For the exhibition title “It’s Been Wonderful Knowing You: Wildlife Conservation and Advocacy Through the Lens of Jay N. ‘Ding’ Darling” I was commissioned by the Exhibition Project Coordination to compose a nature soundscape from field recordings I’ve collected from around Iowa.
The composition statement posted for gallery visitors to read:
The soundscape heard in the gallery are samples from field recordings made by Iowa-based sound artist Alex Braidwood. The soundscape contains samples collected from two locations in northwest Iowa, Freda Haffner Kettle Hole State Preserve and Kettleson Hogsback Wildlife Management Area. Both recordings were made during Braidwood’s time at Iowa Lakeside Lab teaching the interdisciplinary Acoustic Ecology summer field study course.
These two locations represent rich soundscapes in areas with unique geomorphological features as a result of glacial activity over 10,000 years ago. At Freda Haffner Kettelhole, a glacier caused a steep depression in the earth. At Kettleson Hogsback, a retreating glacier caused a steep ridge to form. Both resulted in landscapes that allow species to thrive in the same area even with different habitation preferences such as grassland, prairie, wetland, and forests.
The recordings were made in the spring at dawn starting before first light, to capture what is referred to as the dawn chorus. In a healthy soundscape, the dawn chorus is the surge of bird vocalizations that begin around first light and continue through sunrise. It is most active in spring and into early summer. This time of year and time of day are valuable for active bird calls because it is dark enough to be safe from predators, not yet light enough to hunt for a food, and an opportunity to define territory and display vitality as a potential mate. The interest and value of a dawn chorus is that it can not only identify species that are present but it can also help in assessing the overall impact human noise has had on the soundscape. It also provides an ecologically engaging reminder of how valuable it can be to slow down and listen.
The soundscape contains vocalizations from species such as:
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Common Yellowthroat
- Willow Flycatcher
- Northern Yellow Warbler
- Song Sparrow
- Ring-necked Pheasant
- Wild American Turkey
- American Robin
Listeners are also encouraged to download the Merlin bird call identification app and identify species within the soundscape for themselves. Merlin is a free resource from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University.
Alex Braidwood is President of the World Listening Project, Director of the Iowa Lakeside Lab Artist-in-Residence Program, and Director of Graduate Studies in Graphic Design at Iowa State University.