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Pawnee Grassland at Dawn Soundwalk

by Chad Crouch

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Pawnee Grassland at Dawn 37:10
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I visited Colorado in May of this past year. While Colorado might not make the top 10 birding states in the US, it’s no slouch. In particular, I became interested in the grasslands and so-called avian migration trap locales of Eastern Colorado--water sources that attract birds otherwise surrounded by vast expanses of high dessert. Also, it had been a couple decades since I’ve been to the Colorado Rockies, and fond memories beckoned me back.

I have four soundwalks to share with you, and I’m so thrilled to share this one with you because I think it sounds otherworldly. I was blown away by the soundscape of the Grasslands. I was litterally thrilled to witness it. Now, we have some prairie and grasslands in Eastern Oregon, and there’s a lot of overlap in terms of species, but Oregon doesn’t have as much habitat, and generally speaking this habitat is in rapid decline.

May at Pawnee Grassland is brimming with the sounds of Western Meadowlarks, Lark buntings, Lark Sparrows, Horned Larks, Chestnut-collared Longspur and Common Nighthawks, among others. It is a mix of avian singers that sound wholly unlike anything we are used to in towns and cities on the east and west coasts of the US. It’s a gentle glimmering orchestra, joined by crickets and frogs that I find extremely pleasing, and novel.

In my lifetime Western Meadowlarks could be heard in the Portland metro area. Not anymore. Up and down the Willamette Valley—running the greater part of the state south to north—habitat has been destroyed in favor of agriculture and development. For me to have a good chance of hearing one requires at least a 1 hour drive to a Wildlife Refuge. Thankfully there is a conservation program that is protecting the scraps of prairie--public and private--west of the Cascades that do remain.

Musically, in an effort to mirror these gentle sounds, I chose felted piano, woodwinds, electric guitar, and organ tones for instrument voices, cultivating spaciousness and dynamics with plenty of gentle passages. So come enjoy Pawnee Grassland at Dawn with me!

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released October 20, 2023

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Chad Crouch Portland, Oregon

I NOW USE CHADCROUCH.SUBSTACK.COM TO SHARE NEW MUSIC.

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