A few years ago, when I still lived in Winnipeg, there were some unsettling sounds in town. At first I couldn’t believe what they were, I thought perhaps wild dogs or something, but they were coyotes.

When I grew up, coyotes had always been painted as fearsome beasts, a tad smaller than wolves, but just as blood thirsty.

A few weeks ago, the weather was kind of “off”. Temperatures of +30C in May are not exactly common. On top of that, wildfires popped up in way too many places. With no end in sight, the birds were somewhat “subdued”. Still singing, but not as happy as one would imagine.

For recording their sound, that was kind of a bummer.

If there is anything I hate with a vengeance, then it’s being tethered to something. Be that by wrist, ankle or head. Ok, I haven’t been restrained too much by my ankles or wrists, I admit. But by my head, more than enough.

I’m not talking about some kind of security restraints like the cops put on you. I’m only talking of cables that are connected to some device and then to headphones on my head.

Sound and noise is all around us. We are  used to all of that. But have you ever stopped and listened to that “noise”? A big part of the environmental noise is made by humans. If you can filter it out, then you are left with the natural sound.

When the human noise can be filtered out of your sound recording, then what is left is the natural beauty of the environment.