Sounds of Mexico: Birdsong on the Yucatan Peninsula Artwork

Nature Is My Jam

If you’re like me, then you love the sounds of nature. From the dawn chorus of birds that rings in the start of another day to the howl of coyotes in the dark of night, these sounds ignite curiosity, excitement and a deep appreciation for our planet. You’re listening to Nature is my Jam, a show that explores the rich kaleidoscope of nature sounds and the art of capturing pristine audio in remote wilderness locations. Hello. I’m Darrin and I document the hidden corners of the world through sound, filmmaking, and photography. Each week, I will take you along with me as I create natural soundscapes. We will discuss how I record these sounds, but the star of each show will be nature itself. A high-quality audio immersion providing a brief respite from your hectic day. Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode and I look forward to continuing this conversation with you soon.

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Nature Is My Jam

Sounds of Mexico: Birdsong on the Yucatan Peninsula

November 04, 2022 • Darrin Wassom • Season 1 • Episode 22

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What does one do when visiting Mexico on a family vacation? If you’re me, then I suspect you would beg for a few hours to record sounds and promise to be back before the rest of the family noticed you were missing. And if you’re still me, you decide to leave the resort property and hike into the jungle telling no one, including security, where you were going, but that’s a different story for a different day.

Welcome to episode 22 of the Nature is my Jam podcast! As always, I’m happy to see you again. This week, we are in a small jungle area a few miles outside of the resort where we were staying on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The resorts in Mexico are stunningly beautiful and cater to your every need, but are a horrible place for trying to record nature sounds. Knowing I could not get a clean recording at the resort, I plotted a course to a nearby Cenote that would take me through a couple of small towns and into a more secluded area of the surrounding jungle.

Have I mentioned it was hot and humid? I mean, it was HOT and HUMID. As the sweat soaked my clothes and the sun did its best to bleach what’s left of my hair, I suddenly became okay with, “I’ll just keep going until I see or hear something cool.” I watched Iguanas sunbathing and the cutest rodent I’ve ever seen scurry into the undergrowth as I approached. The animal I later learned is called an Agouti. I have no pictures but they look kind of like a short-haired Guinea Pig to me. The highlight, however, was getting to a Spider Monkey casually stroll past me as I contemplated the ethics of trying to take it home with me.

Okay, Wassom, six paragraphs in and we still don’t know what you recorded this week. Well, let’s get to it then! I found a small section of jungle where I could hear birds and other wildlife scurrying through the underbrush (is it called underbrush in a jungle?). I recorded for two hours and got some amazing sounds, albeit with a bit of background noise from another resort and what sounds like maybe some construction. I could only identify a Great-Tailed Grackle, Great Kisadee and a Hooded Oriole by sight. Not sure if their sounds are in this recording, though. I heard a member of the Dove family as I was editing this episode but didn’t see any. The database in my birding app is sparse for Mexico, so my apologies that I wasn’t able to provide a species list this week.

Recording Summary: