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John Muir's Yosemite

Follow the “water music” of Merced River in Yosemite National Park
Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park
© Ken Fager

 

“Water makes every sound imaginable and occupies every frequency audible to the human ear and certainly spans the dynamic range from the faintest sound to near distortion,” says Gordon Hempton, the Sound Tracker.

The writings of John Muir can guide our ears, as we listen to the water music: “The deep bass tones of the fall, the clashing ringing spray an infinite variety of small, low tones of the current gliding past the side of the Boulder Island and glinting against a thousand smaller stones down the Ferny channel.”

In this episode of Sound Escapes, walk in Muir’s footsteps as you follow the sounds of the Merced River in Yosemite National Park.

BirdNote Presents: Sound Escapes artwork with various landscapes emerging from a pair of headphones, each with many birds

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  • ID the birds in this episode: John Muir's Yosemite Bird List
  • Meet Gordon Hempton
  • Listen to more episodes of Sound Escapes
  • Hear more stories from BirdNote Presents

Support for Sound Escapes comes from Jim and Birte Falconer of Seattle.

BirdNote Presents: Sound Escapes is produced by Mark Bramhill and John Kessler. Ashley Ahearn is our editor. Music is by Blue Dot Sessions.

Vernal Falls © Ken Fager

Sound Escapes illustration by Jia-yi Liu

Birds connect us with the joy and wonder of nature. By telling vivid, sound-rich stories about birds and the challenges they face, BirdNote inspires listeners to care about the natural world – and take steps to protect it.

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