Friday, December 26, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Why Is There No Body?
I talk to lots of people in the general public about the subject
of bigfoot and the # 1 question I always get is:
Why is there no body?
I go through all the usual answers including:
1) they bury their dead
2) the remains are eaten immediately by scavengers or
3) they crawl into the thickets and die where no bones or
other remains are found.
When and if a body is obtained the very first thing that would
happen after obtaining a complete DNA genome would be to
make a human / sasquatch hybrid. I have a friend in Colorado
Springs, Colorado who works in a genetics lab. He says that
if I can deliver to him two units of blood, he can have
a complete genome sequenced with two weeks. I have already
heard fellow researchers comment on how great it would be
to have a 10 foot tall basketball player and a 800 lb football
lineman. Can you imagine an army of soldiers with the
strength, size and speed often reported in bigfoot sighting
reports.
Several articles on the internet discussing the ethics of
hybrids can be found at:
The Ethics of Gene Splicing by Andrew Boardman
Singapore plans to create animals with human DNA
Perhaps the final answer comes from the Bible.
Genesis 1:24-25:
"And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures
according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along
the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind."
And it was so.
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the
livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that
move along the ground according to their kinds.
Leviticus 18
Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself
therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie
down thereto: it is confusion.
of bigfoot and the # 1 question I always get is:
Why is there no body?
I go through all the usual answers including:
1) they bury their dead
2) the remains are eaten immediately by scavengers or
3) they crawl into the thickets and die where no bones or
other remains are found.
When and if a body is obtained the very first thing that would
happen after obtaining a complete DNA genome would be to
make a human / sasquatch hybrid. I have a friend in Colorado
Springs, Colorado who works in a genetics lab. He says that
if I can deliver to him two units of blood, he can have
a complete genome sequenced with two weeks. I have already
heard fellow researchers comment on how great it would be
to have a 10 foot tall basketball player and a 800 lb football
lineman. Can you imagine an army of soldiers with the
strength, size and speed often reported in bigfoot sighting
reports.
Several articles on the internet discussing the ethics of
hybrids can be found at:
The Ethics of Gene Splicing by Andrew Boardman
Singapore plans to create animals with human DNA
Perhaps the final answer comes from the Bible.
Genesis 1:24-25:
"And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures
according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along
the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind."
And it was so.
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the
livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that
move along the ground according to their kinds.
Leviticus 18
Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself
therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie
down thereto: it is confusion.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Gift from Santa
I have always subscribed to the idea that many of our
Western European folk beliefs are rooted in ancient encounters
with hairy wildmen. It is difficult to separate fact from fairy
tale but trolls and ogres seem to fit into a likely category
of real animals inspiring human storytelling.
Last year there was an interesting article on Cyptomundo
entitled Happy Wildfolk Yule! and there is also a book
Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men:
The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas,
Spanning 50,000 Years by Phyllis Siefker that
thoroughly discusses this subject.
November of 2006 I was researching twice a week in my main
research area. I had recently purchased a small field GPS.
Just for fun I taped it onto my dog's collar. I wanted to
see what distance she would travel while I hiked the two
miles of trails. I typically take the same paths in and out
of my research area.
After hiking for a mile I sat down on my favorite log and
listened to the sounds of the woods. My dog, Belle, came
up to me for a quick pat on the head and was gone again on
her relentless hunt for something to chase, albeit squirrel,
rabbit or deer.
I noticed that the GPS was still attached, although not as
securely as when I left the car. Five minutes later she was
back and the GPS was missing, obviously it was a poor idea
of just taping the unit onto the collar. As it was getting
late I decided to wait until the next week to do a more
thorough search of the area.
Over the next seven weeks I made six hikes into the area. I
kept my eyes open for the missing GPS but it was not seen
again.
The second week of January 2007 my research partner
called me and asked "Stan, did you lose a GPS unit?" He had
found it in the middle of the trail very close to where we
always parked our vehicles, about a mile from where it had
been lost.
Although we both hiked the same trails we usually hiked on
different days so we had probably made a total of ten hikes
along the trails.
The GPS was still in the little pouch that I had placed it
in, and it was also encased in the duct tape I had crudely
wrapped the pouch with. The unit had not been taken out of
the case but appeared to look just like it was when it was
dropped those weeks before.
How did it get back to the trail entrance? I don't know
but my wife said "I tell you one thing, a human would not
find your GPS, leave it in the case unopened and not keep
it." If it had been carried by some animal they certainly
knew my scent and knew where I started my hikes.
That little episode changed how I think about the research
I have been doing. I have never before dealt with an animal
that can perhaps show benevolence and return a lost item.
There are several reports of squatches returning lost
children and many reports of squatches leaving gifts.
It reminds me of the 1897 editorial:
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
Western European folk beliefs are rooted in ancient encounters
with hairy wildmen. It is difficult to separate fact from fairy
tale but trolls and ogres seem to fit into a likely category
of real animals inspiring human storytelling.
Last year there was an interesting article on Cyptomundo
entitled Happy Wildfolk Yule! and there is also a book
Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men:
The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas,
Spanning 50,000 Years by Phyllis Siefker that
thoroughly discusses this subject.
November of 2006 I was researching twice a week in my main
research area. I had recently purchased a small field GPS.
Just for fun I taped it onto my dog's collar. I wanted to
see what distance she would travel while I hiked the two
miles of trails. I typically take the same paths in and out
of my research area.
After hiking for a mile I sat down on my favorite log and
listened to the sounds of the woods. My dog, Belle, came
up to me for a quick pat on the head and was gone again on
her relentless hunt for something to chase, albeit squirrel,
rabbit or deer.
I noticed that the GPS was still attached, although not as
securely as when I left the car. Five minutes later she was
back and the GPS was missing, obviously it was a poor idea
of just taping the unit onto the collar. As it was getting
late I decided to wait until the next week to do a more
thorough search of the area.
Over the next seven weeks I made six hikes into the area. I
kept my eyes open for the missing GPS but it was not seen
again.
The second week of January 2007 my research partner
called me and asked "Stan, did you lose a GPS unit?" He had
found it in the middle of the trail very close to where we
always parked our vehicles, about a mile from where it had
been lost.
Although we both hiked the same trails we usually hiked on
different days so we had probably made a total of ten hikes
along the trails.
The GPS was still in the little pouch that I had placed it
in, and it was also encased in the duct tape I had crudely
wrapped the pouch with. The unit had not been taken out of
the case but appeared to look just like it was when it was
dropped those weeks before.
How did it get back to the trail entrance? I don't know
but my wife said "I tell you one thing, a human would not
find your GPS, leave it in the case unopened and not keep
it." If it had been carried by some animal they certainly
knew my scent and knew where I started my hikes.
That little episode changed how I think about the research
I have been doing. I have never before dealt with an animal
that can perhaps show benevolence and return a lost item.
There are several reports of squatches returning lost
children and many reports of squatches leaving gifts.
It reminds me of the 1897 editorial:
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
Dear Editor—
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no
Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.”
Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O’Hanlon
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been
affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not
believe except they see. They think that nothing can be
which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds,
Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little.
In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant,
in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about
him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping
the whole of truth and knowledge.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Field Recording - Microphones
Microphones have often been said to be half the equation when it comes to recording. Experts advise to spend an equal amount of money on the recorder and an equal amount on the microphone. A great recorder with a poor microphone is just as bad as a poor microphone with a great microphone.
Common types of microphones used in field work fall into three categories.
1: Omnidirectional - I prefer this type of microphone when I leave my system unattended in the woods for an extended time. Obviously I will not know the direction of the sound so I must record in all directions.
Seenheiser MKH20 Omnidirectional Microphone
2: Directional - includes short and long shotgun style microphones. Many of my better bird recordings were gathered by walking through the woods and pointing the shot gun in the direction the bird song was coming from.
Sennhesier MKH70 Long shot gun microphone
3: Parabolic - this type of microphone has been used extensively in recording birds. There is a wide variety of microphones used with parabolic reflectors.
Telinga BioAcoustics Parabolic Microphone
The number of models of microphones is staggering. Companies producing microphones that have been used by nature recordists include:
Audio-Technica
Røde
Sennheiser
Sennheiser has two series of microphones that have been used for field recording for years. The ME Series, which includes an interchangeable capsule system and a more expensive series, the MKH Series. The MKH20 is undoubtedly the finest omnidirectional microphone available today for field work.
The ultimate combination for field recording is the parabolic microphone, which consist of a parabolic reflector and an omnidirectional microphone.
Telinga Microphones of Sweden is known world wide for their parabolic microphones. They can be purchased in this country both through Nature Songs and Stith Recording.
There are many articles available on the internet that discuss theory, techniques and setups for field recording.
Acoustic Properties Of Parabolic Reflectors
Avisoft-Biocoustics
How Plug In Power works
MacaulayLibrary
Microphone Input Noise Comparision
MS with reflector - A versatile "two for the price of one" rig
Parabolic microphones and stereo sound
Parabolic microphones - reality, mono and stereo sound
Parabolic Stereo
Sounds of Nature!
Common types of microphones used in field work fall into three categories.
1: Omnidirectional - I prefer this type of microphone when I leave my system unattended in the woods for an extended time. Obviously I will not know the direction of the sound so I must record in all directions.
Seenheiser MKH20 Omnidirectional Microphone2: Directional - includes short and long shotgun style microphones. Many of my better bird recordings were gathered by walking through the woods and pointing the shot gun in the direction the bird song was coming from.
Sennhesier MKH70 Long shot gun microphone3: Parabolic - this type of microphone has been used extensively in recording birds. There is a wide variety of microphones used with parabolic reflectors.
Telinga BioAcoustics Parabolic MicrophoneThe number of models of microphones is staggering. Companies producing microphones that have been used by nature recordists include:
Audio-Technica
Røde
Sennheiser
Sennheiser has two series of microphones that have been used for field recording for years. The ME Series, which includes an interchangeable capsule system and a more expensive series, the MKH Series. The MKH20 is undoubtedly the finest omnidirectional microphone available today for field work.
