Dawn in the Valley

Natural birdsong from one of
Sydney’s most famous national parks.

Recording Location: Royal NP, Australia
Habitat: Temperate rainforest
Duration: 48 minutes (6 tracks)
Year of Release: 2013 © All rights reserved
Download Formats: mp3 & FLAC (44.1kHZ/16bit)

$15

Prices are in Australian dollars (AUD)

Format:

Clear

Album Description

With a wide variety of habitats and an abundance of wildlife, the Royal National Park is a wonderful place to escape the nearby hustle and bustle of suburban Sydney. Being so accessible, the Royal National Park is a popular retreat for city dwellers, and this can make it a challenge to completely avoid the intrusive sounds of civilization. However there are still a few places where, very early in the morning, you can still get a sense of what Sydney’s bush and forests must have sounded like in times past.

This album captures the dawn chorus as recorded early in the morning along Lady Carrington Drive and other sites along the Hacking River Valley. Starting before dawn, crickets, tree frogs and owls gradually give way to the calls of early-rising Kookaburras, followed by an intense dawn chorus of many bird species singing in celebration of the new day. The recording includes the beautiful calls of Superb Lyrebird, Grey-Shrike Thrush, Green Catbird, Rufous & Golden Whistlers and many more species.

Listen to a Sample

Recording Location

Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

Track Listing

1. Twilight (2:58)

Crickets and Dwarf Green Tree Frogs call in the the darkness before dawn. A Southern Boobook hoots from the forest canopy and the distinctive ‘falling bomb’ whistle of a Sooty Owl can be heard a few times during this opening track.

2. Dawn Ascends (9:20)

The iconic laughter of the Laughing Kookaburra heralds the new day as the dawn chorus begins. Black-faced Monarch, Eastern Yellow Robin, Rufous Fantail, Olive-backed Oriole, Grey Butcherbird, Brown Cuckoo Dove and Rufous Whistler can all be heard on this track.

3. Rainforest Gully (4:07)

A range of rainforest bird species can be heard on this track recorded in a damp forest gully by the Hacking River. Green Catbirds make their unusual cat-like calls, along with the songs of Golden Whistler, Pacific Koel, Silvereye, Rufous Fantail and Superb Lyrebird. A Wonga Pigeon calls from the undergrowth on a nearby slope, and toward the end of the track, a group of Australian King Parrots fly overhead and land in the forest canopy.

4. Tall Forest (6:30)

In tall, wet eucalypt forest higher up on the valley slopes, Rufous Whistler and White-throated Treecreeper can be heard. A Black-faced Monarch sings from the mid-storey along with Lewin’s Honeyeater and Grey Fantail.

5. Morning Ambience (4:33)

Sunlight warms the valley, and the distant sound of water rushing in the small creek can be heard in the distance. Grey Shrikethrush sing melodiously while the distinctive whipcrack calls of Eastern Whipbird punctuate the still morning air.Other birds heard on this track include Noisy Friarbird, Rufous Whistler, Grey Fantail & Brown Cuckoo-dove.

6. On the Forest Path (21:19)

Mid-morning in tall eucalypt forest overlooking a rainforest gully. The sound of the Hacking River flowing can be heard in the distance. Scarlet Honeyeater, Brown Cuckoo Dove, Grey Shrike Thrush, Olive-backed Oriole, Sacred Kingfisher, Collared Sparrowhawk, Crested Shrike-tit, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo & Variegated Fairywren can all be heard on this track.

Bird species heard on this album include:

Collared Sparrowhawk, Southern Boobook, Greater Sooty Owl, Australian Owlet Nightjar, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Wonga Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-dove, Sacred Kingfisher, Eastern Whipbird, Superb Lyrebird, White-throated Treecreeper, Eastern Yellow Robin, Grey Fantail, Rufous Fantail, Black-faced Monarch, Australian Golden Whistler, Rufous Whistler, Lewin’s, Yellow-faced & Scarlet Honeyeaters, Olive-backed Oriole, Crested Shrike-tit, Green Catbird, Satin Bowerbird and many more!

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Dawn in the Valley