Public helps South River exhibit come alive with wildlife sounds

New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) in South River is back with an expanded version of its Soundscape exhibit.

First created and introduced by NAISA last year, Soundscape encourages people in the Almaguin Highlands to record natural sounds using its equipment.

Darren Copeland, NAISA's Artistic Director, supplies the public with sound recorders hidden in small bird feeders they leave out overnight and retrieve the next morning.

When NAISA first introduced Soundscape to the public last year, it was later in the year when many of nature's sounds had dwindled.

But people still recorded what sounds they could and brought the recorders back to NAISA.

Copeland then uploaded the audio for visitors to play back, and he registered their locations on a large hard copy map of the Highlands.

Pins on the map identified the Almaguin communities where the sounds were recorded.

With the expanded version, the Alamguin map is now displayed on an extra-large monitor with colour coded icons combined with letters of the alphabet identifying the communities where the recordings occurred.

To hear the sounds, visitors press letters on a keyboard that match the letters on the monitor.

The monitor then zooms in on the appropriate icon and the sounds from that region begin to play over several speakers spread across the NAISA exhibit room.

Press a different letter of the map and the monitor again zooms into that region and triggers the sounds recorded in that zone.

What's not displayed on the monitor is the exact species of animal making the sounds.

However, it does show the time and date when the wildlife sound was recorded.

Copeland says Soundscape will be on display until June 17th.

He's picked April, May and June as the period for people to record the sounds because that's the busiest time for wildlife to be heard.

“April is the re-awakening of sounds,” Copeland said.

“It's so dramatic, and there's an increasing crescendo from April to June. By July the birds are quieter.”

People have been able to capture various bird sounds like loons and owls.

Frogs can also be heard.

People should soon be able to record insects, the wind rustling through leaves as tree branches start to bud, and they should now be able to record running water if it's nearby.

In one instance someone captured what sounds like foxes.

“We're not sure, but they sound like foxes,” Copeland said.

“They're either chasing each other or chasing something else.”

Copeland said sounds like this become conversation pieces and create a puzzle.

“There are no images or videos to see what went on,” he said.

“It's just the sounds that we have.”

Copeland suggests putting the recorders out overnight because that's when wildlife sounds are the most abundant and the number and variety of sounds increase as dawn approaches.

“People are surprised by the multitude of sounds,” he said.

“They've also noticed that different sounds emerge at different times over the night”.

Although nighttime guarantees more sounds, Copeland says the recorders can also be left out during the day.

Wildlife can still be heard, but there's just not as much to record.

Human-caused sounds also get picked up like someone in a speed boat or a plane flying overhead.

The recorders have also picked up thunder and then raindrops hitting the bird feeder containing the recorder.

So far the map has recordings from as far south as Spucedale and north to Corbeil.

In between those areas, people have brought in recordings registered in Sundridge, Strong, South River, Machar, Lount and just outside Magnetawan.

Most of the people who sign out the recorders are year-round homeowners who live in rural areas of the Highlands.

A few are seasonal residents, and Copeland says they too have made several recordings where they live.

In a few cases the same people will book the recorders several times and record sounds in different sections.

The units can record for 12 to 14 hours.

Over most of that period there are no sounds, and when Copeland gets the recorders back, he listens for blocks of sounds which then are compressed into 10-to-20-minute segments.

Copeland says he will likely display the Soundscape exhibit until it's run its course, meaning it should make return appearances for at least a few years.

Copeland has made Soundscape available to anyone online.

Visit aporee.org/maps/work/projects.php?project=almaguin and just tap the community name on the left of the screen to hear what sounds people have recorded.

Copeland updates and adds more sounds and locations to Soundscape weekly.

Rocco Frangione, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The North Bay Nugget