The ultimate combination for field recording is the parabolic microphone, which consist of a parabolic reflector and an omnidirectional microphone.
Telinga Microphones of Sweden is known world wide for their parabolic microphones. They can be purchased in this country both through Nature Songs and Stith Recording.
There are many articles available on the internet that discuss theory, techniques and setups for field recording.
Acoustic Properties Of Parabolic Reflectors
Avisoft-Biocoustics
How Plug In Power works
MacaulayLibrary
Microphone Input Noise Comparision
MS with reflector - A versatile "two for the price of one" rig
Parabolic microphones and stereo sound
Parabolic microphones - reality, mono and stereo sound
Parabolic Stereo
Sounds of Nature!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Field Recorders - Pt 4
Last time we looked at a recorder that was listed at around $1000. The next step up is:
Above $1800.
In the highest price range is the Sound Devices 7 series.
From their website I quote the following:
7-Series Family of Digital Audio Recorders
This series of recorders from Sound Devices has taken the industry by storm and is acknowledged as being an excellent field recorder.
There are five models available depending on how many channels you desire and whether it comes with Time Code and hard drive included.
702 - $1,875 - 2 channel - CompactFlash only
702T - $2,495 - 2 channel - CompactFlash, with Time Code
722 - $2495 - 2 channel - CompactFlash, internal hard drive
744T - $4095 - 4 channel - CompactFlash, internal hard drive
788T - $5995 - 8 channel - CompactFlash, internal hard drive
The manufacturers website:
Sound Devices 7 series
The user's manuals can be found at:
702 Users Manual
702T Users Manual
722 Users Manual
744T Users Manual
788T Users Manual
Excellent reviews can be read at:
The Transom Tools Column
F7 sound and vision
Pro Audio Review
Forums discussing this recorder are:
Sound Devices Forum
The Taperssection Forums
Recording media - uses 3 types of recording media
- Compact Flash - currently 32GB is the largest available
- Internal Hard drive - I had a 160GB installed
- External Hard drive - firewire connection to external hard drive
Maximum recordable time -
FlashCard - Using a A-DATA 32GB Speedy CompactFlash card the record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode is 12 hours 27 min.
Internal hard drive - record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode on a 160 gig hard drive is 252 hours 21 min.
External hard drive - unlimited
Batteries - uses Sony NPF970 L Series Camcorder Battery - about 8 hrs record time, I use an external battery supply
Recordings -
Black-billed Magpie
Cassins Finch
Green-Tailed Towhee
Hermit Thrush
Microphones - the best omnidirectional microphone made today for field recording is the Sennheiser MKH-20 - Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone listed at $1,395.95.
Conclusion - I have been recording with the 722 for 2 years now. It has been proven to be an amazing field recorder. It is fairly easy to use, extremely durable and of superb sensitivity to very weak and distant sounds.
Pros
- excellent pre-amps
- superb sound quality
- best field recorder on the market
Cons
- very expensive
- heavy, 2.6 lbs without battery
Above $1800.
In the highest price range is the Sound Devices 7 series.
From their website I quote the following:
7-Series Family of Digital Audio Recorders
The high-resolution 7-Series family of digital audio recorders shatter the size, performance, and feature-set paradigms of all previous generations of audio recorders. They are the next generation - replacing digital and analog tape-based portable recorders with far more powerful file-based digital recording devices. The two-track (702, 702T, 722), four-track (744T), and eight-track (788T) recorders write and play audio files with either 16 or 24-bit depth at all professional sampling rates, up to 192 kHz (48.048 kHz on the 788T). Multple storage mediums, analog/digital I/O, and high-speed computer connectivity make all 7-Series recorders stand out as world-class products.
This series of recorders from Sound Devices has taken the industry by storm and is acknowledged as being an excellent field recorder.
There are five models available depending on how many channels you desire and whether it comes with Time Code and hard drive included.
702 - $1,875 - 2 channel - CompactFlash only
702T - $2,495 - 2 channel - CompactFlash, with Time Code
722 - $2495 - 2 channel - CompactFlash, internal hard drive
744T - $4095 - 4 channel - CompactFlash, internal hard drive
788T - $5995 - 8 channel - CompactFlash, internal hard drive
The manufacturers website:
Sound Devices 7 series
The user's manuals can be found at:
702 Users Manual
702T Users Manual
722 Users Manual
744T Users Manual
788T Users Manual
Excellent reviews can be read at:
The Transom Tools Column
F7 sound and vision
Pro Audio Review
Forums discussing this recorder are:
Sound Devices Forum
The Taperssection Forums
Recording media - uses 3 types of recording media
- Compact Flash - currently 32GB is the largest available
- Internal Hard drive - I had a 160GB installed
- External Hard drive - firewire connection to external hard drive
Maximum recordable time -
FlashCard - Using a A-DATA 32GB Speedy CompactFlash card the record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode is 12 hours 27 min.
Internal hard drive - record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode on a 160 gig hard drive is 252 hours 21 min.
External hard drive - unlimited
Batteries - uses Sony NPF970 L Series Camcorder Battery - about 8 hrs record time, I use an external battery supply
Recordings -
Black-billed Magpie
Cassins Finch
Green-Tailed Towhee
Hermit Thrush
Microphones - the best omnidirectional microphone made today for field recording is the Sennheiser MKH-20 - Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone listed at $1,395.95.
Conclusion - I have been recording with the 722 for 2 years now. It has been proven to be an amazing field recorder. It is fairly easy to use, extremely durable and of superb sensitivity to very weak and distant sounds.
Pros
- excellent pre-amps
- superb sound quality
- best field recorder on the market
Cons
- very expensive
- heavy, 2.6 lbs without battery
Field Recorders - Pt 3
This short series on recorders is not to compare units of $200 vs $5000, but instead is simply my recommendation within each price range.
Last time we looked at a recorder that was listed under $450. The next step up is:
Around $1000.
In the high-priced range is the Marantz PMD 670/671.
In an attempt to make the pre-amps quieter Oade Brothers Audio does modifications on various recorders. It is my suggestion that anyone looking at the Marantz for nature recording only buy a unit from Oade that has had the pre-amps modified. The quality of my recordings were dramatically improved after this modification.
The manufacturers website:
PMD 671
The user's manual can be found at:
Users Manual
Forums discussing this recorder are:
The Taperssection Forums
Thread one
Thread two
Thread three
Thread four
Thread five
Recording media - uses a CompactFlash card.
Maximum recordable time - Using a 4 GB card the record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode is 6 hours 30 min.
Batteries - uses D batteries - about 8 hrs record time, I use an external battery supply.
Recordings:
Sound clips -
1 - Using a non-modified Marantz 671 DB Donlon recorded what he calls the East Central Ohio Chatter.
2 - Using a modified Marantz 670 I recently recorded this lone coyote. Most of the recordings on my website were made with this recorder before I had it modified.
Microphones - both DB Donlon and myself have been using the AT3032 Omnidirectional Condenser Microphones. However these mics are no longer being made. I typically use omnidirectional mics because I am leaving my gear overnight in the woods therefore I do not know which direction the sound will be coming from.
Conclusion - I have been recording with the 670 for 4 years now. It has been proven to be consistent, easy to use and durable. After having the unit modified the quality of my recordings were greatly improved.
Pros:
- great sound quality
- very easy to use
- sturdy build
Cons:
- battery compartment is poorly designed
- plastic body
Last time we looked at a recorder that was listed under $450. The next step up is:
Around $1000.
In the high-priced range is the Marantz PMD 670/671.
In an attempt to make the pre-amps quieter Oade Brothers Audio does modifications on various recorders. It is my suggestion that anyone looking at the Marantz for nature recording only buy a unit from Oade that has had the pre-amps modified. The quality of my recordings were dramatically improved after this modification.
The manufacturers website:
PMD 671
The user's manual can be found at:
Users Manual
Forums discussing this recorder are:
The Taperssection Forums
Thread one
Thread two
Thread three
Thread four
Thread five
Recording media - uses a CompactFlash card.
Maximum recordable time - Using a 4 GB card the record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode is 6 hours 30 min.
Batteries - uses D batteries - about 8 hrs record time, I use an external battery supply.
Recordings:
Sound clips -
1 - Using a non-modified Marantz 671 DB Donlon recorded what he calls the East Central Ohio Chatter.
2 - Using a modified Marantz 670 I recently recorded this lone coyote. Most of the recordings on my website were made with this recorder before I had it modified.
Microphones - both DB Donlon and myself have been using the AT3032 Omnidirectional Condenser Microphones. However these mics are no longer being made. I typically use omnidirectional mics because I am leaving my gear overnight in the woods therefore I do not know which direction the sound will be coming from.
Conclusion - I have been recording with the 670 for 4 years now. It has been proven to be consistent, easy to use and durable. After having the unit modified the quality of my recordings were greatly improved.
Pros:
- great sound quality
- very easy to use
- sturdy build
Cons:
- battery compartment is poorly designed
- plastic body
Field Recorders - Pt 2
My main technique for recording is to leave the recording gear in the woods overnight. The amount of quality sounds I have been able to obtain with this method has far outdone what I could gather if I were only recording when I was hiking. Overnight recording does require more recording space and larger batteries.
Last time we looked at a recorder that was listed under $200. The next step up is:
Field Recorders under $450.
In the mid-priced range is the Sony PCM-D50.
The manufacturers website:
Sony PCM-D50
The user's manual can be found at:
Users Manual
Excellent reviews can be read at:
f7 sound and vision
O'Reilly digitalmedia
Brad Linder's blog
Forums discussing this recorder are:
The Taperssection Forums:
Thread one
Thread two
There are several videos posted on YouTube.
Sony PCM-D50 video review
Sony PCM-D50 Backs Up Heftier Price With Heftier Features
Sony PCM-D50
Recording media - 4Gb internal flash memory (accepts additional 4 GB Memory Stick)
Maximum recordable time - Using both the internal flash and external memory stick the record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode is almost 13 hours.
