In late June, I visit Olympic National Park and camp near Ozette Lake in the Olympic Peninsula. At the break of dawn, I amble along a trail leading to the Pacific Ocean and encounter an exciting constellation of sounds.
Against a backdrop of subtle gurgles from a small stream and the gentle whoosh of a light breeze, two varied thrushes sing loudly from tall hemlocks while others sound off in the distance. Their vibrant, buzzy notes electrify the air. From the understory, a Swainson’s thrush sings prominently, its melodic flute-like notes sliding upward in pitch. A pileated woodpecker drums occasionally far in the distance. A band-tailed pigeon also chimes in, its hollow low-pitched coo-coo, coo-coo adding a pleasing musical element to the low end. And then, to top things off, a Pacific winter wren suddenly bursts forth with its high-pitched, liquid ramble exhilarating the mix.\
I rest against the trunk of a towering tree and take in this exquisite blend of sounds—a veritable audio fingerprint of the ancient old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Olympic Thrush-Tones - 23 June 2017, at dawn, near Ozette Lake, Olympic National Park, Washington. © by Lang Elliott, musicofnature.com
