A short representative collection of elk (and a few birds) from a recent expedition. These are all excerpts from the same 3.5 hour recording on the morning of September 18, starting pre-dawn. It was rutting season in the Colockum Wildlife area, and just before the start of open hunting season, so the males were out, about, and vocal. These are raw tracks, down-mixed to stereo (from double-m/s), normalized to -23 LUFS and down-sampled to 48k with no other filtering.
Geophony: The Colockum is a high plateau on the eastern side of the Casade Mountain range between Wenatchee and Ellensburg, WA. With steep drainage-carved ravines, dry grass, rolling hills, and scarce water, it is a difficult, rough terrain. Abundant Ponderosa Pine, Spruce, and some Firs provide variably-dense stands for the elk's bugling to echo from. A mighty wind storm had blown through during the night, with some occasional gusting still noticeable in the trees.
Anthrophony: None in these recordings
Biphony: Elk, mostly bulls bugling, screaming, roaring, whistling, and chirping. Occasional high-pitched mews from the cows can be heard. Some morning birds are present also, including jays, ravens, chickadees, and a woodpecker. There may be a squirrel present.