Batteries - uses 4 AA batteries - Sony claims 14 hours record time
Recordings:
Sound file courtesy of f7 sound and vision
Sound clip - Woodpecker
Conclusion - I have not used this particular unit but those who have appear to think it has many advantages over others in this price range.
Pros:
- great sound quality
- long battery life
- sturdy build quality
Cons:
- no xlr microphone ports unless you purchase an expensive adaptor box
- records only in .wav and compressed .wav
Last time we looked at a recorder that was listed under $200. The next step up is:
Field Recorders under $450.
In the mid-priced range is the Sony PCM-D50.
The manufacturers website:
Sony PCM-D50
The user's manual can be found at:
Users Manual
Excellent reviews can be read at:
f7 sound and vision
O'Reilly digitalmedia
Brad Linder's blog
Forums discussing this recorder are:
The Taperssection Forums:
Thread one
Thread two
There are several videos posted on YouTube.
Sony PCM-D50 video review
Sony PCM-D50 Backs Up Heftier Price With Heftier Features
Sony PCM-D50
Recording media - 4Gb internal flash memory (accepts additional 4 GB Memory Stick)
Maximum recordable time - Using both the internal flash and external memory stick the record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode is almost 13 hours.
Batteries - uses 4 AA batteries - Sony claims 14 hours record time
Recordings:
Sound file courtesy of f7 sound and vision
Sound clip - Woodpecker
Conclusion - I have not used this particular unit but those who have appear to think it has many advantages over others in this price range.
Pros:
- great sound quality
- long battery life
- sturdy build quality
Cons:
- no xlr microphone ports unless you purchase an expensive adaptor box
- records only in .wav and compressed .wav
Field Recorders - Pt 1
Nature recording is a very difficult pursuit. Weather conditions are always a consideration. Then the ever present noise from trains-planes-automobiles always tends to happen just when something interesting is going on. And to that list add wind and water sounds. Our brains filter out those extra sounds when we are in the environment but on a recording they are very noticeable.
I am frequently asked what equipment I would recommend. I am certainly no expert but I have used a variety of recorders and can share my thoughts. So I will post a series of 4 articles, each dealing with a different priced recorder. I will not do much of a review, as that material has been thoroughly covered by others and you can follow the provided links.
Field Recorders under $200.
On the lower end of the price range is the Samson - H2 - Handy Recorder.
The manufacturers websites:
H2 Handy Recorder
Samson Zoom H2
This website also has 3 videos describing its operation.
The user's manual can be found at:
Users Manual
Excellent reviews can be read at:
Ron's Tech Blog
O'Reilly digitalmedia
Brad Linder's blog
Forums discussing this recorder are:
Zoom Gear & Home Recording
The Taperssection Forums
There are several videos posted on YouTube:
Zoom H2 Digital recorder
Zoom H2 Tutorial
Quick guide to Zoom H2 MP3 recorder
Use Instructions for Zoom H2 Recorder
Recording media: SD card
I've been using a Transcend 16GB class 6 card (TS16GSDHC6) for some time now with my H2 and it works flawlessly.
Maximum recordable time - In any card not all of the stated capacity is available for data. Using this 16 gb card the record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode is 23.5 hours.
Batteries
Using two Energizer L91BP-4 AA Lithium Batteries I was able to record for 14 hours 5 minutes.
Recordings:
I recorded this recently in the woods near my home in Central Illinois.
Sound Clip 1
Conclusion - I think this is a very good recorder and gets researchers into a nice, reasonably priced unit and away from the voice-only models so many purchase when they are just starting out.
Pros:
- reasonable price
- great sound
- easy to use
- built-in microphones
Cons:
- light weight plastic
I am frequently asked what equipment I would recommend. I am certainly no expert but I have used a variety of recorders and can share my thoughts. So I will post a series of 4 articles, each dealing with a different priced recorder. I will not do much of a review, as that material has been thoroughly covered by others and you can follow the provided links.
Field Recorders under $200.
On the lower end of the price range is the Samson - H2 - Handy Recorder.
The manufacturers websites:
H2 Handy Recorder
Samson Zoom H2
This website also has 3 videos describing its operation.
The user's manual can be found at:
Users Manual
Excellent reviews can be read at:
Ron's Tech Blog
O'Reilly digitalmedia
Brad Linder's blog
Forums discussing this recorder are:
Zoom Gear & Home Recording
The Taperssection Forums
There are several videos posted on YouTube:
Zoom H2 Digital recorder
Zoom H2 Tutorial
Quick guide to Zoom H2 MP3 recorder
Use Instructions for Zoom H2 Recorder
Recording media: SD card
I've been using a Transcend 16GB class 6 card (TS16GSDHC6) for some time now with my H2 and it works flawlessly.
Maximum recordable time - In any card not all of the stated capacity is available for data. Using this 16 gb card the record time in .wav at 44.1kHz 16bit CD quality mode is 23.5 hours.
Batteries
Using two Energizer L91BP-4 AA Lithium Batteries I was able to record for 14 hours 5 minutes.
Recordings:
I recorded this recently in the woods near my home in Central Illinois.
Sound Clip 1
Conclusion - I think this is a very good recorder and gets researchers into a nice, reasonably priced unit and away from the voice-only models so many purchase when they are just starting out.
Pros:
- reasonable price
- great sound
- easy to use
- built-in microphones
Cons:
- light weight plastic
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Old Hag vs Infrasound vs Unknown
The 21st of September 2008 I spent the night in a remote campground in the Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana. This is one of my brother's favorite campgrounds and I had camped here with him in 2005.
I arrived at the site about an hour after dark. There was one other camper, in a motor home on the other loop. Normally it would make me a little nervous pulling in and sleeping in a strange area but I had camped here before and I remembered the surroundings. The campground is along a creek nestled in the bottom of a little valley. Recording conditions were going to be perfect. I got out of my car and looked around. There was no wind and the creek was dried up, obviously only running during the winter and spring. The air was perfectly still.
I placed my microphone outside on my car's driver side mirror and ran the cord through the window to the recorder which I placed on the dash.
I woke up four or five times during the night and looked around but seeing nothing quickly went back to sleep. At about 4 a.m. I woke up and just felt like something was very close to my car. I started to sit up and look around but couldn't. Even though my mind said sit-up my body did not respond.
I quickly went back to sleep.
So what was this feeling I had? Was some animal close to my car? Was I paralyzed, why couldn't I move? Was it just a bad dream or the old hag syndrome. Was it infrasound?
To read about the old hag syndrome see:
The 'Old Hag" Syndrome
What is sleep paralysis
To read about infrasound and bigfoot see:
The Blogsquatcher
Infrasound? Interview with Dennis in New Jersey, parts 1-5
Tracking down infrasound: Interview with Sally in NC
Starting at about 4 a.m. the recordings do show that something was close to my car. Now I can not say whether it was a deer, perhaps a black bear or some other unknown visitor.
Sound Clip 1
The campground was very quiet and what was outside my car was very quiet also and although you can hear rustling the only sound of sufficient volume is this one sound clip. I do not know the maker of the sound. So did I record the Old Hag or something else?
I arrived at the site about an hour after dark. There was one other camper, in a motor home on the other loop. Normally it would make me a little nervous pulling in and sleeping in a strange area but I had camped here before and I remembered the surroundings. The campground is along a creek nestled in the bottom of a little valley. Recording conditions were going to be perfect. I got out of my car and looked around. There was no wind and the creek was dried up, obviously only running during the winter and spring. The air was perfectly still.
I placed my microphone outside on my car's driver side mirror and ran the cord through the window to the recorder which I placed on the dash.
I woke up four or five times during the night and looked around but seeing nothing quickly went back to sleep. At about 4 a.m. I woke up and just felt like something was very close to my car. I started to sit up and look around but couldn't. Even though my mind said sit-up my body did not respond.
I quickly went back to sleep.
So what was this feeling I had? Was some animal close to my car? Was I paralyzed, why couldn't I move? Was it just a bad dream or the old hag syndrome. Was it infrasound?
To read about the old hag syndrome see:
The 'Old Hag" Syndrome
What is sleep paralysis
To read about infrasound and bigfoot see:
The Blogsquatcher
Infrasound? Interview with Dennis in New Jersey, parts 1-5
Tracking down infrasound: Interview with Sally in NC
Starting at about 4 a.m. the recordings do show that something was close to my car. Now I can not say whether it was a deer, perhaps a black bear or some other unknown visitor.
Sound Clip 1
The campground was very quiet and what was outside my car was very quiet also and although you can hear rustling the only sound of sufficient volume is this one sound clip. I do not know the maker of the sound. So did I record the Old Hag or something else?
Monday, September 1, 2008
Singing Coyote
At 2 a.m. on Sunday the 31st of August, 2008 I recorded several groups of coyotes. I had placed three different recorders at different locations within a half mile of each other. My best recording was of a single male coyote. It was so close to the microphone that it almost overpowered the unit. I won't ever record a better single coyote than this one. The first clip is the original and in the second clip I filtered out the cicadas.
Lone coyote with cicadas
Lone coyote without cicadas
These sounds may not be my desired target species but they are still wonderful sounds to hear and record. Hopefully I am increasing my recording skills and learning techniques to record other animals as well.
Lone coyote with cicadas
Lone coyote without cicadas
These sounds may not be my desired target species but they are still wonderful sounds to hear and record. Hopefully I am increasing my recording skills and learning techniques to record other animals as well.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Who's that knocking at my door?
On the 15th of August, 2008 I camped in a campground in Colorado where I heard screams earlier in June of this year.
I placed the microphone next to my mirror on the drivers side and ran the cord inside the car and had the recorder on the dash. I covered the little red light with a piece of paper so it hopefully couldn't be seen. I fell asleep immediately and I had a rather restless night, which is unusual for me. I did not hear anything unusual in the night and took off for Oregon the next day.
Sound Clip
1 - at 4 sec and 7 sec you hear me moaning in my sleep.
2 - at 23 sec you can hear the latches on my car door being tried
3 - at 25 sec you hear a mumble or grumble from outside the car. This sound appears to be very similar to some other sound clips I have heard. This is the first recording I have of this type.
