All Clear Alerts - Driftless channel video

[Patterson-Gimlin]

Thank you so much for sharing.

I found it very compelling to listen to. 

I hope you are taking care of yourself and doing quite well.

 

[ShadowBorn]

Now if these creatures were giving the all clear alert. What would be the purpose of this ? In the video it sound like the jeep is not leaving but returning. So it would make more sense that these creatures would be alerting others that the humans are moving into other areas. If we are being watched and we leave then what purpose is there to alert if us as humans are already being watched. 

 

If I was a sentry I would be more worried when an intruder has entered my perimeter. I would alert others that some one or some thing has entered my zone of protection. There is no need to alert others unless that same sentry knows that same intruder well and understands it's movements. This takes some skills and i am not sure if apes in other areas of the world show this type of actions But one thing is for sure that there is some form of intelligence.  

[MIB]

On 11/16/2020 at 11:47 AM, JKH said:

This is how I got started with it, it makes review so much faster and easier. It's truly enjoyable.

 

https://sasquatchbioacoustic.blogspot.com/2011/10/using-audacity-spectrograms-to-review.html

 

I've of course tailored it for my uses over time. For instance, I think I zoom in more than he suggests, necessary to catch more distant or soft sounds.

 

Interesting.  Thanks for sharing.  I'd never seen that ... that I remember ... but it is essentially what I do.    I look at 0 - 1500 Hz.    Usually clearly defined things are not what we're looking for.    Look for gray foggy looking areas on the spectrogram.    Things that make a single clear line on the graph usually can only make such a clear line ... in other words, they are only capable of making sound in a few narrow frequency ranges.   We're looking for something with vocal flexibility.   Those show up as less distinct / more fuzzly frequency ranges, thus more of a dull blob on the graph.

 

Insects usually produce 3 or more horizontal bands ... harmonics, I suppose.    Airplanes do the same but usually those are rising pitches so there will be maybe 5 or more bands roughly in parallel but increasing in frequency.    The heavy band at the bottom is generally wind noise.   With different mics and recorders with appropriate sensitivity that's likely where infrasound would fall, but most of our readily available mics and recorders don't pick up "real" sounds under 80-100 Hz.   If you're getting too much of that rumble from wind noise, screening the mic can help.  

 

One of my friends who does more audio than I do uses Sonic Visualizer .. I've downloaded / installed it but haven't played with it yet.  

 

MIB

 

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by MIB
clarify

[BlackRockBigfoot]

On 11/17/2020 at 1:52 PM, NatFoot said:

 

Yep.

 

And not calling this guy a hoaxer, but this is about as easy of a thing to hoax as any of you really wanted to.

True.  He might very well be hoaxing although I personally don't believe that he is...  Hoaxers are generally not the sort of people to be content with the little things.  Hoaxers want attention, and while this might seem compelling to a relatively small group of people who are interested in actual research, you are not going to see a it making waves like other fantastical claims that have turned out to be false.  A video of possible knocks and calls won't get 1 million views on youtube.  And that's what hoaxers want.... attention.  

 

Those sort of people always seem to be compelled to constantly up the ante.  

 

A lot of this field is looking for those subtle clues that hint that SOMETHING is out there. Those huge, earth shattering events that capture people's imaginations are very few and far between.  If they were commonplace, we would have had definitive proof a long time ago.  

 

If he ends up talking about the Bigfoot Star Council in a few months and selling spots for 4 grand apiece to go into his exclusive research area and commune with Sasquatch...maybe then we will know that he is hoaxing.  

 

That's just my take on it. 

 

That's the frustrating part about being involved in this field.  Pretty much any evidence that we find or is presented to us (short of a living specimen or a body) has the possibility of being a hoax. 

[NatFoot]

All valid points.

[BlackRockBigfoot]

7 minutes ago, NatFoot said:

All valid points.

At the same time, you are absolutely correct in that audio is extremely easy to fake or misinterpret.  

 

Heck, the roars could be the sound of loud vehicles in the distance.  There are obviously roads up there.  

[MikeZimmer]

I wonder if it is not possible to compare sound spectograms of loud vehicles versus the captured roars? They probably have different intensity profiles at different frequencies. These sounds do not resemble vehicles, to my ears, but further sonic analysis might help in understanding things.

 

I did not know Audacity could do this, but it is an amazing tool for people working with sound files. It is free.

 

Hoaxing and misinterpretation are always possibilities. To me, they sound much like other vocalizations attributed to Sasquatch. This proves nothing of course, but does present pieces of a puzzle that seem to fit together.

 

To discount these recordings out-of-hand does not seem to be any sounder than accepting them entirely at face value. I would like to know the fellow on a personal basis, to take a reading on his character, and his ability to reason.

[NatFoot]

Ok...let me clarify again.

