Allegheny Plateau CD now available!

I introduce to you another Gold Series CD, Allegheny Plateau, Songs of Birds in Spring Chorus. The large, connected forests found in Northern Pennsylvania is a rare find in the Eastern USA. Once striped of almost every tree in the early 1900's, this region has bounced back having forests covering it's ridges and valleys. This is one of my favorite places to explore, camp, backpack, and to escape the constant hum of traffic. This region has begun to suffer from acid rain from states west of Pennsylvania. Some of the thrushes have suffered the most from the depleted snails and worms that need less acidic soil to thrive. I used to hear beautiful choruses of Wood Thrushes in the Summer evenings, but now I only hear a couple of birds. The Oven Bird has also lost serious numbers. The Verry, on the other hand, appear to be increasing in numbers in the past years, but that maybe that they are more noticeable with a lack of other birds. Good news for the future is that the New England states, since the federal government wasn't going to do anything, have successfully sued the power generating plants that were causing the majority of the acid rain problems to install scrubbers to dramatically reduce acid rain problems. I certainly hope the scrubbers being installed becomes reality.

I am surprised at the number of Warblers that nest and migrate through this region. While recording the material for this CD, I was surprised by two birds. I found a Woodcock in a small clearing in the forest, prenting in late May. It was so unusual to hear a Woodcock that late in the year. The other surprise was that I found some Whip-poor-wills. I know, your thinking that shouldn't a big deal. A few years ago, I was on a mission to record Whip-poor-wills. I went to southern Ohio, where I have always heard good numbers before and there was nothing. I had to travel all the way near the Ohio River to find enough to record. I since learned that Whip-poor-wills have been decreasing in numbers greatly, so to hear some in Northern Pennsylvania was a pleasant surprise. It also tells me that the area I was recording was a very good habitat that hasn't seen the wrath of human sprawl.

The Allegheny Plateau CD celebrates the sounds of this forest. The sounds were recorded with the lowest noise microphones available and the best, lowest noise microphone amplifier, with direct 24-bit, digital recording and editing. This is one of my very best Eastern woodland bird CDs. Allegheny Plateau differs from my Woodland Birds in Chorus series in that it is not as busy sounding, more relaxing. The Woodland Birds in Chorus series were recorded at the peak of the bird migration in rich sunrise choruses. Allegheny Plateau is a story of a day in the forest, with morning, afternoon, and evening bird songs. Buy your copy today at http://www.natureguystudio.com/. An MP3 album is also available for download.

Enjoy!

Sonoran Desert CD now available!

I was out traveling this late April and early May on the back roads of New Mexico and Arizona with my brother. It was a two and a half week, cross-country trip where we managed to camp every night. We visited all the birding hot spots I read about, but there just wasn't much there or we had terrible wind storm problems. We ventured to the most desolate places we could find, and found some areas with good bird activity. During our trip we found out that much of Arizona has been in a very bad drought. Some of our favorite spots in the past, such as Koffa National Wildlife Refuge, was very quiet due to the serious drought conditions. The vegetation looked dead, even the cactus plants were growing black and dropping branches. The few birds and animals that were still in the drought areas were quiet due to the stress. The trick was to find areas that wasn't so drought stricken. There were some areas east of Phoenix that had normal moisture. The plants were green and blooming, creeks were running, and all the birds were happy. The only problem being east of Phoenix and Tucson was lot of airplanes criss-crossing the skies.

What was new on this trip is I had all my new recording gear. Earlier in the year I was so busy burning the midnight oil acquiring and building new equipment. I now have a stereo field microphone array using the world's quietest microphones covered with my custom, high wind, windscreens. The biggest new item is my new microphone amplifier. My brother helped me design it. It is a very low noise unit with accurate, quick responding meters, a number of analog inputs and outputs, plus a 24-bit digital output stream that goes directly into my new digital recorder. I made this amplifier myself because I couldn't find anything on the market that would actually obtain true 24-bit performance. The parts are available for 24-bit performance, so I made my own. I got the amplifier done less than a week before the trip with hardly any run time on it. It was quite amazing I was able to assemble it without a single error. All the new equipment worked great. Except for a slight glitch with one of the new microphones that was apparently overcome with moisture while recording in Arkansas.

I am quite proud of this new CD. I think it represents the bird sounds heard in the Sonoran Desert. The sounds are very clear, extremely low noise and distortion free. I hope everyone who buys a copy will truly enjoy it.

You can find out more information and listen to audio samples of the CD at http://www.natureguystudio.com/.

Introduction

Introduction:

Hello, my name is Bruce Rutkoski. I am the owner of Natureguy Studio. My background is in audio recording, electronic engineering, automotive mechanics, business, and mechanical engineering. I wanted to start this blog to open up some debate and concerns for subjects that just don’t get enough attention in the mainstream media or are largely misunderstood. I also would like to use this blog to discuss things other than issues, such as news from Natureguy Studio, neat places to visit for spectacular wildlife experiences, and more.

I guess I was always an environmentalist at heart since I was a kid, only my family and friends knew that though. I did some volunteer work for the local park districts and the Nature Conservancy in the past. It was really fun work, like deer censuses, owl surveys, bird banding, and invasive species clean up. I love the outdoors and have a deep appreciation for the beautiful order of nature. As a nature recording engineer, I see the effects of human impact on the environment first hand throughout the USA. Often times, I feel like I am in a race to capture the sounds of the birds and animals before their sounds go quiet, or they are drowned out by the noise of man. I have memories of what the Spring woods sounded like when I was very young, and every year since, it has gotten quieter. In my travels I have found a few places that still have that wonderful sound that I remember as a kid. I hope my recordings will not be enjoyable to those who already enjoy nature, but also inspire people to stop, listen, and understand that we share this little blue planet, called Earth, with lot of other important floral and fauna.

I hope you enjoy reading the blogs and share the information freely.

Thanks and take care