And now you know why I sleep in my car instead of a tent.
I placed the microphone next to my mirror on the drivers side and ran the cord inside the car and had the recorder on the dash. I covered the little red light with a piece of paper so it hopefully couldn't be seen. I fell asleep immediately and I had a rather restless night, which is unusual for me. I did not hear anything unusual in the night and took off for Oregon the next day.
Sound Clip
1 - at 4 sec and 7 sec you hear me moaning in my sleep.
2 - at 23 sec you can hear the latches on my car door being tried
3 - at 25 sec you hear a mumble or grumble from outside the car. This sound appears to be very similar to some other sound clips I have heard. This is the first recording I have of this type.
And now you know why I sleep in my car instead of a tent.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Oregon - 48 in '08
Oregon was my fourteenth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Rick Rogers. Rick is a local researcher in Eastern Oregon.
On the 16th of August, 2008 we camped in the Blue Mountains of North-eastern Oregon. Rick shares his recollections from 1967 of a possible encounter he had near Springfield, Oregon. He also talks about when he viewed the Minnesota Iceman at a carnival back in the late 1960's.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Rick!
To listen to a complete audio recording of this segment click here:
Oregon - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
On the 16th of August, 2008 we camped in the Blue Mountains of North-eastern Oregon. Rick shares his recollections from 1967 of a possible encounter he had near Springfield, Oregon. He also talks about when he viewed the Minnesota Iceman at a carnival back in the late 1960's.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Rick!
To listen to a complete audio recording of this segment click here:
Oregon - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wyoming - 48 in '08
Wyoming was my thirteenth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Brooke Raser. Brooke is a member of the BFRO .
On the 12th of August, 2008 several local researchers accompanied Brooke and myself to an isolated mountain range in Eastern Wyoming. Although no reports have come this specific area the habitat appears to have everything required for at least a transient population of squatches. We saw many mule deer, elk, rabbits and jackrabbits in just the short drive to the location.
We used woodknocks and vocalizations in an attempt to illicit some type of response from animals in the area. It was extremely quiet. The only sounds being heard were the distant calls of great-horned owls.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Brooke!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Wyoming - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
On the 12th of August, 2008 several local researchers accompanied Brooke and myself to an isolated mountain range in Eastern Wyoming. Although no reports have come this specific area the habitat appears to have everything required for at least a transient population of squatches. We saw many mule deer, elk, rabbits and jackrabbits in just the short drive to the location.
We used woodknocks and vocalizations in an attempt to illicit some type of response from animals in the area. It was extremely quiet. The only sounds being heard were the distant calls of great-horned owls.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Brooke!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Wyoming - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Colorado - 48 in '08
Colorado was my twelth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Dennis Pfohl. Dennis is a member of the BFRO .
About forty researchers gathered at a remote location in Central Colorado. The expedition was held the 22st through the 27th of July, 2008.
Several techniques were used including woodknocking and limited sound blasting. One or two sightings were made by thermal imager, there was a major rock throwing incident, several possibly vocalizations were recorded including woodknocks, grunts and howls and at least two participants had vehicles struck in the night by unseen intruders.
Sound clip 1
These sounds were picked up at 0330 a.m. I am not quite sure if they are coyote or not.
Sound clip 2
This sound clip was just before daybreak on Sunday morning. There were a lot of sheep on the hillside near our camp.
At 5 sec. there is a loud vocalization I believe designed to stir up the dogs and the flock. I can't really describe the sound, not a howl, just strange. Then at 50 sec and 53 sec two words were spoken. As to the first sound on the clip a fellow researcher told me that he has heard the same type of vocalization in Southern Colorado.
Sound clip 3
This sound clip was recorded at about 04:30 a.m. Sunday morning by Scott Smith of Arkansas. I appears to be a grunt and either a branch break or a hand slapping a vehicle.
Sound clip 4
This sound clip was recorded at about 04:00 a.m. Thursday morning by Scott Smith of Arkansas. Other members had mentioned that they heard an animal running close to the knoll behind camp.
The area had Peruvian Indian shepherders attending flocks of 400 to 500 sheep. Several recordings were made late in the night of vocalizations close to these flocks.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Dennis!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Colorado - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
About forty researchers gathered at a remote location in Central Colorado. The expedition was held the 22st through the 27th of July, 2008.
Several techniques were used including woodknocking and limited sound blasting. One or two sightings were made by thermal imager, there was a major rock throwing incident, several possibly vocalizations were recorded including woodknocks, grunts and howls and at least two participants had vehicles struck in the night by unseen intruders.
Sound clip 1
These sounds were picked up at 0330 a.m. I am not quite sure if they are coyote or not.
Sound clip 2
This sound clip was just before daybreak on Sunday morning. There were a lot of sheep on the hillside near our camp.
At 5 sec. there is a loud vocalization I believe designed to stir up the dogs and the flock. I can't really describe the sound, not a howl, just strange. Then at 50 sec and 53 sec two words were spoken. As to the first sound on the clip a fellow researcher told me that he has heard the same type of vocalization in Southern Colorado.
Sound clip 3
This sound clip was recorded at about 04:30 a.m. Sunday morning by Scott Smith of Arkansas. I appears to be a grunt and either a branch break or a hand slapping a vehicle.
Sound clip 4
This sound clip was recorded at about 04:00 a.m. Thursday morning by Scott Smith of Arkansas. Other members had mentioned that they heard an animal running close to the knoll behind camp.
The area had Peruvian Indian shepherders attending flocks of 400 to 500 sheep. Several recordings were made late in the night of vocalizations close to these flocks.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Dennis!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Colorado - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Colorado Recordings
The evening of Tuesday, the 22nd of July 2008 I was in Colorado where I was invited to join a fellow researcher as part of my 48 in '08 project.
It was almost dark when I arrived at the site on Tuesday evening. I was concerned about driving down the rutted dirt road with my Toyota, not knowing for sure if I was at the correct location. So I drove back down the road and slept in my car at a small gravel pit. These sounds were picked up at 0330 a.m. I am not quite sure if they are coyote or not.
Sound Clip 1
This sound clip was just before daybreak on Sunday morning. There were a lot of sheep on the hillside near our camp.
At 5 sec. there is a loud vocalization I believe designed to stir up the dogs and the flock. I can't really describe the sound, not a howl, just strange. Then at 50 sec and 53 sec two words were spoken.
Sound Clip 2
It was almost dark when I arrived at the site on Tuesday evening. I was concerned about driving down the rutted dirt road with my Toyota, not knowing for sure if I was at the correct location. So I drove back down the road and slept in my car at a small gravel pit. These sounds were picked up at 0330 a.m. I am not quite sure if they are coyote or not.
Sound Clip 1
This sound clip was just before daybreak on Sunday morning. There were a lot of sheep on the hillside near our camp.
At 5 sec. there is a loud vocalization I believe designed to stir up the dogs and the flock. I can't really describe the sound, not a howl, just strange. Then at 50 sec and 53 sec two words were spoken.
Sound Clip 2
So. Illinois Sound
The evening of the 12th of July 2008 I was in Southern Illinois where I was invited to join a fellow researcher as part of my 48 in '08 project.
After leaving the trail I recorded this most unusual sound.
Southern Illinois Sound
If any listener has an idea of what this could be please contact me. It is my opinion that perhaps it is a sound in the environment being mimicked.
A more complete write up can be found at escAPEe's hideaway.
After leaving the trail I recorded this most unusual sound.
Southern Illinois Sound
If any listener has an idea of what this could be please contact me. It is my opinion that perhaps it is a sound in the environment being mimicked.
A more complete write up can be found at escAPEe's hideaway.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Indiana - 48 in '08
Indiana was my tenth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Mike Bardsley. Mike, aka GuyInIndiana has a website called Indiana Bigfoot Awareness Group - An S.R.I. Associate. Mike concentrates on his local area and home state of Indiana and has received many reports through his website.
On the 13th of July, 2008 I accompanied Mike along the backroads of Kosciusko County in North Central Indiana. This area has very diverse terrain, including dark forests and lakes. We saw many locations where folks had had sightings. Mike has done an excellent job of getting the word out locally by using his pickup truck as advertising.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Mike!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Indiana - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
On the 13th of July, 2008 I accompanied Mike along the backroads of Kosciusko County in North Central Indiana. This area has very diverse terrain, including dark forests and lakes. We saw many locations where folks had had sightings. Mike has done an excellent job of getting the word out locally by using his pickup truck as advertising.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Mike!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Indiana - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Friday, July 18, 2008
Illinois - 48 in '08
Illinois was my tenth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Jon Buford. Jon is a local researcher in Southern Illinois. We were joined by escAPEe, who is with Squatchdetective.com and has his own blog escAPEe's hideaway.
Jon showed us areas near his home where he has found footprints and possible stick structures. I was at Jon's previously and saw several sets of footprints.
Jon's wife had the original sighting two years ago and since that time Jon has had several sightings of his own, as well as one of Jon's friends (who I have also spoken with) and the next door neighbor.
We hiked in the woods and was amazed at the wide variety of trees and plants. This area has a large population of coyotes and Jon has seen a black panther.
When we returned from our hike to Jon's house we heard a very unusual sound coming from the trail just behind us.
To listen to an audio recording of this unusual sound click here.
Unusual sounds
For an ongoing discussion of Jon's research area and this sound please see:
North American Bigfoot Forums
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Jon!
To listen to a complete audio recording of this segment click here: Illinois - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Jon showed us areas near his home where he has found footprints and possible stick structures. I was at Jon's previously and saw several sets of footprints.
Jon's wife had the original sighting two years ago and since that time Jon has had several sightings of his own, as well as one of Jon's friends (who I have also spoken with) and the next door neighbor.
We hiked in the woods and was amazed at the wide variety of trees and plants. This area has a large population of coyotes and Jon has seen a black panther.
When we returned from our hike to Jon's house we heard a very unusual sound coming from the trail just behind us.
