Windy Night at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Artwork

Nature is my Jam

I love the sounds of nature. The dawn chorus, wind moving through the trees, coyotes calling in the dark. For me, those sounds bring calm, curiosity, and a real connection to the world around us.

Nature Is My Jam is a podcast of soundscapes recorded in the quiet corners of Northern Michigan and beyond. I'm Darrin, a field recordist. Each episode is a natural soundscape, shared as it was heard. It's a brief pause from the noise of everyday life and a reminder to listen more closely.

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Nature is my Jam

Windy Night at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

July 28, 2022 • Darrin Wassom • Season 1 • Episode 8

0:00 | 33:23

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The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers a plethora of recreational opportunities…. Hiking, birding, camping, sand dunes, rolling hills, deep woods, wildlife, ghost towns and the list goes on. In terms of time, it’s a safe bet I spend weeks there annually since it is less than 30 minutes from my house. On this recording occasion, I camped at the Platte River Campground and explored the Platte Plains Hiking Trail as it runs directly from the campsite. The Lasso Loop will take you along the sandy shore of Lake Michigan and into rolling hills with thick forests, lakes and swamps.

There was a promise of a thunderstorm, so I was looking forward to capturing the sounds of the storm. I found a large White Pine that was struck by lightning a few years back and placed my microphones underneath a section of the tree that had split to give the microphones protection. I hiked 4 miles back to the campsite to hunker down for what was surely going to be a magnificent display of thunder and lightning. Alas, I should have known better. The weather in northern Michigan is never as predictable as we might like and the thunderstorm never materialized, but the wind put on a great and boisterous show.

The wind roared all night and the tree where I placed my microphones created a wind tunnel effect that produced what I can best describe as natural white noise. There are subtle tonal variations, sections of howling wind and creaking trees. Fair warning, there is a plan passing overhead in this recording, but this might be the one time where I feel actually enhances the soundscape. I hope you enjoy and please let me know your thoughts!

I recorded this soundscape using the Zoom F3 Field Recorder and the Sonorous Objects SO.1 Microphone pair.

Recording Summary