Album Notes

The "Sounds of Our Planet" series is dedicated to preserving and sharing natural sounds that one might find relaxing, intriguing, uplifting and fascinating. The listener is invited to enjoy these recordings for background ambience, for study, for centering of spirit or simply for amusement.

These recordings are made with care to retain a natural feel so the listener can truly experience "being there" simply by playing a CD.

First in the series is "The Birds of Verona" which represents the first 48 minutes of birdsong recorded at a flyway for migratory birds in S. Burlington, Vermont during the peak of summer 1975 just as the sun was rising.

Note about this recording from the sound archivist:
"The Birds of Verona, Bird conversations at dawn, was my first recording of this genre. I was 19, living at my Great-Aunt Betty's farm (which she calls "Verona") in South Burlington, Vermont in 1975. Having been raised a "city boy" from San Francisco, I was enthralled by the beauty of the natural sounds of the country as they were relatively undisturbed by the types noise pollution I had grown accustomed to. Betty's farm is a flyway for migratory birds. I discovered that in the peak of summer when the sun rises at about 4:30 am, the bird conversations are truly remarkable.

Armed with a pair of Sony Electret Condenser microphones and a reel-to-reel tape recorder, I captured the first 48 minutes of bird song as the sun rose at a time when all but the dairy farmers were still sleeping. The texture and variety of these calls are delightful to hear as the birds rejoiced in the dawning of another beautiful day in Vermont.

Using modern remastering techniques, tape noise has been removed from the original recording, revealing the clear sound of bird song and natural ambience. (an occasional truck drives down Cheese Factory Rd.!) I hope you will enjoy this time capsule of rural Vermont sounds that has given me such fond remembrances over the years."
Eric Van der Wyk