To listen to an audio recording of this unusual sound click here.
Unusual sounds
For an ongoing discussion of Jon's research area and this sound please see:
North American Bigfoot Forums
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Jon!
To listen to a complete audio recording of this segment click here: Illinois - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Unusual calls
On the evening of the 17 of May, 2008 I was accompanied to my main research area by fellow researcher, Bob Eldridge, from New Hampshire.
We spent the next two hours walking along the roads and tractor paths that run through the oak - hickory forest. Other than several outbreaks of vocalizations from Barred Owls and the ever present Whip-poor-wills the evening was very quiet.
Upon returning to my vehicle I decided to try out a new sound blasting technique that I had been shown recently by John Andrews of Washington State. I had just purchased a Western Safety 50 watt battery powered megaphone. John Andrews does some awesome calls using this system and I was hoping to copy him. I did two or three calls but the night air was still without any type of response at all. So we drove four miles and got ready to try it again. I let out one call with no responses and then let out a second call. What we heard back was not what I expected. Upon first hearing the three short calls that we heard and recorded my thought was wow, someone is answering us from a ridge about a half mile away from us. I did another call but nothing further was heard.
It was now after midnight and we decided to call it a night. I drove home and uploaded the sounds on my computer. The calls I recorded were distant and faint, and most surprising short. My friend had mentioned to me in the field that the returned call almost sounded like my voice. I thought that odd but upon listening to them I tend to agree. Was someone or something a good enough mimic to not only return my call but also make it sound somewhat like my voice?
To listen to the complete sequence click here:
Calls of 18 May 2006
The returned calls can be heard at 48 sec., 70 sec., and 90 seconds.
To listen to the three return calls alone click here:
Three return calls
By using Cool Edit Pro version 2.00 I was able to analyze the sound and amazingly the first call that was returned was exactly the same frequency as I had used in the megaphone, 645.9 hz.
1st - Stan's call using the megaphone
2nd - The returned call
You can click on the two links below and listen to a very short segment of both my megaphone call and the returned call.
Short segment of Stan's call
Short segment of returned call
I don't want to make too much out of this because the sounds recorded were short and not of good enough quality to make any real decision about what or whom we recorded.
We spent the next two hours walking along the roads and tractor paths that run through the oak - hickory forest. Other than several outbreaks of vocalizations from Barred Owls and the ever present Whip-poor-wills the evening was very quiet.
Upon returning to my vehicle I decided to try out a new sound blasting technique that I had been shown recently by John Andrews of Washington State. I had just purchased a Western Safety 50 watt battery powered megaphone. John Andrews does some awesome calls using this system and I was hoping to copy him. I did two or three calls but the night air was still without any type of response at all. So we drove four miles and got ready to try it again. I let out one call with no responses and then let out a second call. What we heard back was not what I expected. Upon first hearing the three short calls that we heard and recorded my thought was wow, someone is answering us from a ridge about a half mile away from us. I did another call but nothing further was heard.
It was now after midnight and we decided to call it a night. I drove home and uploaded the sounds on my computer. The calls I recorded were distant and faint, and most surprising short. My friend had mentioned to me in the field that the returned call almost sounded like my voice. I thought that odd but upon listening to them I tend to agree. Was someone or something a good enough mimic to not only return my call but also make it sound somewhat like my voice?
To listen to the complete sequence click here:
Calls of 18 May 2006
The returned calls can be heard at 48 sec., 70 sec., and 90 seconds.
To listen to the three return calls alone click here:
Three return calls
By using Cool Edit Pro version 2.00 I was able to analyze the sound and amazingly the first call that was returned was exactly the same frequency as I had used in the megaphone, 645.9 hz.
1st - Stan's call using the megaphone
2nd - The returned call
You can click on the two links below and listen to a very short segment of both my megaphone call and the returned call.
Short segment of Stan's call
Short segment of returned call
I don't want to make too much out of this because the sounds recorded were short and not of good enough quality to make any real decision about what or whom we recorded.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
California - 48 in '08
California was my ninth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Bart Cutino. Bart is a member of the BFRO , AIBR , and SRI . Also interviewed was Robert Leiterman, BFRO_California Curator.
About twenty researchers gathered at a remote location in Northern Mendocino County. The expedition was held the 1st through the 4th of May, 2008.
Several techniques were used including woodknocking and limited sound blasting. Members reported a possible trackway in the snow on a high ridge, woodknocks, whistles and a possible rock throwing.
A special thanks also to Tom Yamarone, BFRO_ California Investigator and Bobo Faye, BFRO_ California Investigator for a sing-a-long session by the campfire. Tom's website and CD's can be found at Bigfoot Songs by Tom Yamarone.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Bart!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
California - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
About twenty researchers gathered at a remote location in Northern Mendocino County. The expedition was held the 1st through the 4th of May, 2008.
Several techniques were used including woodknocking and limited sound blasting. Members reported a possible trackway in the snow on a high ridge, woodknocks, whistles and a possible rock throwing.
A special thanks also to Tom Yamarone, BFRO_ California Investigator and Bobo Faye, BFRO_ California Investigator for a sing-a-long session by the campfire. Tom's website and CD's can be found at Bigfoot Songs by Tom Yamarone.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Bart!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
California - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Friday, April 18, 2008
Washington - 48 in '08
Washington was my eighth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Kristine Walls, BFRO_Washington Curator, David Ellis BFRO_Washington Investigator, and John Andrews, an independent researcher. John has recorded many vocalizations at this site and they can be listened to at Sasquatch Research.net
On the 12th of April, 2008 I accompanied Kristine, David and John into the woods of Western Washington.
John demonstrated his call blasting techniques using his own voice and a PA electronic megaphone. We all took turns trying out the system. John is a real expert at doing different types of calls. The sound really echoed through the mountains but we did not hear any return vocalizations.
A few woodknocks were tried but the night was unusually quiet.
This area had been partially logged in the last two years. It is unclear whether or not this has affected the resident sasquatch population.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Kristine, David and John!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Washington - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
On the 12th of April, 2008 I accompanied Kristine, David and John into the woods of Western Washington.
John demonstrated his call blasting techniques using his own voice and a PA electronic megaphone. We all took turns trying out the system. John is a real expert at doing different types of calls. The sound really echoed through the mountains but we did not hear any return vocalizations.
A few woodknocks were tried but the night was unusually quiet.
This area had been partially logged in the last two years. It is unclear whether or not this has affected the resident sasquatch population.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Kristine, David and John!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Washington - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Louisiana - 48 in '08
Louisiana was my seventh stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Lonny Rabalais, an independent researcher.
On the 8th of April, 2008 I accompanied Lonny into the bayous of South-Central Louisiana. Lonny showed me several locations where he and his friends had heard vocalizations, woodknocks and found stick structures and possible footprints.
While checking out one site for a recently found branch break we came upon a possible teepee stick structure.
It was a beautiful spring day, the foliage on the trees was fully out and the birds were singing.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Lonny!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Louisiana - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
On the 8th of April, 2008 I accompanied Lonny into the bayous of South-Central Louisiana. Lonny showed me several locations where he and his friends had heard vocalizations, woodknocks and found stick structures and possible footprints.
While checking out one site for a recently found branch break we came upon a possible teepee stick structure.
It was a beautiful spring day, the foliage on the trees was fully out and the birds were singing.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Lonny!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Louisiana - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Werewolves in Nevada?
On the 5th of March I was sitting in a truck stop in Caldwell, Idaho. I am not hesitant to talk about my interest in bigfoot / sasquatch research. It all depends on the situation. Some people couldn't care less, and others are very interested. I don't recall exactly how the subject came up but truck drivers are one group of people who see lots of wildlife. Some of the most interesting reports I have read were by travelers of the road.
This fellow told me that he did not exactly believe in bigfoot but he did know where some werewolves were seen. I ask him to explain. He said that there is a stretch of road in Eastern Nevada that has had lots of reports of werewolves running along side the big trucks. The speed of these animals is incredible, at least 50 miles per hour. He said that he never believed the stories until one day a fellow driver who had experienced a sighting showed him claw marks on the cab of his truck.
Then one night, the truck driver I was speaking with, said that he had pulled over along the edge of the road and was sleeping. He woke up to hear an unusual sound of something being dragged along the pavement. He said that there was almost no travel along this road and no other trucks were stopped. He was hesitant to get out and check it out and went back to sleep. The next morning he found a large logging chain laying along his truck. He assumed that the noise he heard was that chain being dragged up and down the road.
He asked me what I thought about this. I told him that I did not accept the existence of werewolves but that it was my opinion that stories of werewolves were probably misidentified bigfoot. There are several reports of bigfoot running along side vehicles. Although Eastern Nevada does not seem like habitat for bigfoot he assured me that this area had several year-round springs and trees in the draws and gullys.
This fellow told me that he did not exactly believe in bigfoot but he did know where some werewolves were seen. I ask him to explain. He said that there is a stretch of road in Eastern Nevada that has had lots of reports of werewolves running along side the big trucks. The speed of these animals is incredible, at least 50 miles per hour. He said that he never believed the stories until one day a fellow driver who had experienced a sighting showed him claw marks on the cab of his truck.
Then one night, the truck driver I was speaking with, said that he had pulled over along the edge of the road and was sleeping. He woke up to hear an unusual sound of something being dragged along the pavement. He said that there was almost no travel along this road and no other trucks were stopped. He was hesitant to get out and check it out and went back to sleep. The next morning he found a large logging chain laying along his truck. He assumed that the noise he heard was that chain being dragged up and down the road.
He asked me what I thought about this. I told him that I did not accept the existence of werewolves but that it was my opinion that stories of werewolves were probably misidentified bigfoot. There are several reports of bigfoot running along side vehicles. Although Eastern Nevada does not seem like habitat for bigfoot he assured me that this area had several year-round springs and trees in the draws and gullys.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
What does it mean?
My family and I have lived along a small wooded creek in Central Illinois for almost twenty-two years. Until May of 2005 we had neither seen nor heard anything unusual.
