Possible Vocals Near Seneca Rocks

On June 23, 2013, at 12:30 a.m. my recorder caught these interesting vocals at Seneca Shadows campground in West Virginia. I'd never recorded there before that weekend, and I can't rule out other campers as the source of the sounds. But I am struck by how similar they are to some vocals captured in Michigan, and reported in BFRO report #32981. I'm on the fence about these, but thought they would be an interesting share.

Two Knocks and a Whoop

In many ways the 2010 BFRO expedition to Tennessee was a real eye opener for me. It was my first formal (non-private) expedition and it was the first (and only to date) time I ever saw eye glow (saw it twice that night). While the recording results weren't great from the exped, I did manage to capture some good knocks and a few faint whoops. Here's one of the better ones.

On the last night of the expedition, sometime between 3 and 5 a.m. a wood knock was recorded near our camp (we were all asleep), a couple seconds later a distant knock responded, followed by a long whoop from the south.

A Knock and A Shriek

In 2012 I began a recording investigation in a new location here in Virginia. The recording conditions were very challenging. A lot of private property prevented me from getting closer to the area where most of the interesting vocals were coming from. Frequent car traffic on a nearby road often wiped out the audio. But every once in a while the mics would pick up a good vocal from the surrounding forest. And a handful of those made it into my "Best of 2012" collection.

This clip is a great demonstration of both the unsettling "shriek" that sasquatch have been suspected of emitting, and the wood knocks they often integrate into their vocals.

Morning Whoops

Over the years I've managed to capture a subtle type of vocal that I've come to nickname the "Morning Whoop". These whoops are normally gentler, understated, and don't readily resemble the louder, more raucous whoops that may be heard in the full darkness of night. Instead, these quick, soft spoken vocals seem intended to fit in quietly among the many peeps, tweets, and cackles of bird song that rise with the approach of dawn.

I've caught morning whoops similar to the two presented below in Georgia, and heard similar from other researchers in Michigan and Alabama. I've often wondered if they aren't an understated attempt by the vocalizers to keep track of each other shortly before they go to ground for the day light hours. Pure speculation on my part, but one day I hope we'll have the answer.

In the mean time, here are two morning whoops captured at 5:55 a.m. in Albemarle County, Virginia, on October 8, 2012. This video also demonstrates the ability of spectrograms to pinpoint quiet vocals, and for post processing to enhance vocals for better audibility.

Knocks and a Roar, June 2013

This year's audio results in my Virginia research location haven't been as productive as last year. But I have caught just enough to let me know the squatch are still in the area. They seem to be keeping their voice down as opposed to how vocal they were when I first recorded here in 2012. This clip is not the best, as the vocalizer was far from the recorder. But progressive filtering passes improved the audio so that with headphones you can better hear the initial rapid wood knocks that immediately precede a "roar" like vocal.

Two-tone vocal from Kentucky

Recently, Charlie Raymond from the Kentucky Bigfoot Research Organization shared with me a short clip of a possible sasquatch vocalization. This vocal was captured on cell phone video while he walked the forested area of his family's property. The video is unremarkable, but the audio demonstrates a "two-tone" characteristic that has been captured in other possible sasquatch vocals.

The vocal starts with a deeper, raspy note that quickly breaks upward in pitch to a tightly focused vocal tone. Over the years I've heard similar vocals in the recordings made by Rick Noffke in Minnesota, and my own recordings from south Georgia.

Here's the most recent clip from Kentucky: The Summer Shade Howl

Iowa Moan Howl - April 2013

Earlier this month Steve Moon from Iowa, a BFRO investigator contacted me with an audio clip and the following information:

"This howl was recorded at the April public expedition in Iowa. If you look at a spectrogram there [appears to be] a double howl, one starting two seconds after the first at about 200 Hz higher register. The higher howl decays two seconds after the first one [...]. I verified as much as possible whether the howl was from our group or not. It was not from our group. The area that it came out of is undeveloped with deep woods lining the valley and swampy bogs in the valley bottom. The valley is a bit less than a half mile from side to side."

