Dawn at Trout Lake

It is 4:00AM at this eastern Washington site and the wind has shifted, helpint to deflect traffic noise from a highway 7 miles to the east of us. Midnight rains have left a gossamer mist over the lake that enhances the mellifluous sounds coming from the coniferous forest encircling us. Dampness covering the ground and all the vegetation causes these lovely spring voices to reverberate everywhere. A raven circles overhead demonstrating the point. It’s that magical moment when trout leap at low-flying insects while red-winged blackbirds, chipping sparrows, Stellar’s jays, American robins, finches and Swainson’s thrushes sing melodies of supplication. Two sites – the north and south ends of the lake – were recorded at the same time and are reflected as two different, yet similar, biophonies.

DAWN at TROUT LAKE in eastern Washington State is one of the few places left where, on a spring morning,life is renewed with the resonance of birdsong at dawn; pulsating melodious rhythms and textures comparable to the best music we know of.