Wildlife that we have seen along and near the creek includes: beaver, bobcat, coyotes, deer, groundhogs, fox, mink, mountain lions, opossum, rabbits and raccoons. For a great article on mountain lions in Illinois see:
The beast of the bluffs by Scott Maruna.
There has been nothing unusual about the wildlife we see. Most people when they travel through Illinois see mainly corn and soybean fields not realizing the miles and miles of wooded rivers and streams that drain the fertile prairie.
From 1986 to 2002 we raised llamas on a two acre pasture that borders the creek. We had several Great Pyrenees dogs for protection from the coyotes. The Great Pyrenees are quite vocal but nothing strange was noticed or heard in all those years.
On the 23rd of May 2005 my world changed forever. My wife came home one evening around 8:30 p.m. I went outside onto the driveway and noticed that my seven
month old Karelian Bear Dog puppy (Belle) was out by the barn barking towards the creek. I told my wife I was going to take the dog to the creek and show Belle where the deer bedded down in the tall grass close to the creek.
I put a lead on the dog and as I approached the edge of the backyard going into the pasture I heard what sounded like a giant man roaring towards the house. It is difficult to put into words exactly what it sounded like, but it was a very clean sound, not like a scream. And it sounded like whatever the animal was, it's chest cavity was very large. The roar also had a distinctively human sounding element to it. The closest sound that I can find is a Digital Bigfoot Recording created by Matt Knapp and featured on Lets Talk Bigfoot! with Teresa Hall.
After that night I started recording nightly. I have recorded wood-knocks, howls, unusual voices. Then on the fourth of April 2006 I recorded on five different nights what I call the Illinois Howl. This recording has been discussed by THE BLOGSQUATCHER in an article entitled: The voice of bigfoot? The Illinois Howl.
What has bothered me since that time is why did that animal pick my home to stop by and howl? Why only howl that April and May, and why not since then? Why did I not hear this animal sometime before during the twenty-plus years we have lived here? Assuming that what ever is howling is intelligent and has a purpose what is the reason for the howl and why only at my home? I have spoken with neighbors and none of them have heard anything unusual.
Recently I was visiting a fellow researcher and I asked her to listen to some of my sounds and to give me her honest opinion specifically about the Illinois Howl.
Stan - "Do you think this is a locator call, the animal trying to find other members of it's family?
My friend - "No."
Stan - "Do you think this is some type of mating call?"
My friend - "No."
Stan - "Do you think this is imitating the coyotes?"
My friend - "No."
Stan - "Then what does it mean?"
Her answer was "Stan, I believe it is imitating Belle."
Stan - "What do you mean, imitating Belle and why?"
My friend - "It is a well known phenomena for coyotes to send in a lone member of the pack to play with a dog, get it's confidence and get it to follow out into the woods where the pack descends upon the dog and kills it." I think whatever is doing those howls is doing the same thing, trying to get Belle to come out so it can kill her."
I was shocked. I had never considered that perhaps Belle was the single thing different about my place in the last twenty-two years. When we had the Great Pyrenees they were restricted to the pasture, and seldom ventured into the woods. Belle from the age of three months to two years ran with wild abandon through the woods much as a teenager. Being a hunting dog, she is extremely alert, and always looking for something to chase, whether squirrels , rabbits or deer. As Belle has matured she has calmed down, she sleeps more and is more satisfied to be let out in the evening to exercise and then be restricted to a fenced in area of the backyard for the rest of the night. Belle spends her nights on a brick wall that encloses our patio.
Like most dogs Belle does bark some but once in about every six weeks goes into a strange drawn out howl. The first time I heard her do the strange howl was the fourth of April, 2006 when I recorded the first Illinois Howl.
On this recording you can hear coyotes, followed by Belle's barking, followed by the Illinois Howl and then Belle's strange drawn-out howls.
So why have I not heard or recorded the Illinois Howl in two years? My only conclusion, is that since Belle is no longer in the puppy stage, she stays out of the woods and stays closer to the house. Belle has become less of a threat, or a perceived threat to whatever is out in those woods and making those howls.
Wildlife that we have seen along and near the creek includes: beaver, bobcat, coyotes, deer, groundhogs, fox, mink, mountain lions, opossum, rabbits and raccoons. For a great article on mountain lions in Illinois see:
The beast of the bluffs by Scott Maruna.
There has been nothing unusual about the wildlife we see. Most people when they travel through Illinois see mainly corn and soybean fields not realizing the miles and miles of wooded rivers and streams that drain the fertile prairie.
From 1986 to 2002 we raised llamas on a two acre pasture that borders the creek. We had several Great Pyrenees dogs for protection from the coyotes. The Great Pyrenees are quite vocal but nothing strange was noticed or heard in all those years.
On the 23rd of May 2005 my world changed forever. My wife came home one evening around 8:30 p.m. I went outside onto the driveway and noticed that my seven
month old Karelian Bear Dog puppy (Belle) was out by the barn barking towards the creek. I told my wife I was going to take the dog to the creek and show Belle where the deer bedded down in the tall grass close to the creek.
I put a lead on the dog and as I approached the edge of the backyard going into the pasture I heard what sounded like a giant man roaring towards the house. It is difficult to put into words exactly what it sounded like, but it was a very clean sound, not like a scream. And it sounded like whatever the animal was, it's chest cavity was very large. The roar also had a distinctively human sounding element to it. The closest sound that I can find is a Digital Bigfoot Recording created by Matt Knapp and featured on Lets Talk Bigfoot! with Teresa Hall.
After that night I started recording nightly. I have recorded wood-knocks, howls, unusual voices. Then on the fourth of April 2006 I recorded on five different nights what I call the Illinois Howl. This recording has been discussed by THE BLOGSQUATCHER in an article entitled: The voice of bigfoot? The Illinois Howl.
What has bothered me since that time is why did that animal pick my home to stop by and howl? Why only howl that April and May, and why not since then? Why did I not hear this animal sometime before during the twenty-plus years we have lived here? Assuming that what ever is howling is intelligent and has a purpose what is the reason for the howl and why only at my home? I have spoken with neighbors and none of them have heard anything unusual.
Recently I was visiting a fellow researcher and I asked her to listen to some of my sounds and to give me her honest opinion specifically about the Illinois Howl.
Stan - "Do you think this is a locator call, the animal trying to find other members of it's family?
My friend - "No."
Stan - "Do you think this is some type of mating call?"
My friend - "No."
Stan - "Do you think this is imitating the coyotes?"
My friend - "No."
Stan - "Then what does it mean?"
Her answer was "Stan, I believe it is imitating Belle."
Stan - "What do you mean, imitating Belle and why?"
My friend - "It is a well known phenomena for coyotes to send in a lone member of the pack to play with a dog, get it's confidence and get it to follow out into the woods where the pack descends upon the dog and kills it." I think whatever is doing those howls is doing the same thing, trying to get Belle to come out so it can kill her."
I was shocked. I had never considered that perhaps Belle was the single thing different about my place in the last twenty-two years. When we had the Great Pyrenees they were restricted to the pasture, and seldom ventured into the woods. Belle from the age of three months to two years ran with wild abandon through the woods much as a teenager. Being a hunting dog, she is extremely alert, and always looking for something to chase, whether squirrels , rabbits or deer. As Belle has matured she has calmed down, she sleeps more and is more satisfied to be let out in the evening to exercise and then be restricted to a fenced in area of the backyard for the rest of the night. Belle spends her nights on a brick wall that encloses our patio.
Like most dogs Belle does bark some but once in about every six weeks goes into a strange drawn out howl. The first time I heard her do the strange howl was the fourth of April, 2006 when I recorded the first Illinois Howl.
On this recording you can hear coyotes, followed by Belle's barking, followed by the Illinois Howl and then Belle's strange drawn-out howls.
So why have I not heard or recorded the Illinois Howl in two years? My only conclusion, is that since Belle is no longer in the puppy stage, she stays out of the woods and stays closer to the house. Belle has become less of a threat, or a perceived threat to whatever is out in those woods and making those howls.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Missouri - 48 in '08
Missouri was my sixth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Ron Boles, BFRO_Missouri Investigator.
On the 21st of March, 2008 I accompanied Ron to a landowners home situated in a wooded holler situated in the Ozark Mountains of Southern Missouri. Ron showed me a possible stick structure and we walked through the woods as it was gradually getting dark. Ron had recently found a 16" footprint up one of the draws close to the house and he had heard several distant whoops.
I spoke with the lady who lived on the property and she talked about how some animal had taken most of her geese, ducks and chickens over the past year. Her husland, who is hard of hearing, had been startled by a bellow close to the house and she has heard numerous howls and whoops.
The weather was clear and breezy.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Ron!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Missouri - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
On the 21st of March, 2008 I accompanied Ron to a landowners home situated in a wooded holler situated in the Ozark Mountains of Southern Missouri. Ron showed me a possible stick structure and we walked through the woods as it was gradually getting dark. Ron had recently found a 16" footprint up one of the draws close to the house and he had heard several distant whoops.
I spoke with the lady who lived on the property and she talked about how some animal had taken most of her geese, ducks and chickens over the past year. Her husland, who is hard of hearing, had been startled by a bellow close to the house and she has heard numerous howls and whoops.
The weather was clear and breezy.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Ron!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Missouri - 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tennessee - 48 in '08
Tennessee was my fifth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Janice Carter and Tom Shirley. Their website is Bigfoot Reference Guide.
On the 14th of March, 2008 we were in a wooded area of Tennessee. We spent several hours in an area that has a history of footprints, vocalizations and a sighting.
The weather was rainy and the woods was fairly quiet. Although we neither heard nor saw anything unusual it was still great to meet new people and to enjoy the great outdoors.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Janice and Tom!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Tennessee 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
On the 14th of March, 2008 we were in a wooded area of Tennessee. We spent several hours in an area that has a history of footprints, vocalizations and a sighting.
The weather was rainy and the woods was fairly quiet. Although we neither heard nor saw anything unusual it was still great to meet new people and to enjoy the great outdoors.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Janice and Tom!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Tennessee 48 in '08
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
North Carolina - 48 in '08
North Carolina was my fourth stop squatchin' in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Chris P, BFRO_North Carolina Investigator. We were joined by a few of his friends.
