Himalayan Dawn

Natural ambience and birdsong from
forests and meadows high in Nepal’s Himalayas.

Recording Location: Langtang NP, Nepal
Habitat: Oak/rhododendron forest & alpine meadow
Duration: 32 minutes (6 tracks)
Year of Release: 2012 © All rights reserved
Download Formats: mp3 & FLAC (44.1kHZ/16bit)

$8

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Album Description

Langtang National Park protects a significant area of the Nepal Himalaya, and due to the huge altitudinal range (from about 1800m up to almost 8000m!) is home to an incredibly diverse range of plants and animals.

Early April is still quite cold in the mountains, and the first of the spring flowers had only just started to bloom. Several bird species remain in the mountains all year, while others migrate up from the lowlands to take advantage of the short himalayan summer in order to breed. This album is the result of several recordings made roughly between 2500m and 3500m in altitude, in a variety of different sub-alpine habitats.

Listen to a Sample

Recording Location

Map © OpenStreetMap contributors

Track Listing

1. Frozen Dawn (2:20)

After the freezing night, the shrubby hillside thaws and a lively dawn chorus begins. White-collared Blackbirds make harsh ‘chaks’ and a Hill Partridge whistles a slow rhythm. Ravens call from overhead, and a Eurasian Wren bursts into song.

2. Rhododendron Forest (1:52)

This track features the unusual antiphonal song of a pair of Spotted Laughingthrush. Himalayan Bluetail & White-browed Bush Robin also sing in the background.

3. Pine Tree Ridge (3:48)

A Chestnut-breasted Rock Thrush sings from the top of a pine tree and a Hill Partridge whistles in the valley below. A flock of small passerines, including Rufous-vented Tit flit about in the lower branches of the pine trees.

4. Above the Treeline (7:44)

High up in an alpine shrubbery, a Large-billed crow flies high in the stark blue sky. In the distance a Barking Deer ‘coughs’ and a group of Black-faced Laughingthrush whistle as they bounce about between bushes. Buff-barred Warblers make an occasional high-pitched descending trill and at 5:55 you can hear the strange wheezy call of the stunning Blood Pheasant.

5. Sing Gompa Meadow (12:40)

In a meadow near the tiny mountain village of Sing Gompa, many birds are active and calling. Black-faced Laughingthrush noisily move from shrub to shrub and Rufous-vented Tit & White-winged Grosbeak call as they feed in the warm sunlight.

6. Morning Melody (4:00)

A Large-billed Crow calls as it flies close by the microphones and Spotted Laughingthrushes whistle musically from a nearby shrubby hillside.

Bird species heard on this album include:

Blood Pheasant, Hill Partridge, Eurasian Wren, Spotted Laughingthrush, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Chestnut-breasted Rock Thrush, White-collared Blackbird, Himalayan Bluetail, White-browed Bush Robin, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Buff-barred warbler, Rufous-vented Tit, White-winged Grosbeak, Common Raven & Large-billed Crow.

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Himalayan Dawn