Jim Hawkins' Birds, Cats and Sounds of Nature

Accessed times since May 16, 2000.

You are invited to identify the sounds marked "unknown" by sending me E-mail. I will include your name, city and state/school or whatever if you feel positive about your identification. Contact: Jim Hawkins

These sounds were recorded using a Sony Walkman, TASCAM MIDISTUDIO 644 and My Sony Camcorder They were recorded in WAV format, edited using MCS (Multimedia Component System) by Animotion Development Corporation, then converted using the RealAudio encoder. To listen to these sounds, you will need a Real Audio player.


RealAudio is a trademark of Progressive Networks.

BIRDS KNOWN AND UNKNOWN TO ME


If you know the name of the unknown birds, please send me E-mail identifying the unknown number. I will add the name of identifying person if he or she wishes. Thanks!

Cardinal (Real Audio)
Red Cardinal who lives in my back yard. One of my favorite sounds. It means that winter is over.
Cardinal 2 (Real Audio)
Another Cardinal Song. I've listened to Cardinals in many other places, but in no other place have I heard them sing this particular song, which I have heard every year for the 4 years I have lived here in Middletown, NJ near the NJ shore.
Cardinal 3 (Real Audio)
Another Cardinal Song
Cardinal 4 (Real Audio)
Another Cardinal Song. Note a low pitched BUZZ at the end of this clip. It was some large unidentified flying insect which continued to buzz around me and quickly chased me away.
Blue Jays (Real Audio)
Crows (Real Audio)
Robin (Real Audio)
Robin in the morning at home, Middletown, NJ. Mourning Dove heard in background.
Woodpecker Working (Real Audio)
Recorded at Holmdel Park, Holmdel, NJ
Birds at Holmdel Park, NJ (Real Audio)
Recorded at our house in Middletown, NJ
Mockingbird (Real Audio)
Recorded at our house in Middletown, NJ
Catbird Mewing "WAAH WAAH" (Real Audio) (ID by Jon K. Boone U. of MD)
Recorded at our house in Middletown, NJ
Carbird "CHUCK CHUCK"(Real Audio) (ID by Jon K. Boone U. of MD)
Recorded at our house in Middletown, NJ
Singing House Wren (Real Audio) (ID by Jon K. Boone U. of Md)
Recorded at our house in Middletown, NJ
Tufted Titmouse (Real Audio)
Identified by Jon K. Boone, University of Maryland. Recorded at our house in Middletown, NJ
Unknown 5 (Real Audio)
Recorded at Thompson Park in Lincroft, NJ
Catbird? (Real Audio)
Formerly "Unknown 6", identified by Brian Cook. Recorded at Thompson Park in Lincroft, NJ
Bobwhite (Real Audio)
Formerly "Unknown 7", identified by Julie Cook of Atlanta, GA. She said it's " a sound we're very familiar with in Georgia." Recorded at Thompson Park in Lincroft, NJ
Unknown 8 (Real Audio)
Short "Chips", sometimes in rapid succession, like a rattlesnake. Quality is poor. (Perhaps, a House Wren?)Recorded at home in Middletown, NJ.
Calling Reb-bellied Woodpecker (Real Audio) (ID by Jon K. Boone U. of MD)
Recorded at home in Middletown, NJ.
 Unknown 10 (Real Audio)
Recorded at home in Middletown, NJ.
Flicker "peok!" call (Real Audio) (ID by Jon K. Boone U. of MD)
Recorded at home in Middletown, NJ.
 Owl (Real Audio)
Recorded at home in Middletown, NJ. 2/6/1999

INSECTS

I just hung the tiny, thimble sized microphone by it's wire, sort of following these bees from flower to flower. I managed to get the microphone as little as 1/8" or less away from the bees at times.

Bumble Bee (Real Audio)
Honey Bee (Real Audio)
Cicada (Real Audio)
Night Bugs in NJ (Real Audio)
Morning Crickets in NJ (Real Audio)
Too much background roar in this one. RA converter filters out higher frequencies. I'll have to equalize this one when I get a chance.


OUR FIVE CATS

Sarah (the Bluepoint Siamese) and
Mickey (American Shorthair Blue))

Our late Sonja ("Sonee"), a Red Abbyssinian

 

Kenny (Huge Siamese Lilac Point)

Chloe (Small Siamese Lilac Point)

The three Siamese seem to like to
be together. The other two are more
independent.

Another view of Sonja

Our new Abyssinian Ruddy, Lizzy. She was born on Jan 26, 2003 and brought home on June 21, 2003.
Energetic, funny, unpredictable, very curious, powerful and sometimes very affectionate to "too busy right now."
She is very close to our other female, Chloe.

OUR 5 ( - 2 + 1) CATS

Sonja passed away at home (6/26/2002) after a year long fight against renal failure (kidney disease). She was quite happy and energetic until the last two or three weeks. She was only 8 1/2 years old (born 11/13/1993).

Sarah passed away on 4/3/2001 after a long bout with an antibiotic resistant bacterial infection and old age. She was 18 1/2 years old.

