Episodes 29
Avg. Duration -
Activity Sporadic
Since Feb 2024
Latest Episode Oct 2025

Publishing Details

Schedule
Monthly
Format
Episodic
Hosting
norcalpublicmedia.org

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

KRCB is proud to partner with Jack Hines … environmental advocate and soundscape ecologist, to present the sounds of nature in the North Bay … listen for Chinook salmon swimming to spawn, birds at dawn at Ledson Marsh, and Pacific Tree Frogs. These soundscapes are created to make you stop and listen … and start your own conversations. Ear to the Wild soundscapes are created to put you in a calm centered space, a quiet sanctuary that helps melt away stress. Soundscapes are a quiet world, a natural resource, the stillness of the mind. All Ear to the Wild recordings are captured with professional recording equipment. Recording sites and microphone placement are carefully selected to provide the listener with a rich auditory perspective.

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Recent Episodes

Ear to the Wild: The Sound of the Surf at Drakes Beach

Oct 19, 2025

With the busy-ness of one’s day to day life it’s easy to forget how the rhythms of nature can sooth us. It’s good to take a minute to tune into this place, and to all the other creatures who live…

Ear to the Wild: The Belted Kingfisher - Gustav’s “Mechanical Bird"

Sep 28, 2025

In memory of Gustav Hobel. My friend Gustav and I used to live next door to one another on Sonoma Creek. The Belted Kingfishers would fly by, calling, with that ratchety kind of sound that they…

Ear to the Wild: A Northern Mockingbird Singing His Heart Out

Jun 22, 2025

The Northern Mockingbird is an impressive singer! This species gets its name from how they mimic the songs of other birds. The more sounds the male is able to include in his song, the more likely he…

Ear to the Wild: Western Bluebirds at a Backyard Nestbox

May 19, 2025

Western Bluebirds are a small thrush that can sometimes be found in backyard nest boxes. Sometimes, if you sit quietly and listen, you can observe a lot in your own backyard!   Western Bluebirds…

Ear to the Wild: Adult Female Elephant Seal Sounds

Apr 13, 2025

Adult female elephant seals make a number of different sounds. Marine Ecologist Sarah Codde says, “So, you can hear that softer sound she makes is to her pup… And then you can hear that different…

Ear to the Wild: Musical Geophony at Sugarloaf

Mar 31, 2025

In soundscape ecology we think of three different categories of sound. One of those, and really the first, is geophony. It can be quite musical, and here’s a good example of it. The creek’s flowing…

Ear to the Wild: Elephant Seal Pups at Drakes Beach

Mar 18, 2025

In winter Elephant seals gather on Drake’s Beach, at Point Reyes National Seashore. Females give birth to pups and nurse them during this time. Elephant seal monitoring activities at Point Reyes…

Ear to the Wild: The Pacific Slope Flycatcher

Feb 05, 2025

One bird you’ll hear around parts of Sonoma County in the summer is the Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Once you learn their song it’s easy to recognize. So, next time you’re relaxing in the shade by a…

Ear to the Wild:  Winter Solstice at London Lake

Dec 24, 2024

I’m up here at Jack London’s old property, at the London Lake. I thought we’d lend an ear to the Winter soundscape here. The lake is nice and full. We’ve been getting a lot of rain, and it’s…

Ear to the Wild: The Rushing Waters of Calabazas Creek

Dec 15, 2024

The Calabazas sub-watershed is one of the largest in the greater Sonoma Creek watershed. During major storms it collects an impressive amount of water. Listen to the rushing waters of Calabazas Creek…

Ear to the Wild: Mute Swans Taking Flight

Nov 12, 2024

Mute Swans are the ones you see in so many fairy tales. People started bringing them to North America from Europe around the late 1800s. They can severely impact native ecosystems, eating up to 8…

Ear to the Wild: Using the Cricket as a Thermometer

Nov 04, 2024

In 1897 a physicist named Amos Dolbear published a paper called “The Cricket as a Thermometer.” He’d discovered a formula for estimating the air temperature by counting the chirps of crickets. Let’s…

Ear to the Wild: A Juvenile Great-horned Owl

Oct 28, 2024

Juvenile Great-horned Owls beg for food from adults by making raspy sounding screeches. In the Fall they’re learning to hunt, but they still beg for food from the adults. In this recording their…

Ear to the Wild: Gray Foxes on a Moonlit Night

Oct 20, 2024

As the moon rises a Gray Fox barks. Her voice reverberates across a small field of Coyote Brush and grass. Another Gray Fox responds in the distance. Their voices carry over the chorus of crickets.…

Ear to the Wild: An Orchestra of Crickets

Sep 23, 2024

The sound of crickets all singing together is sometimes referred to as an orchestra. Late summer and fall is the time when the cricket Orchestras here in Sonoma County start to tune up and fill the…

Ear to the Wild: An American Bittern in the Mix

Aug 12, 2024

If you listen closely to this soundscape you’ll hear a low sound that sounds a little like “ker-plunk, ker-plunk...” That’s a species of bird called the American Bittern. If you listen closely…

Ear to the Wild: Ash-throated Flycatcher

Aug 05, 2024

Every spring and summer the Ash-throated Flycatcher’s distinctive voice contributes to soundscapes across the West, from Texas to California. But by the end of August they take their music back to…

Ear to the Wild: The Underwater World of the Harbor Seal

Jul 29, 2024

Harbor seals spend up to 70% of their life underwater. Their aquatic home can sound strange and even abstract to our ears. In this recording from Jenner we can hear harbor seals making grunting…

Ear to the Wild: Marsh Wrens at Kennedy Park in Napa

Jun 16, 2024

Marsh Wrens are about the size of a sparrow. They’re a rusty-brown color, with black and white markings that resemble eyebrows. These were recorded at Kennedy Park, in Napa. Listen carefully and…

Ear to the Wild: Swainson’s Thrushes on the Russian River Estuary

Jun 11, 2024

The Swainson’s Thrush is one of those birds that you’re more likely to hear than see. If you paddle along the south bank of the Russian River Estuary, near Jenner… you might just hear the beautiful…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Ear to the Wild have?

Ear to the Wild has published 29 episodes since February 2024, covering topics in Education, Life Sciences.

Is Ear to the Wild still active?

Ear to the Wild is currently sporadic with new episodes monthly.

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Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Ear to the Wild, including email and social media links.

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