A Morning on Otter Creek with a Raft of Ducks

Nature Is My Jam

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A fairly short recording this week, but it is time well spent with a raft of Mallard Ducks. Until today, I would have said a flock of ducks but, apparently, ducks are only called a flock when they are in flight. When they are in the water, a raft, team, or a paddling of ducks is used. When they are on land? That’s called a sord of ducks. This is certain to be a question on Jeopardy, so jot this down and keep it close to the vest. Just remember me when you win.

This is a recording from the same location as last week, but from the other side of Otter Creek. I left a recorder and microphones attached to a tree close to the bank of the creek. When I went to retrieve the gear, I could see at least 100 ducks grouped together and being very talkative. A heavy snow was coming down, so they appeared as ghosts on the creek and I immediately regretted not having a longer lens on my camera to get a photo.

In other news, I found a new recording location much closer to my house. I spent a few hours there this week to scout the location and get a feel for the wildlife in the area. It is so quiet that my test recording came back with NOTHING. No cars, no airplanes, and no nature sounds. However, there are plentiful signs of activity, so I just need to learn the area for better microphone placement.

Apologies for the short recording this week, but I think you will enjoy it. For the discerning listener, you will probably hear some random traffic noise. This is because of the time of day of the recording and its proximity to a main road. I can only record from this location at night because there is very little traffic, but I think the noise is faint enough that it won’t distract from the listening experience.

Recording Details:

• Date and Time: 1/26/2023 | 10:00 AM
• Location: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
• Landscape/Feature: Otter Creek
• Conditions: 28F (-2C), Heavy Snow, Moderate Wind, Dense Fog
• Recording Device: Zoom F6 Field Recorder
• Microphone(s): Sonorous Objects SO.1 Microphones
• Digital Audio Workstation: Adobe Audition

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