On the 14th of March, 2008 we were in a wooded area of North Carolina. We spent several hours hiking, setting up recording gear and listening for night sounds. This particular area has a history of several sightings and many vocalizations.
The weather was great, and the forest was very quiet. We did hear some suspicious whistles, a distant woodknock and one member had a possible sighting.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Chris!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
North Carolina 48 in '48
Are you interested in being part of this project?
On the 14th of March, 2008 we were in a wooded area of North Carolina. We spent several hours hiking, setting up recording gear and listening for night sounds. This particular area has a history of several sightings and many vocalizations.
The weather was great, and the forest was very quiet. We did hear some suspicious whistles, a distant woodknock and one member had a possible sighting.
Thanks for allowing me to tag along Chris!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
North Carolina 48 in '48
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Oklahoma - 48 in '08
Eastern Oklahoma was my third stop squatchin'in all 48 contiguous states in 2008. I was invited to go squatchin' with Doug Bilby, also know as "Bullet maker". He is a member of the Mid America Bigfoot Research Center.
On the 7th of March, 2008 I visited with Bullet maker and his wife at their home which is set on a beautiful 200 acre site. This setting is richly blessed with a great variety of wildlife, from mountain lion & bobcat to deer and smaller game and birdlife. The area is a mixture of bluffs, creeks and a large expanse of woods.
Although the weather was cold and blustery with some snow we were still able to check out several areas using Bullet's Kawasaki Mule. Doug has had many experiences with squatches on this property. His stories have been posted on several bigfoot forums and is also available on a series of CD's entitled IN THE SHADOWS WITH BULLET MAKER. If you are interested you can contact him directly at chiggers@hughes.net.
Thanks for your hospitality and allowing me to visit your wonderful place Bullet maker!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Oklahoma 48 in '48
Are you interested in being part of this project?
On the 7th of March, 2008 I visited with Bullet maker and his wife at their home which is set on a beautiful 200 acre site. This setting is richly blessed with a great variety of wildlife, from mountain lion & bobcat to deer and smaller game and birdlife. The area is a mixture of bluffs, creeks and a large expanse of woods.
Although the weather was cold and blustery with some snow we were still able to check out several areas using Bullet's Kawasaki Mule. Doug has had many experiences with squatches on this property. His stories have been posted on several bigfoot forums and is also available on a series of CD's entitled IN THE SHADOWS WITH BULLET MAKER. If you are interested you can contact him directly at chiggers@hughes.net.
Thanks for your hospitality and allowing me to visit your wonderful place Bullet maker!
To listen to an audio recording of this segment click here.
Oklahoma 48 in '48
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sound Skeptics
On the 4th of February DB Donlon of Virginia (The Blogsquatcher) was a guest on Squatchdetective Radio.
During the show DB shared some of his sound recordings. DB also discussed what he calls Sound Skeptics. I thought it was a very good statement and you can read it below and also listen to the original sound clip.
Sound Skeptics- play
DB Donlon -
During the show DB shared some of his sound recordings. DB also discussed what he calls Sound Skeptics. I thought it was a very good statement and you can read it below and also listen to the original sound clip.
Sound Skeptics- play
DB Donlon -
Sound skeptics will object that you can't tell what animal made a sound if you didn't see the animal make it. I think this is true in the broadest sense. After all, I can play a file of a coyote and if you heard it in the distance, you'd think it was an actual coyote, and not a recording.
But an important point I want to stress is that these same sound skeptics are the first to say, "you've recorded a coyote," or "you've recorded a hog" when they hear the sounds we get. They don't say they don't know what it is, they almost always define it as something known, and they get to that identification from the sound alone. If you can't tell what made a sound without visually i.d.ing the sound maker, how do they know we've recorded coyotes and hogs?
I'm not just making that point to rub someone's nose in it, I'm saying you can't have it both ways. If it really is possible to id creatures by their vocalizations (and we do this all the time, don't we? When we hear an owl call, we don't say, "I'll never know what that is.." we say, "oh, an owl!" The plain fact of the matter is that the calls we've recorded don't sound like coyotes, and they certainly don't look like coyote calls when you look at them in the software. They do sometimes sound coyote-ish, but they don't sound like the coyote calls I've found on the net. (I'm being strict about definitions here -- like serving as an = sign, rather than an approximation.) Nor does the East Central Ohio chatter sound like a hog, rather, occasionally hog-ish.
So when the skeptics tell you that we can't tell what made the sound because we didn't see the animal making it, you insist that they stick to that. They are right, we can't really tell. So let's stop calling these things misidentifications out of hand in an attempt to quell all interest in sounds. It's a legitimate area of research. Who knows what advances will come in the future that will make this kind of research easier?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Illinois Howl - California Postcard
News10 ABC Sacramento, California features a program called CALIFORNIA POSTCARD which "is a weekly look at the people, places and things across California that make it the unique state it is."
Recently they featured the Bigfoot Discovery Museum and interviewed Michael Rugg. The museum is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Central California in South Felton in the San Lorenzo Valley.
Among several sounds heard in the background is the Illinois Howl
Click here to view video
Recently they featured the Bigfoot Discovery Museum and interviewed Michael Rugg. The museum is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Central California in South Felton in the San Lorenzo Valley.
Among several sounds heard in the background is the Illinois Howl
Click here to view videoFriday, January 18, 2008
Illinois Howl - Springfield FOX 55
During the fall of 2006 the Illinois Howl was used as a background sound for a short promo for Springfield FOX 55 Illinois WRSP in Springfield, Illinois.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sasquatch Sounds
One of the most significant new recordings was recorded by DB Donlon in April of 2007 in Ohio. This new sound clip soon became known to the bigfoot community.
The story behind the recording and it's subsequent analysis and comparison to the Bigfoot Recordings by Sierra Sounds can be read on:
THE BLOGSQUATCHER
The voice of bigfoot? East Central Ohio Chatter
Comparison of East Central Ohio Chatter with Sierra Sounds
The recording was brought to the attention of Ron Morehead of
Sierra Sounds, who thought it was significant enough to mention it in July of 2007 while a guest on
COAST TO COAST AM WITH GEORGE NOORY
Ron includes a link on his website to the sound clip.
East Central Ohio Chatter
Coast to Coast displayed the following notice on its main webpage.
The story behind the recording and it's subsequent analysis and comparison to the Bigfoot Recordings by Sierra Sounds can be read on:
THE BLOGSQUATCHER
The voice of bigfoot? East Central Ohio Chatter
Comparison of East Central Ohio Chatter with Sierra Sounds
The recording was brought to the attention of Ron Morehead of
Sierra Sounds, who thought it was significant enough to mention it in July of 2007 while a guest on
COAST TO COAST AM WITH GEORGE NOORY
Ron includes a link on his website to the sound clip.
East Central Ohio Chatter
Coast to Coast displayed the following notice on its main webpage.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Illinois Howl
This information was originally posted on my website about a year and a half ago.
When THE BLOGSQUATCHER started his blog this was the topic of one of his earlier posts. So you may want to check out this information also over on his blog for Thursday, October 11, 2007 titled:
The voice of bigfoot? The Illinois Howl
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Illinois Howl
This post will attempt to answer some of the following questions:
What is the Illinois Howl?
What animal is making these vocalizations?
What are its characteristics?
What does it sound like compared to other animals?
What does it look like graphically compared to other animals?
Why am I wasting my time on something so obvious?
What is the Illinois Howl?
The Illinois Howl is the vocalizations of presently an unseen and unknown animal. They were first recorded on the 4th of April, 2006. It was recorded five times that spring. I record nature sounds every night. The following five clips have been cleaned up to eliminate rumbling and hiss.
05.24.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 04:14 in the morning.
05.18.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 01:30 in the morning.
04.12.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 11:58 in the evening.
04.07.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 4:45 in the morning.
04.04.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 3:45 in the morning.
The complete series of recorded howls can be found at:
Illinois Howl Recordings
What animal is making these vocalizations?
There are many opinions as to the origins of these sounds. Opinions range from coyote, coy-dog, dog, wolf, fox, bigfoot, cow.
As an attempt to get an answer I posted this question and a poll on many of the outdoor forums on the internet. These discussions can be found at:
Unusual Howl - 24 Hour Campfire
What Do You Think Of This One? - Bigfoot Forums
What Kind Of Howl Is This?? - Bigfoot Forums
What Animal Do You Think This Is? - Bigfoot Forums
Unusual Howl - Graybeards Outdoors Forum
What Animal Do You Think This Is? - Graybeards Outdoors
Unusual Howl - Jesses Hunting & Outdoors (JHO) Forum
Unusual Howl - Marlinowners Forums
What kind of howl is this? - Rimfirecentral
Unusual Illinois Howl - Shooters Forum
Unusual Howl - US Hunting Forums
What are its characteristics?
On the five recordings it exhibits several traits that are discernible on all five. The howl starts out as a low volume sound that seems like it is just clearing its throat. It then delivers three somewhat equal volume howls. The second and third howl are spaced a little bit further apart than the first and second howl. The waveform in Cool Edit 2 Pro looks like -
DB Donlon has done extensive research on this sound and has written the following analysis:
For comparison let's look at the Illinois Howl and three other known animals.
Click on each link for the mp3 of each animal:>
Belle, my Karelian Bear Dog
Coyote (Canis latrans)
Illinois Howl
Wolf (Canis lupus)
What does it look like graphically compared to other animals?
Visually each animals howl is seen in the waveform view. I have used Adobe Audition 2.0 as the sound editor:
Belle, my Karelian Bear Dog
Coyote (Canis latrans)
Illinois Howl
Wolf (Canis lupus)
Then each animal's howl is seen in the spectral view:
Belle, my Karelian Bear Dog
Coyote (Canis latrans)
Illinois Howl
Wolf (Canis lupus)
Why am I wasting my time on something so obvious?
