Info:

Near Sammy’s Beach Road, East Hampton, New York.  May 10^th, 5:39pm.  iPhone Xs max with thin cotton cloth draped over microphones.

About:

The recording was taken a little ways off the road in a nature preserve near Sammy’s Beach in East Hampton. The beach is part of a peninsula which buffets and protects Three Mile Harbor from Gardiner’s Bay to the North. The area has a lower density of fauna relative to the rest of the town with a large number of small shrubs, cattails, and reeds in place of deciduous trees which can be found only a few hundred yards down the road. The proximity to Gardiner’s bay and lack of large vegetation means that this area is much windier than others, as can be heard throughout the recording. The Eastern tip of the peninsula is a protected nature preserve home to various animals including the endangered Piping Plover which nests there during this time of year. The calls off various songbirds can also be heard throughout the recording, the most prominent and easily identifiable being that of the Red-Winged Blackbird. The Blackbird’s warbly “ok-la-leeee” stands out in relation to the chirps and whistles of other birds and is a distinctive soundmark of North-Eastern estuaries and coastal areas. As the recording was taken in relative proximity to the road several cars and trucks can be heard. Despite the quarantine and particularly cold weather this year, Sammy’s Beach is still a popular spot for beach goers and is a well known end/turn around point for cyclists and joggers including myself.