Episode 18: Mountain Spring

Episode 18: Mountain Spring

Author: Sound By Nature April 17, 2019 Duration: 59:57

A partly cloudy and warm spring afternoon beside a mountain spring in the  Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Shasta County, California. I recorded this right where it burst forth from the ground in a tall stand of old growth Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Incense Cedar, and Sugar Pine. The Black Oaks, Pacific Dogwoods, and Bigleaf and Vine Maples in the understory had yet to leaf out, and the first fern fiddleheads had only just begun to unfurl in this beautiful and secluded area of densely forested mountains located a short distance from the Pacific Crest Trail. The spring, one of several in the area, forms the headwaters of West Trough Creek, a cold and shady tributary of Squaw Valley Creek, itself a tributary of the McCloud River.


Sometimes the most profound moments come from simply listening to the world outside our windows. Sound By Nature is an invitation to pause and immerse yourself in the authentic acoustics of the natural world, curated into thoughtful audio experiences. Each episode is a dedicated soundscape, free from narration or music, capturing everything from the gentle patter of rain in an old-growth forest to the distant crash of ocean waves at dusk. It’s a resource for recentering, whether you need a backdrop for deep work, a tool for meditation, or a gentle path into restful sleep. This podcast draws from the fields of acoustic ecology and environmental science, presenting these recordings not just as ambient noise, but as a connection to the intricate and often overlooked sound environments that surround us. Tune in, put on your headphones, and let the raw, unedited symphony of the planet provide a much-needed respite from the clutter of daily life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 219

Sound By Nature
Podcast Episodes
Bonus! Lone Coyote Howling In The Night [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:47
This was recorded the night prior to the previous episode. I set up two drop rigs on either side of a large meadow the evening before, one of them was a tree ears set up on a Lodgepole Pine and the other was my SAAM mic…
165: Beneath Aspens At Meadows Edge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:00
This was recorded on a mostly cloudy morning under Quaking Aspen trees at the edge of a meadow in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. Kelly Rafuse (@soundbynaturepodcast) • Instagram photos and v…
164: Peaceful Night In The Forest [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:12:06
This was recorded on a quiet spring night in a Ponderosa Pine dominant forest in the McCloud flats area of Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Siskiyou County, California. The night started of breezy, then gradually became c…
163: Gold Bluffs Beach- At The Edge Of The Beach And Forest [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:00:00
This was recorded on cloudy night on the margin between the beach and the forest at Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Humboldt County, California. The wind, blowing offshore, picked up for a short t…
162: Gold Bluffs Beach- Low Tide in the Intertidal Zone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:50:58
This was recorded in early spring on a mostly cloudy morning at Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Humboldt County, California. The wind was light and the ocean surface glassy, and I placed the micro…
160: Gold Bluffs Beach- All Night On The High Tide Line [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:00:00
I recorded this on a cloudy night at the beginning of spring on Gold Bluffs Beach in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Humboldt County, California. The wind was light and blowing offshore, and through the night the tide…
159: Wind In the Grass at McArthur Swamp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:29
This was recorded on a clear and sunny winter afternoon at McArthur Swamp, Shasta County, California. Gusty wind rushed across the grassland, rustling the tall dry grasses and swooshing past their stiff stalks. McArthur…
Bonus! Busy Backyard Bird Feeder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:00
I recorded this at my home in the small town of McCloud in Siskiyou County, California. It was a relatively warm winter morning, and a flock of Evening Grosbeaks was busily eating a breakfast of sunflower seeds from a fe…
158: Breezy Winter Afternoon Beside Big Lake [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:30
I recorded this on a breezy winter afternoon beside Big Lake in the northeast corner of Shasta County, California. The sky started off mostly cloudy with rain showers to the west, but the showers dissipated as they moved…