I gave Steve's audio a good review and post processing, then responded to him with the following thoughts:

"Steve, I have a somewhat different interpretation of the spectrogram than what you're reading. Allow me to elaborate.

 It's not a double howl you're seeing, but multiple resonating harmonics from a single howl. The lowest "resonating harmonic" that you see is the loudest, most visible in your spectogram. It ascends to a peak of about 730Hz or so. The higher harmonic peaks at about 1100Hz. It's softer in volume but it adds "depth" to the vocal.

The way harmonics work is simple math. They should normally be seperated by a common multiple (e.g. 2x, 3x, etc.). Now when we subtract your lower harmonic from your upper harmonic (or 1100-730) we get 370Hz. If the lower harmonic (730Hz) were your true "fundamental" of this howl, the next higher harmonic would be at 1460 (2x730), and not at 1100.

What this tells us is there's a harmonic even lower than 730Hz. And if we divide 730Hz by 2 we get 365 Hz (which is pretty darn close to the 370 Hz difference we see in the two visible harmonics). This is just a round about way of telling you this howl is a single howl with an "attenuated fundamental" at ~370Hz.

The attenuated fundamental is ... a feature difficult for most normally sized humans to achieve (you can test it yourself with your own recorder). Only large bodied individuals like Bobo have been able to produce this reliably, in my experience (not saying someone smaller couldn't learn to do it though).

A couple other features I'd like to point out. First, obviously the duration of the howl. Nearly 15 seconds, is rather difficult for a human with no vocal training to achieve (or at least some amount of natural talent).

Also, notice as the howl trails off how the higher harmonic seems to end then restart at a slightly lower pitch. This is due to the voice changing from an /aa/ phoneme to an /oo/ phoneme."

There were a number of other points I shared with Steve about his clip. They're important clues that I look for when trying to authenticate possible sasquatch vocals, and his recording exhibits several of them. So in the end I feel Steve has hit the jackpot, and captured a reliably authentic sasquatch moan howl.

Michigan Sasquatch Vocals? Vol. 12 An Extended Interaction

Another installation from BFRO Investigator Jim Sherman...

In August of 2011 witnesses in central MI started hearing strange vocalizations coming from the woods. They decided to mimic them and began getting responses. They began recording their interactions first with a video camera and then with a recorder. The interaction begins simply but becomes more animated about halfway through. I have not manipulated the sound but I did cut out a series of loud cars and dead space (you can tell because the sky gets darker). This is where the cool sounds really kick in. Thanks for listening.

http://youtu.be/a6ZwOxRyXQ8

My Long Duration Audio Recorder

For some time I've planned to share a few photos of the long-duration recorders I use in the field to collect sasquatch vocalizations. I've built three of these, and this evening I was preparing one for a new deployment, so I took the time and captured the pics below.

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These are the guts of the system. On the right you can see the TASCAM DR-03 recorder which can be programmed to start and stop at specific times, and draws external power through its USB port. I've exposed the recorder for this photo, but during deployment it will be tucked into a pocket in the foam it's resting on. Notice the red tape on the right edge of the recorder. It helps secure the external mic and USB power supply cord in place, should the recorder receive any rough handling. (One of my recorders has been mauled by a bear, twice, and continued to record.)

This view shows the recorder tucked into place, in a pocket in the foam (lower right corner), surrounded by a plastic bag (to improve moisture resistance). In the center of the photo you see the power supply, a small, 12 volt lead acid battery. This is a little larger than the size you often see on motor cycles. The large alligator clips connect the battery terminals to a cigarette lighter style power plug. This is out of view in the foam pocket in the lower left corner of the photo. Inserted into that plug is a USB power plug, the type you use in your car to charge your cell phone. Connected to that USB power plug is a USB power cord, which you see emerging from the foam pocket. That cord runs around to the recorder to provide it with external power.

