Having just posted a music+nature piece with Chuck-will’s-widow in the background, I’ve decided to follow it up with a recording of just the Chuck-will’s, singing against a backdrop of insect songs. This is yet another jewel collected by my friend Ted Mack during a visit to Everglades National Park in 1994.
For your information, the Chuck-will’s-widow is a member of the Nightjar family. It is a close relative of the Whip-poor-will. Chuck-will’s are common night-singers in the southern states, preferring sandy pine woods habitat. Whip-poor-will’s, which sound a little different, are more familiar and are more northern in distribution. Many people confuse the songs of the two.
Chuck-will's-widows singing in a pine woods, with a backdrop of insect songs and occasional hoots of a Barred Owl. 11pm, 16 May 1994, Everglades National Park. Recorded by Ted Mack.0:00 / 0:00
This recording once again demonstrates that some birds sound better when recorded at a distance. We have many in-your-face examples of Chuck-will’s, but this one appeals most to my sensibilities. The main singer is far enough away for his reverberant song to fall lightly on the ears, yet he is close enough to stand out in comparison to several other Chuck-will’s singing way off in the distance. The Barred Owls add variety to the recording. The insect chorus also sounds nice, and I believe its level is okay (those of you with excellent high-frequency hearing can tell me if I should bring the insects down a bit in loudness).
Let me know what you think. This track will be included in a title called “Everglades Soundscape,” due out in a couple of months. My notion is to trim it to about five or six minutes, so that it doesn’t go on for too darned long (personally, I could listen to a soundscape like this for a half hour or more without ever getting bored).
