It’s so funny you bring this up today! Yesterday I was filling out the customer survey for my Roland workstation I got recently and was thinking about sampling owl vocalization. This is exactly what I was imagining, so I’ll have to listen to the rest of these.

I know this type is thing isn’t everyone’s jam, but if it’s owl related and you feel it’s superb, IMO it belongs here. I think it’s cool and super topical for me at least.

Link to Full Album

Strigiformes is an ambient album which is themed around the vocalizations of different species of owl. From the mournful cries of the tawny owl, to the bone-chilling rasps of the barn owl, Strigiformes takes the listener on an immersive journey through a dark forest in the depth of the night. The title refers to the scientific order Strigiformes, in which all owls belong to.

This album is meant to raise awareness about the impacts of anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) on birds of prey. When mice/rats ingest baits laced with ARs, the ARs alter their blood so that it does not coagulate (scab over and stop bleeding). This causes spontaneous internal bleeding which leads to death over several days. In those few days, birds of prey such as owls may eat these rodents. The effects of AR are the same in birds as in rodents, which may result in the death of the bird if they ingest enough AR-laced rodents.

In a 2017 study, 97% of tested red-tailed hawks (a bird of prey with a similar diet to most owls) had some amount of ARs in their body. 17% of these birds were showing signs of AR poisoning. doi.org/10.1007/s10646-017-1832-1

While the sales of ARs became slightly restricted in 2011, they’re still widely available to buy via the internet without a license, and thus remain a threat to birds of prey.

All profits that Escaping Aghartha receives in the first month of Strigiformes’ release will be donated to the American Bird Conservancy. In 2014, they played a role in advocating for the removal of one brand of ARs from the market. They are continuing to advocate for the banning or restricting of dangerous rodenticides which harm birds, such as ARs.