Cricket Sounds and Frogs in a Summer Meadow • Late Afternoon

Cricket sounds and frogs filling a wide-open stretch of drainage ditches and willow lines. Dense, loud, layered — real sounds of nature from a summer field that doesn't let up.

"Dad, let's go find some frogs." — and that was the whole plan. We packed food for the whole day, the camera, the mic, marked a direction on the map, and headed out. When we got there it turned out to be a huge open area — easy terrain, meadows and willows, grass absolutely everywhere. He chose the recording spot himself and set up the equipment — shotgun mic aimed straight at the ditch, NT1 picking up the wider field. It rains a little on and off but it doesn't bother us.

Gear: Zoom F3, Rode NT1 — stereo, static camera near the water.

Not on any map I've seen. That's usually a good sign.