Sarah was an old and wise cat, but she liked to play. She was very affectionate, quiet and very skilled at welcoming new cats. We got Mickey from a shelter displaying its animals in a local pet store. We went there to pick up food, but when we saw little Mickey in a cage, shivering and scared we couldn't resist. He's a very happy, secure and not very little cat, now. He is shy with strangers, but extremely affectionate with those he gets to know. Mickey is also very comical, mumbles often and often likes to paw at certain images on the TV. He was very interested in a polar bear he saw on TV as he stood on his hind legs and pawed at the polar bear. He has a gray, pearly, velvety, soft fur. He snuggles up to Sarah like she's a mommy. Sonja was a wonderful, purebred Abyssinian with lots of personality and extremely affectionate with anybody, including strangers and especially men. She loves to be a hunter. She greeted people and responds to her name. She also likes to play fetch like a dog. We do not let any of our cats run loose, but put two of them out on the deck on leashes. Mickey does not like to go out.
Sometimes I call Mickey, "Boris". I liked to call Sonja, the "Art Deco" cat with her flames design above her eyes like the Chrysler Building. And I often think of the Koala bear that says "I Hate Quantis" when I look at Sarah. I used to regularly call Sonja "Sonee".
We adopted Kenny from the "Popcorn Zoo" in NJ. He was found abandoned in someone's automobile. He is a very sweet guy, but gets into mischief and is a powerful climber. Chloe is our latest (summer 1999). She was found abandoned in a baby carriage and was unclaimed! She is very cuddly and affectionate, purrs in a flash, but is very bold. She will chase big Kenny away, if she has a mind to.

Mickey Purring (Real Audio)
Our cat, Mickey purring. He was kinda wiggly and a bit shy of the microphone. Mickey looks a lot like a Russian Blue with a shy, but playful personality. He is more attached to my wife, Gretchen. We rescued Mickey from a shelter when he was about 6 weeks old. Mickey grumbles in a comical way.
Sonja Purring (Real Audio)
Our Abyssinian cat, Sonja purring. Sonja was easy to record, she used to sit here in my lap while I worked on the computer all the time. She was very outgoing friendly with any and all strangers. We purchased Sonja from an Abyssinian breeder. She died of kidney failure on 6/26/2002 after a year long fight with Sub-Q IV and feeding of special food and Aluminum Hydroxide added to protein foods.
Sonja Meowing (Real Audio)
Our Abyssinian cat, Sonja meowing. Sonja had quite a wide variety of sounds. When her meows upswing like a question it usually means she is asking for something or is happy. When they downswing, she's angry or scared. She liked raw green beans.
Sarah Asking to go out. (Real Audio)
Sarah was our oldest cat. She was a purebred Siamese. She had a calm disposition and was not afraid of anyone, but isn't as sociable as Sonja.


NATURE'S POWER

Surf at the New Jersey Shore at Sandy Hook Beach (Real Audio)
Thunderstorm From feeder band of Tropical Storm Edouard 800 miles away! (Real Audio)
The amazing thing about this is that Hurricane Edouard had already traveled from the N. Carolina Coast and into Canada and this narrow spiral stretched all the way out to the Atlantic, still sucking in moisture. This thin band produced violent thunderstorms and a tornado in North Brunswick, NJ. We were lucky we only got this little sample of Edouard!



Please visit the Monmouth County Park System Web Site.
Most of the sounds I have recorded are from Monmouth County, NJ and it's fabulous park system.
Monmouth County is located about seven miles south of the Raritan River and extends from the New Jersey shore almost all the way across the state, near Trenton, it's Capital. I can see Manhatten from where I live. The line of sight includes Statin Island and the World Trade Center is visible beyond the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Please, also visit the State of New Jersey Web Page. New Jersey is a small state which is a better place than many people think. With it's relatively small size, it includes a wide diversity of terrain and population density. Even the climate differs greatly from place to place within this small state which extends roughly 170 miles north to south and averages about 60 miles East to West. We have Rolling and Rocky hills, sand, farms, ranches, beaches, lakes, meadows, pine barrens, swamplands, canals, rivers, lots of shopping malls (especially in Paramus), isolated, quiet places, busy places, charming historical towns such as Cranberry, Smithville, Lambertville, Haddonfield, Cape May, Princeton (to name a few) and yes, of course, some smelly refineries and not so good places. The Center of Cape May, NJ is at the same latitude as the White House in DC. The very southern tip of NJ (38 deg N) is actually farther south than the northern most point in Virginia (39 Deg N). Sacramento is at a point which is about 20 miles south of Cape May. The northern most tip of NJ is about equal in Latitude (41 deg N) with Hammond, Indiana. George Washington has left a strong trail of history in this state. We also have Hoboken, which now claims to be the origin of baseball. I was born in Hoboken as was Frank Sinatra, but I won't get into any arguments on the origin of baseball. I love Cooperstown, NY and both Hoboken, NJ and Cooperstown, NY are COOL places to visit. OOPS, I forgot, this is a nature page!