Overcoming the Challenges of Winter Recording

The cold temperatures and deep snows of winter create unique challenges to recording nature sounds. Cold temperatures effect the operation of equipment. LED Readouts, energy of batteries, solid state memory response are all affected by temperature. The operator must be dressed for the weather. As well, movement through deep snow and setting up equipment on deep snow requires special considerations. The final results are worth the time and energy.

Advice to someone who has never done winter work in the country before…. Try it in small steps. Start with short outings and fine-tune your clothing first. The old adage of dressing in layers is true, which means when you buy your outer coat, allow room for layers of an extra shirt and sweater or a coat underneath. If you are buying a parka, buy a long one that goes down to mid thigh, has a hood lined with a soft insulating material, and has the outer pockets lined with a similar material. The fur trim (real or fake) that you often see on the edge of the hood is not just for looks. It functions as an extra wind break and helps to create an insulating dead-air space in front of the face. The fur around the top edge of winter boots provides a natural flexible seal (no pun intended) against the legs to keep snow from getting in the boots.

All this preparation by going outdoors is great for your recording activity. You can research likely recording spots by visiting different areas at different times of day. Birds tend to be more active at sunrise even in the winter. There tends to be a lull in human generated noise at noon hour. Dress not only for the weather but also for your activity level. Over dressing for your activity means you will sweat, and wet clothing in winter chills you quickly.

The winter temperatures have an effect on electronic memory and LED displays. Displays become very slow or unresponsive when they get chilled and memory becomes temperamental as well. I use hand warmers that hunters use to provide a heat source, and wrap the equipment in a towel for insulation. They are thin, compact, last 8 hours, and are the perfect size. Batteries lose their energy in the cold, so I use an external 12 volt power pack that has lots of reserve power.

The snow quickly gets deep here after winter starts. By deep I mean over the top of boots. Walking off any roads requires snowshoes, and snowmobiles are useful only on packed trails. A trail can be broken with the old style of snowshoes. I find that walking out and back on the snowshoes, waiting for it firm up overnight, and doing that again, produces a solid trail that you can walk on with normal boots. That is when I use a sled and malamute to move equipment in and out of the bush to record winter sounds. The sled stays at the recording location to hold the recording equipment and supplies. Since my goal is to have at least 1 hour and hopefully 2 hours of finished ambience, I record at least 3 to 4 hours in the natural setting. I leave the recording area so that the wildlife can relax without a human presence.

Some winter sounds at Nature Sounds.ca:
Boreal Winter Birds
Late Winter Wilderness
Windy Woodpecker
Raven Winds His Clock

The activity of winter recording provide a number of interesting challenges that need to be overcome. The results are wonderful and unique recordings with very clean sounds.


Karl Hamilton BFA
Nature Sounds.ca
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