Woraphot Bunkhwamdi is a naturalist with a special interest in the sounds of nature and birds. While he was an undergraduate student at the Faculty of Sciences, Silpakorn University, he was walking on Ao Manao beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan at night and heard the tinkling sound of numerous button top shells being washed up on the shore then pulled back into the sea. The sound of the shells left a lasting impression on him. Woraphot returned to Ao Manao several years later, but never heard that sound again since the numbers of button top shells had decreased. This incident was one of several reasons which encouraged him to record the sounds of nature.
"I regret not recording the sound at that time. If I had, there would be evidence of the sound that had happened. That incident inspired me to record sounds of nature. When I worked on my thesis for my master's in biology at Chiang Mai University, I had to create a natural science journal documenting the sounds of nature and living creatures in the area," said Woraphot.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Woraphot was stuck in the city due to the lockdown. He listened to his old files of sounds and was inspired to create the website praisan.org. Supported by the Thai Media Fund, praisan.org is a project that collects natural sounds from various areas. Visitors can click on 12 pins on a map of Thailand to listen to sounds in 12 places which are divided into different ecologies -- a dry evergreen forest, a pine forest, a tropical rain forest, a mangrove forest, a cloud forest, a lake, a rice field and a rice field at night, an island, a river, a grassland, a beach and a public park.
"While listening to these old files, it occurred to me that there might be people who want to visit natural places, but cannot go out. Listening to nature can be a way out for them. The website praisan.org was created with two goals -- to help visitors relax and to provide information about ecologies," Woraphot said.
"I want to tell stories from an angle that I know best, which is from the sounds of Thailand's ecologies. Every place has a different ecological soundscape. In the Doi Inthanon National Park section of the recording, visitors can hear the sharp and crystal-clear sounds of birds, squirrels and small trickling streams. In the Khong Chiam, Ubon Ratchathani section, visitors can listen to the sound of a big river and the background sound of creatures in the area. It would be nice if those recordings inspired people who listen to the audio files, to visit the sites in person."
To explain how he recorded sounds in the 12 areas, Woraphot gave an example of Ko Phra Thong grassland in Phang-nga. He chose Ko Phra Thong because grassland is a rare ecology in Thailand.
"Ko Phra Thong is an island composed of long, large and flat sand dunes. As the sand accumulates over time, a dry ecosystem develops. Sand does not retain water and has low nutrient levels, so large trees cannot grow. There are only short-lived plants which grow during the rainy season and die during the dry season. With its unique features, Ko Phra Thong is home to some plants and orchids that can only be found there," explained Woraphot.
Woraphot Bunkhwamdi records underwater sounds. Woraphot Bunkhwamdi
After the naturalist selected an ecology and a place, he contacted local people and asked them for information about the best place for recording. An ideal location should be far from a road to avoid the noise of vehicles disturbing the recordings. Woraphot usually records sounds for two hours or longer.
"I usually set up the equipment an hour before sunrise. Most recordings start before sunrise because that's when creatures make the most noise. However, in the Laem Phak Bia Royal Project in Phetchaburi, the liveliest period is related to the tides, especially low tide. The low tide brings food into the mangrove forest and attracts birds and crabs. Therefore, I decided to record sounds during low tide."
The recordings were not completed in a day. Woraphot had to move to many locations and spend several days recording until he was satisfied. Interruptions from human activity were the main difficulty in the project.
"Khao Yai National Park, which represents the ecology of a dry evergreen forest, was one of the most difficult locations to record. Since many people do activities in the area, there are many disturbances. I had to walk deeper into the forest because I did not want to edit any sound. I wanted the recordings to be like a documentary," he said.
"Once I was satisfied with a recording, but after listening to it at home, I heard the sound of a drum which I did not hear before as it had a very low frequency. I also had to note which creatures made noises, so I did not notice the drum. I had to return to Khao Yai National Park to re-record five times to complete the work."
Above Woraphot Bunkhwamdi, a naturalist and creator of praisan.org. Photos courtesy of Woraphot Bunkhwamdi
Most of the recordings on praisan.org are of birds. Although Woraphot is a birdwatcher and a committee member of the Lannabird Club, he did not intend to record only bird sounds. The naturalist explained that he wanted to record sounds of a variety of animals, but birds often communicate with each other and make more noise than other animals.
Thailand's ecologies have changed in many locations and praisan.org provides audio recording that may become rare in the future. Regarding river ecology, Woraphot recorded the sounds of rare birds -- the Mekong wagtail and the great thick-knee -- which live in Khong Chiam district, Ubon Ratchathani.
"The life cycles of these birds depend on the river's flow. When the water level of the Mekong River does not flow naturally, it affects these birds. Both the Mekong wagtail and the great thick-knees lay eggs during low tide. When the tide changes and submerges their eggs, they lose their offspring," said Woraphot.
Red lotuses in Bueng Lahan, Chaiyaphum, are in a lake where the ecology has changed. When Woraphot visited Bueng Lahan, there were many red lotuses, but a year later, the lake's ecology was destroyed by an alien species.
"Red lotuses serve as habitats for living creatures such as shrimp and fish. They also attract insects. The year I visited Bueng Lahan, there were many birds and lotuses. A year later, only 20% of the red lotuses remained due to the spread of the alien species, giant salvinia. The provincial authorities attempted to get rid of the giant salvinia, but it is difficult.
Left and below Woraphot collects sounds from various areas, including under water. Woraphot Bunkhwamdi
After launching praisan.org, Woraphot discovered that many people were interested in the recordings. He now hopes to create a community of people in the future.
"If I have funding, I would like to create a community for people who are interested in sounds. The more people talk about sounds, the more they are accepted. After launching the website, my friends started talking to me about sounds. When I spoke about the website at an event, people said they liked listening to the sounds of nature, and some even recorded them also. I hope I can create a community, so that people will return to listen to the sounds of nature again," concluded Woraphot.
Praisan.org provides sounds from 12 ecologies. Photos © praisan.org
Praisan.org provides sounds from 12 ecologies. Photos © praisan.org
Praisan.org provides sounds from 12 ecologies. Photos © praisan.org