Here's the system all buttoned up and ready to go. This case is made by Plano and easily found in many sporting goods stores. I've added a bit of duct tape to the outside because I overstuffed the foam, and it causes one side to bulge a bit. Normally this isn't necessary and the case seals very well when closed. In the field I'll add some cordage to the handle and tie the device to a tree. This makes it more difficult for a bear to pick it up and carry it away (something that has happened to another of my recorders).

Finally, in this view, you can see one of the two stereo microphones built into the case (the second is on the opposite end, out of view). These sensitive mics are held tightly in place with grommets. They are recessed a bit to shield them from direct moisture, and the upper edge of the case provides additional protection from precipitation as well. This configuration gives very good stereo separation in the audio the recorder captures and that's important to discerning which direction a vocalizer is located, relative to the recorder.

Roar from Michigan

Jim Sherman shares a very good "roar" vocal captured in central Michigan, on March 18th. Check the 10 second mark in this clip:

soundcloud.com/jim-sherman/4-1

Michigan Sasquatch Vocals? Vol. 10 A Real-Time MI Investigation

Jim Sherman has a new volume out from his series of possible sasquatch vocals in Michigan. This one shares a wood knock and some interesting observations he's made while investigating an area that was featured on Finding Bigfoot last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwSq8pEg0dg

Michigan Sasquatch Vocals? Volume 9

On April Fools day 2012, Jim Sherman recorded a great series of compelling whoops, howls, shrieks and roars. A year later, he shares those vocals in this latest release of possible sasquatch vocals from Michigan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXvRzgYZybA

Michigan Sasquatch Vocals? Volume 8

Jim Sherman continues his excellent series of videos relaying possible sasquatch vocals captured in central Michigan. In this release he goes to some length to describe how he initiates a field investigation, what he carries with him, and how he deploys his recorder. Toward the end he includes an original audio clip captured as he and the witness were just about to part ways. Together they hear the vocals as they occur, and you can hear their enthusiastic reaction. This clip includes the beautifully executed "singing howl", as described in earlier videos.

Michigan Sasquatch Vocals? Vol. 8 Conducting an Investigation 

Michigan Sasquatch Vocals? Vol. 7 How Do I Identify a Possible Sasquatch Vocal?

Jim Sherman soldiers on and produces Volume 7 of his educational series of videos discussing possible sasquatch vocals. Interestingly, he seems to have skipped over Volume 6 (for now). Maybe there's something special brewing there. In the mean time, this volume shows an excellent collection of the more casual vocals that may be emitted by sasquatch. These are far less noticeable than the ferocious howls and roars we hear more often.

Michigan Sasquatch Vocals? Vol. 7 How Do I Identify a Possible Sasquatch Vocal?

More Recordings from Central Michigan

Jim Sherman from BFRO in Michigan continues the good work with two new videos of vocals and wood knocks:

Volume 4 Wood Knocks - http://youtu.be/RRZUtQb1iYI

Volume 5 Weird Things - http://youtu.be/ZeuAw2szL44

In Volume 5 the audio lags a little behind the playback in the spectrogram, but only by a half second or so. So keep this in mind as you view the "signals" in the spectrograph.

Monongahela

Great Vocals From Michigan

For just over a year now I've had the great pleasure of working with Jim Sherman, a BFRO investigator from the state of Michigan. In 2011 Jim came into contact with a witness from Isabella County that had recordings of strange vocalizations emanating from the night time forests around her farm. Jim liked what he heard and during his follow up investigation he asked for my opinion on the clips.

I was quite blown away by the amount, quality, and variety of vocalizations that Jim had to share, both from the witness, and from his own on-site investigation. I happily worked with Jim throughout much of 2012 to study his recordings and compare them to other audio of suspected sasquatch vocalizations. His captures were very consistent with what we've come to expect from possible sasquatch vocals, and included moan howls, whoops, knocks, and other complex vocals.

As a result of his hard work and our collaboration, Jim assembled a great report for the BFRO database. And prior to publishing the report the witness's recordings and farm became a significant part of a 2012 episode of "Finding Bigfoot". After Jim published the report, we collaborated to add many of the best vocal captures to the online write-up. The end result, in our opinion, is a great audio reference that other investigators could share with witnesses while they work with them to identify the vocals they've heard.

