Night-time Elk Echoes -- Rocky Mountain National Park by Gavia immer published on 2017-11-07T18:20:31Z This recording was made on the night of October 5, 2017 in Upper Beaver Meadows in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. The equipment I used was a Sound Devices 722 digital audio recorder and two Audio Technica 4022 omnidirectional microphones placed in a homemade binaural housing. The elk rut in the park was incredible this year! I got a few excellent recordings that really captured the magic of the rut. Although not an overly compelling recording from a content standpoint, the quality of this recording is unreal. The haunting echoes are so moving as they drift throughout the valley. The night was very cold and clear, with a large herd of elk with 3-4 bulls gathered in the meadows. I started out recording in the middle of the meadow, about 100 yards from the herd. There was clearly one dominant bull in the group, but it didn't stop other males from venturing too close. You can hear the drama that plays out echo across the landscape as the dominant male chased the cows and other males back and forth across the meadow. After about 25 minutes of recording, I sensed that the herd was working its way towards me. I grabbed my gear and relocated about 25 yards to the other side of the road. Less than two minutes later, the dominant bull chased another bull and cows right through the exact spot I had just spend standing. The resulting recording captures all of the action! For the best listening experience, definitely wear headphones! Enjoy! Recordings were made under permits issued by the park and for the purpose of science and education. To hear more recordings from the park, visit the Rocky Mountain National Park sound library at https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/photosmultimedia/soundlibrary.htm Genre Nature Sounds