Many people have stated that it is quite obvious that the Illinois Howl is nothing other than a coyote or dog, certainly canine. They wonder why I would be so naive to suggest that this sound is anything else. On the other side of the coin are those people who have told me that they have spent a great deal of time in the woods and maintain that it is impossible to be a coyote.
My original interest in the sounds in the woods and along the creek behind my home started last spring. On the 23rd of May, 2005 I went out into my backyard to check on my dog, Belle. She had been barking for some time and would just not settle down. So I grabbed my 3rd gen night vision and proceeded to take her toward the creek and show her where I had seen deer bedding down. As I reached the edge of the yard I heard what sounded like a very large roar coming from the creek bottom. The call was very deep and full. The sound lasted for about 15 seconds and then all was quiet. It appeared to be coming from something with a huge chest. The call had a somewhat human quality to it. I went into the house to ask my wife to come and listen. Nothing else was heard. The dog settled down and did not bark again that evening.
Since that time I have been placing my audio recorder down near the creek or on the hill above it. Although this is Central Illinois we have a large deer population. Other wildlife seen along this creek include several sightings of mountain lion and bobcat. We also have a sizable population of coyotes. About 3 miles to the east of me is a state park with a large lake and lots of marshy areas. And about 10 miles north of our home the creek flows into the South Fork of the Sangamon River.
Will this riddle of the Illinois Howl ever be solved. Yes, of course!
When THE BLOGSQUATCHER started his blog this was the topic of one of his earlier posts. So you may want to check out this information also over on his blog for Thursday, October 11, 2007 titled:
The voice of bigfoot? The Illinois Howl
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Illinois Howl
This post will attempt to answer some of the following questions:
What is the Illinois Howl?
What animal is making these vocalizations?
What are its characteristics?
What does it sound like compared to other animals?
What does it look like graphically compared to other animals?
Why am I wasting my time on something so obvious?
What is the Illinois Howl?
The Illinois Howl is the vocalizations of presently an unseen and unknown animal. They were first recorded on the 4th of April, 2006. It was recorded five times that spring. I record nature sounds every night. The following five clips have been cleaned up to eliminate rumbling and hiss.
05.24.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 04:14 in the morning.
05.18.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 01:30 in the morning.
04.12.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 11:58 in the evening.
04.07.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 4:45 in the morning.
04.04.2006 Illinois Howl
This was recorded at 3:45 in the morning.
The complete series of recorded howls can be found at:
Illinois Howl Recordings
What animal is making these vocalizations?
There are many opinions as to the origins of these sounds. Opinions range from coyote, coy-dog, dog, wolf, fox, bigfoot, cow.
As an attempt to get an answer I posted this question and a poll on many of the outdoor forums on the internet. These discussions can be found at:
Unusual Howl - 24 Hour Campfire
What Do You Think Of This One? - Bigfoot Forums
What Kind Of Howl Is This?? - Bigfoot Forums
What Animal Do You Think This Is? - Bigfoot Forums
Unusual Howl - Graybeards Outdoors Forum
What Animal Do You Think This Is? - Graybeards Outdoors
Unusual Howl - Jesses Hunting & Outdoors (JHO) Forum
Unusual Howl - Marlinowners Forums
What kind of howl is this? - Rimfirecentral
Unusual Illinois Howl - Shooters Forum
Unusual Howl - US Hunting Forums
What are its characteristics?
On the five recordings it exhibits several traits that are discernible on all five. The howl starts out as a low volume sound that seems like it is just clearing its throat. It then delivers three somewhat equal volume howls. The second and third howl are spaced a little bit further apart than the first and second howl. The waveform in Cool Edit 2 Pro looks like -
DB Donlon has done extensive research on this sound and has written the following analysis:
Stan's sound has a main frequency of 689Hz and a fundamental of 344Hz, according to SoundRuler.What does it sound like compared to other animals?
(SoundRuler is a free application, now several years old (a new version is promised this year) that does have limitations. I think it was made for birders, for instance, and may therefore be based on assumptions that aren't so good for large mammals.)
In SoundForge, a completely different program (that costs money) you can look at prettier sonograms. I can also watch the PowerGraph in real time, and see where all the power of the call is going. By looking at the sounds in the SoundForge Powergraph window, I can see how the frequencies are interrelating. For instance, Stan's howl gets "dirty" several times, where the voice is no longer producing a clear note, but instead is moving into the growly "noise" range. We know that dogs can do that, but so can any other mammal that has enough voice, including man, and anything that roars. The dog file I have does a little of it at the beginning of its call too. So there is a similarity between them. But they do not match in where they use this modulation of the sound. You might not expect them to, but then we also all know the classic wolf call, and how that modulates. It's a classic because wolves do it, rather than using a completely chaotic repretoir of noises such that we can detect no pattern. This is not a major point, but so far as it goes, Stan's sound isn't matching what other dog calls I can find do in the way that it modulates its call. So it sounds like what a dog can do, but it sounds different from my dog examples. Make sense?
Here's another difference. You can see that both calls are very close to the microphone, as nature sounds go, because the high end information is well preserved above the noise-floor. I limited my view to around 4.2KHz so that I could see the fine details of what was going on in there, and both sounds gave me numbers in the 3.8-3.9KHz range. So insofar as distance from microphone goes, it appears there isn't a difference that makes a distinction. But the dog sound looks absolutely normal, hitting almost all its harmonics on the way up. These are the rough numbers in Hz:
Dog Howl:
420 648 850 1073 1269 1508 1720 2521 2997 3260 3417 3895
The fundamental frequency is at about 220Hz here, so every number above should be a multiple of 220. The differences are because of measurement errors and the fact we are using software that wasn't designed to do exactly what we're asking it to do. I have to hold the mouse cursor and read the number, write it down, etc. So 850 ought to be 860, or the fundamental was perhaps closer to the 215Hz that SoundRuler gave us (though SoundRuler was giving us the average, and I'm taking a snapshot of the "moving" sound, so we can expect this kind of difference).
Stan's sound is a little different.
Illinois Howl:
xxx 662 971 1309 xxxx 1960 2270 2615 xxxx xxxx xxxx 3936
There are gaps, and the numbers don't match the fundamental as closely as the dog's sound did.
These are two important points, I think, to bear in mind. The sound sounds weird to us for these reasons -- it doesn't conform to what we normally expect. I can explain the fact that the numbers don't match the fundamental, which ought to be around 340Hz according to SoundRuler, because the noise this animal is making is dirtier than the sound the dog is making. It's much more like a roar than the dog's howl is, even at those points where it sounds relatively clear. What this means is that when I move my cursor looking for the peak, I have a lot of wiggle room. In figurative words, I choose the highest relative peak on a plateau. The frequency looks like a plateau because the animal was introducing distortion into its voice -- kind of like a guitar with a stomp box. Use enough of that distortion and you just get a noisey roar. Use a little, and it sounds cool. I don't know enough about dogs and their barks to say that dogs don't do this sometimes in exactly this way, but I don't have any sound files of them doing it.
About the gaps I am just confused. I can explain the upper gaps away due to distance, although that peak at 3.9KHz was a good one. I expected the other peaks to be there. Maybe if I focused down in on those frequencies, I'd find them, but then we'd still have to explain why they had been so damped when other frequencies hadn't. I checked some of Stan's other files of other animals in the same location, and it doesn't appear that there is any environmental reason for it. And I noted the same kind of gapping in the other files with this same animal doing its call. I don't know what it means, but I am entertaining the idea that it means something.. The gap where the 1.6KHz peak should be is a strange one.
So while I won't come out and say, "Yes, this is it, this is a bigfoot call," I'm not writing these sounds off. I will say that I doubt this call was made by a coyote, as has been hypothesized elsewhere, or any other mammal smaller than a large dog. All the coyote calls I have have a fundamental at around 600Hz, much too high to be the Illinois Howler.
If it's a dog or a wolf, we ought to be able to find matches for the Illinois Howl that have already been recorded, or get new clean recordings of the howls with the animals under observation.
For comparison let's look at the Illinois Howl and three other known animals.
Click on each link for the mp3 of each animal:>
Belle, my Karelian Bear Dog
Coyote (Canis latrans)
Illinois Howl
Wolf (Canis lupus)
What does it look like graphically compared to other animals?
Visually each animals howl is seen in the waveform view. I have used Adobe Audition 2.0 as the sound editor:
Belle, my Karelian Bear Dog
Coyote (Canis latrans)
Illinois Howl
Wolf (Canis lupus)
Then each animal's howl is seen in the spectral view:
Belle, my Karelian Bear Dog
Coyote (Canis latrans)
Illinois Howl
Wolf (Canis lupus)
Why am I wasting my time on something so obvious?
Many people have stated that it is quite obvious that the Illinois Howl is nothing other than a coyote or dog, certainly canine. They wonder why I would be so naive to suggest that this sound is anything else. On the other side of the coin are those people who have told me that they have spent a great deal of time in the woods and maintain that it is impossible to be a coyote.
My original interest in the sounds in the woods and along the creek behind my home started last spring. On the 23rd of May, 2005 I went out into my backyard to check on my dog, Belle. She had been barking for some time and would just not settle down. So I grabbed my 3rd gen night vision and proceeded to take her toward the creek and show her where I had seen deer bedding down. As I reached the edge of the yard I heard what sounded like a very large roar coming from the creek bottom. The call was very deep and full. The sound lasted for about 15 seconds and then all was quiet. It appeared to be coming from something with a huge chest. The call had a somewhat human quality to it. I went into the house to ask my wife to come and listen. Nothing else was heard. The dog settled down and did not bark again that evening.
Since that time I have been placing my audio recorder down near the creek or on the hill above it. Although this is Central Illinois we have a large deer population. Other wildlife seen along this creek include several sightings of mountain lion and bobcat. We also have a sizable population of coyotes. About 3 miles to the east of me is a state park with a large lake and lots of marshy areas. And about 10 miles north of our home the creek flows into the South Fork of the Sangamon River.
Will this riddle of the Illinois Howl ever be solved. Yes, of course!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)