Spotted Owl and Gently Splashing Waterfall. 28 April 2021, around midnight. Aravaipa Canyon near Klondyke, Arizona. © Lang Elliott. AI-gen Image.

Note: The recording featured above is a “3D binaural soundscape”. Please wear headphones for a profound listening experience that will make you think you’re actually out there, immersed in the natural world!

During a late April visit to the magical Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness Area in southeastern Arizona, I make my way to a remote side canyon where I camp under a large Cottonwood tree next to a small, gently splashing waterfall.

The moon is full and a light fog hovers over the canyon. Around midnight, I am awakened by the distant melodic hoots of a Mexican Spotted Owl … hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo-oh. I also notice the sweet up-slurred whistles of a fledgling, presumably anticipating a tasty treat.

The exchange continues for several minutes until another owl arrives and delivers the meal. The fledgling squeals with delight and then settles down. Serenaded by the fledgling’s whistles and the very distant hoots of one of the adults, I slowly drift back into sleep.

Note:

This is perhaps my favorite Spotted Owl soundscape. While I have many close-up “in your face” recordings of the species, I prefer this gentle ambient rendition because it invites the listener into the multidimensional listening experience itself … the sounds of the owls set against the spacious drippy splashes of the waterfall and the whooshy rush of the stream that drains the falls. And all this happens within the sheltered walls of a narrow desert canyon at midnight, with a full moon piercing the fog and illuminating the Cottonwood, so freshly leafed and towering above.

Naturally Yours,

More Information:

The Mexican Spotted Owl is one of three subspecies of the Spotted Owl and is federally listed as a threatened in both the U.S. and Mexico. Mexican Spotted Owls are uncommon and inhabit rocky canyons and closed canopy forests in the Southwest.

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