 

I don't know Drifter from the next guy. I don't even think these are hoaxed sounds.

 

The thought did cross my mind that of all evidence, this would be fairly easy to hoax. @BlackRockBigfoot made some valid points as to why audio hoaxing doesn't deliver a ton of bang for the buck for a hoaxer.

 

 

[JustCurious]

In order for this (the alert signals) to be a valid hypothesis, then it has to be repeatable.  Not just by his experience, but universally.  So if others can present evidence that they're experiencing the same thing, then it has validity.  If it's only happening in his experience, it is likely something else.

 

Knowing what I know of the Chequamegon forest, it is very swampy in many places.  In the summer months that means very high humidity and in turn, the trees do a lot of popping from expansion and contraction from temperature changes.  I also wonder if there's a gate that he might be using going in/out of the location, or a culvert he's driving over.  Unlikely to be wood chopping given the time of year and single "knocks".  How far to the nearest residence?  Could be a screen door slamming.  Maybe Driftless has ruled all these things out and we just don't know? 

 

It's interesting as an observation, that's all.  I don't think he's trying to convince anyone of anything; he's just putting it 'out there' for consideration.  That's fine by me.

[1980squatch]

Well NAWAC has indeed reported just these type of events on a number of occasions over the years (knocks/clangs/vocals on vehicle exits).  I don't think they actually have recorded audio of it though.

[ShadowBorn]

53 minutes ago, JustCurious said:

In order for this (the alert signals) to be a valid hypothesis, then it has to be repeatable.  Not just by his experience, but universally.  So if others can present evidence that they're experiencing the same thing, then it has validity.  If it's only happening in his experience, it is likely something else.

@JustCurious

I totally agree with your statement here. For this to be some thing of alert signals. It should be repeatable in other areas of where these creatures are being researched. Such evidence needs validity. 

[Kiwakwe]

9 hours ago, JustCurious said:

In order for this (the alert signals) to be a valid hypothesis, then it has to be repeatable.  Not just by his experience, but universally.  So if others can present evidence that they're experiencing the same thing, then it has validity.  If it's only happening in his experience, it is likely something else.

 

Knowing what I know of the Chequamegon forest, it is very swampy in many places.  In the summer months that means very high humidity and in turn, the trees do a lot of popping from expansion and contraction from temperature changes.  I also wonder if there's a gate that he might be using going in/out of the location, or a culvert he's driving over.  Unlikely to be wood chopping given the time of year and single "knocks".  How far to the nearest residence?  Could be a screen door slamming.  Maybe Driftless has ruled all these things out and we just don't know? 

 

It's interesting as an observation, that's all.  I don't think he's trying to convince anyone of anything; he's just putting it 'out there' for consideration.  That's fine by me.

I'm not so sure this type of behavior has to be universally repeatable for it to be valid. If these "all clears" are indeed that, they are obviously intelligent creatures with their own particular habits developed for a particular reason. Not sure what would bind the whole species to the same behavior. I've watched a bit of Driftless' channel, IMO he is asking good questions and has a nuanced, intelligent perception of the goings-on in the woods, I don't think he is mistaking wood chopping or screen door slamming for knocks and roars--though all good things to look into. 

[hiflier]

It does seem, though, that regardless of audio source locations most of the sounds of various wood knock evidence has a very similar attack and tone. At least it does to my untrained ear. Even when recorded from different places, I get the sense that there is a general technique that is used to obviously achieve the kind of volume and tone that would allow for the knocks to heard some distance away. I also think that the natural resonances are partially due to the way that forests provide their natural echoing qualities. I know of studies regarding various woods, both alive and dead, and related materials used for hitting those various woods have been done to try and determine which natural materials might be used to create certain types of knocks.

 

This isn't about that research though. This is only about the similarities in what different recorders pick up from various locations. I register a certain consistency in what the various knocks sound like and don't perceive a whole lot of differences there. The similar amounts of volume and tone is the point and a general across-the-board perception of the strength that may be involved.

 

If the samples in the OP are all-clear alerts, then, judging by the time frame between leaving the area and any knock, there has to be the materials immediately available to perform the alert. Might this mean the creatures are armed? That they know what tree or log will produce the desired effect? And would a need to deploy that effect be enough to make sure they are at, or can get to, the the proper pound-ee with the proper pound-er in a timely fashion to alert others? Timely meaning in under a minute or, apparently from the OP, less. Because if that's the case, then it shows something's preparedness in a very pre-planned, premeditated type of maneuver.

Edited November 20, 2020 by hiflier

[Madison5716]

Sometimes I wonder if wood knocks are chest slaps some of the time.

[Kiwakwe]

Good points @hiflier Not much time to gather a club and have at it. Begs the question of whether some just carry a stick.  @Madison5716 It may be that is the case or they've watched this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StFw_ivAYtc