Sounds Southern

Recorded on September 4, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a late-summer night chorus beneath a sky full of stars and waxing gibbous moon. Crickets and katydids fill the darkness with rattles, chirps and trills, joined by the fading buzz of a few late-summer cicadas as the season begins to turn toward fall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on September 6, 2026 in the Cold Springs woods, this is the sound of a dawn chorus beneath a setting waning crescent moon. Chirping crickets provide a steady rhythm as blue hour gives way to dawn and the quiet woods awaken to birdsong at the turn of the season. The clear, metallic song of a Hooded Warbler stands out from the early September chorus, its four or five notes ringing through the woods in a distinctive weeta-weeta-weet-tee-o, often remembered as “Richie Rich, I’m right here.” Other birds include: Summer Tanager, Yellow-throated Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, Acadian Flycatcher, Scarlet Tanager, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Parula, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Flicker, Carolina Wren, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Cardinal, Great Crested Flycatcher, Carolina Chickadee, Wood Thrush, Yellow-breasted Chat, Northern Mockingbird, Gray Catbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-eyed Vireo, Brown Thrasher & American Robin. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear more than 40 minutes of September birdsong beneath the fading moon along with chirping crickets, buzzing cicadas and the chatter barks of an Eastern Gray Squirrel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on August 30, 2026 at the prairie remnant along Cold Springs Road, this is the sound of a dawn chorus of insects and birds as summer begins to loosen its grip on the hill country. After a record-hot August, fall-blooming plants are beginning to flower, with hardy Partridge Pea and Little Bluestem shining despite the heat. Migrating birds are beginning to pass through the hill country, joining resident birds as summer winds down. Crickets and a couple swamp cicadas provide a steady late-summer backdrop for Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren, Summer Tanager, Common Yellowthroat, White-eyed Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, Wood Thrush, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Gray Catbird, Red-eyed Vireo, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker and American Crow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on August 28, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a late-summer morning chorus as the first wave of Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration brings a growing charm of hummingbirds to Heart Place. Listeners will hear the whir of their wings and chatter of their calls as they dart among the fall-blooming plants and feeders. Joining the morning chorus are Killdeer, Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-shouldered Hawk, Summer Tanager, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Yellow-throated Vireo, Pileated Woodpecker and Eastern Bluebird. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on August 26, 2026 on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of a late-summer night chorus while the Night-blooming Cereus, also known as Queen of the Night, is in bloom. Insect musicians chirp, click, zip, rattle and lisp through in the humid landscape as the flower opens for the night. Though the Night-blooming Cereus is a tropical plant, it has an interesting place in Southern culture. In the 1930s, Eudora Welty, one of the recordist’s favorite authors, formed the Night-Blooming Cereus Club, gathering with friends for late-night watch parties on her porch when the plant came into bloom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on August 21, 2026 on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of a late-summer thunderstorm breaking a weeklong heat wave. Big thunderheads build at sundown, sending rolling thunder across the hill country followed by brilliant flashes of lightning watched from the shelter of the dogtrot sleeping porch. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear an hour of this rich summer storm as rolling thunder and rain on the metal roof & rain drum gradually fade into evening cricket chirps and the steady dripfall from towering oaks in the pasture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on August 16, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a summer morning in the middle of an August heat wave. The steady trill of field crickets provides a backdrop for the morning chorus, with Eastern Wood-Pewee, American Crow, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Tufted Titmouse, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Carolina Wren and Mourning Dove.This recording is best heard in a quiet setting perfect for meditating or a moment of stillness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on August 12, 2026 on the Way Out West Deck, this is the sound of a nighttime insect chorus beneath the Perseid meteor shower and a dark new moon sky. The rhythmic chorus of crickets and katydids fills the summer night, creating a gentle lullaby well suited for relaxing, meditating or drifting off to sleep. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on August 7, 2026 on the sleeping porch at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a late afternoon pop-up thundershower, one of those sudden Mississippi summer storms born from the heat of an August afternoon. Listeners will hear approaching thunderclouds followed by increasing rain falling softly on the metal roof and onto the rain drum. A soothing summer storm, perfect for relaxing or clearing the mind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on August 8, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of late-summer dawn as blue hour gives way to first light. After an evening of rainshowers, the morning begins cool and dewy, with the first birdsong rising through the pasture and garden. A charm of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds takes center stage with the males’ monotonous dawn chip calls, rapid sputtering zeeekididid chase calls and the whir of their wings. Beneath it all, crickets provide a steady trill as the morning chorus builds with Blue Grosbeak, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Wood-Pewee, American Crow, House Finch, Indigo Bunting, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Downy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove and Red-bellied Woodpecker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on Aug 6, 2026 in the prairie remnants along Cold Springs Road, this is the sound of an insect chorus on a warm August night. Listeners will hear bush and tree katydids, crickets and cicadas delightfully pulsating in the trees and weedy plants along the gravel roadside. The foreground features the raspy rattle of a trio of Lesser Angle-wing katydids in conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on July 26, 2026 at Wall Doxey State Park in Holly Springs, this is the sound of a summer night chorus of insects and amphibians. The stars of the night are a colony of Green Frogs with their explosive glunk calls, the long, buzzing beeeeeeeeeeee of Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toads and the distant, high whistles of Bird-voiced Treefrogs. Beneath their voices, katydids, cicadas and crickets weave a constant summer drone. Sounds Southern Extended listeners will hear an hour of this green noise, suited for quiet meditation or drifting off to sleep. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on July 26, 2026 on the sleeping porch at the dogtrot, this is the sound of a gentle summer rainshower. Listeners will hear soft rain falling on the metal roof and rain drum as the passing shower drifts away, giving way to the chatter of birds in the garden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on July 26, 2026 at Spring Lake, this is the sound of a summer night at the 60-acre spring-fed lake at Wall Doxey State Park. Beneath a 95% waxing gibbous moon reflected among towering Bald Cypress, warm, humid air rising after several days of rain drapes a light veil of fog across the lake where listeners will hear a chorus of summer cicadas, crickets & katydids, joined by Southern Cricket Frogs, Green Frogs and the high whistle of Bird-voiced Treefrogs calling through the steamy summer night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on July 19, 2026 at the woods' edge around Bullfrog Pond, this is the sound of the first birdsong in the pre-dawn. Against a backdrop of steadily trilling crickets and the occasional calls of a Southern Cricket Frogs, the day begins with the clear, whistled song of an Eastern Wood-Pewee. Listeners will also hear Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Wood Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, Carolina Wren, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Towhee and Mourning Dove as the sun peeks above the horizon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on July 20, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of hot summer day giving way to hot summer night. As the last birds finish their evening songs, katydids, cicadas and crickets steadily build the summer night chorus. Dusk-singing cicadas take center stage while Eastern Wood-Pewee, Northern Cardinal and Ruby-throated Hummingbird offer their final calls before settling in to roost for the night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on July 12, 2026 on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of a light rainshower at daybreak. Rain falls gently on the metal roof while crickets and katydids yield to the morning chorus as a new summer day begins over the pasture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on July 8, 2026 on the sleeping porch, this is the sound of summer dawn chorus in the pasture. A Meadow Katydid, perhaps an Agile Meadow Katydid, is heard in the foreground, its rapid series of ticks followed by a buzzy trill as blue hour gives way to dawn. As the morning brightens, towering thunderclouds build over the hill country, sending deep rolls of thunder echoing across the hills. Listeners will hear Summer Tanager, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-breasted Chat, House Finch, Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Kingbird, Carolina Wren, Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Cardinal, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Eastern Wood-Pewee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on July 6, 2026 at the dogtrot, this is the sound of the July dawn chorus. Eastern Bluebird and Northern Cardinal greet the morning, joined by Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blue Jay, Summer Tanager, Eastern Kingbird, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Wood Thrush, Carolina Wren, Yellow-throated Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Orchard Oriole, Red-eyed Vireo, Pileated Woodpecker, American Crow, Baltimore Oriole, Great Crested Flycatcher and American Robin. Listeners will also hear the calls of a Squirrel Treefrog and the chatter of an Eastern Gray Squirrel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on June 29, 2026 at Heart Place, this is the sound of the summer insect chorus under a rising full Strawberry Moon. Listeners will hear an extended recording of evening cicadas, katydids, crickets and frogs, with the occasional rumbling chatter of a litter of raccoon kits. Well suited for meditation, quiet reflection or focused work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.