Here's a link to Jim's report and the great collection of suspected sasquatch vocals it contains: Report # 32981 (Class B): Farmers record interesting vocalizations west of Clare

In the months since this report went public, Jim has done a great job breaking down and sharing these clips, and others, in a series of instructive videos. On occasion I've contributed a video spectrogram clip to his effort and the end result is more entertaining than the basic video spectrograms I've posted here in the past. So for the sake of sharing to all those who might find these pages interesting, here are the first three installments of Jim's video reports:

-Michigan Sasquatch Vocals? Vol. 1 The Isabella Howl and Singing Howls
-Michigan Sasquatch Vocals?-Vol. 2 Four Moan Howl
-Michigan Sasquatch Vocals? Vol. 3. What Do Vocals Look Like?

Monongahela

Thoughts on the MN 2009 Howls Captured during a BFRO expedition by Andy P.

Originally posted on the BFRO's Blue Forum, the following is my October 14, 2009 response to AndrewP regarding the howls he captured during the BFRO 2009 Expedition in Minnesota:

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There's so much going on in that first audio file that I wasn't able to get past it and on to the others this evening. But what I found in the file "MN09_01_09172009_Howlandwolves1" was well worth the effort.

I did some careful play back with good headphones and an audio analysis tool called "Sonic Visualizer". The software shows you a spectrogram of the audio as you're listening to it, and when visual cues are available, a lot more detail pops out of the recording.

I took screen grabs of the spectrogram and put them up at the links below. I edited notes into each image to indicate what I heard at each point in the audio file. Normally there's an easily visible "signal" just above or below the text I put on the image. But just to help, here's a little explanation of what I think each segment of the file contains (note, all of these images will look better if you click on the magnifying glass to enlarge the image).

Spectrogram 1 is from the first 6 seconds of the recording, and in it I can make out the loud howl of an unknown source, a quick bark-howl response, and the fading echo of the loud howl (an indication of the overall power behind the call):
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...feat=directlink

In spectrogram 2 I can hear the wolf howl response to the howl(s) in the spectrogram above. The spectrogram also shows what appear to be harmonics of the wolf howl that run in sync, and at higher frequencies than the powerful base howl. But I think the interesting bit in this spectrogram is the second, faint ascending howl that appears at about second 10 of the original audio file. It's easy to overlook with all the loud howls in the foreground, but its there:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...feat=directlink

In spectrogram 3 I can make out two faint but noteworthy sounds. The first is a distant, descending call. It's too weak to discern if its a howl, but it has some of that characteristic. It also a lot like an owl, so that's what I tentatively label that call. The second sound is very difficult to see on the spectrogram, and almost impossible to note in the audio without a spectrogram. It's represented by a faint point of reddish color just below the "f" in the phrase "faint wood knock?". That's what it sounds like to me, not unlike the wood knocks I recorded in August of this year:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...feat=directlink

In spectrogram 4 we have a replay of the faint ascending howl noted in spectrogram 2 above. Sounds very similar to me, possibly the same animal. And competing with that howl, I can also hear the distant descending call from spectrogram 3, again. But this time its clearer, and doesn't sound much like an owl at all. It has more of a low, moaning howl quality to it in my opinion:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...feat=directlink

In spectrogram 5 we have a repeat of the first howl on this recording from the unkown animal. This howl is loud, clear and powerful. I used the term gutteral (sp?) to describe the quality of the howl, which seems so powerful it has qualities nearly approach that of a roar. This is a spectacular call: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...feat=directlink

And the final spectrogram, number 6, is the wolf howl response. Notice the harmonics reappear in this image, and note how level wolf's call is through out its duration. I've seen the same signature in several other wolf calls in these recordings (and others):
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...feat=directlink

Hopefully ya'll find this interesting (I do anyway). And I'll be trying to do similar reviews of the rest of the recordings, time permitting.