumn night. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear the deep, rolling thunder of the storm’s advance and the steady rain falling on the metal roof and onto the raindrum, with crickets singing softly in the brief calm between downpours. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on September 15, 2025, from the Way Out West deck, this is the sound of the first in a line of pop-up showers that ushered in an evening of rain and thunder. Listeners will hear distant thunder rolling across the horizon and a gentle rain falling as the sun sets and crickets begin their nightly song. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on October 9, 2025, from the sleeping porch at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a Northern Mockingbird establishing its winter territory in a meadow alive with blooming fall wildflowers—swamp sunflower, late-blooming boneset, goldenrod and frost aster. The wind through the blackjack oaks adds a soft psithurism as the mockingbird’s intricate song drifts through the autumn air, joined by Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, American Crow, Downy Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse and one curious cat’s meow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.