University of Utah researcher Jeff Rice sets up sound-recording equipment in the early-morning hours at Range Creek. > > > Audio slide show(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Just before dawn in a remote stretch of Utah wilderness, archivist Jeff Rice captures the sounds of crickets and the nearby creek. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Jeff Rices equipment includes Sennheiser microphones, a Sound Devices 50-gig recorder and plenty of cable. He got the idea for the sound archive after working as a radio journalist. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Wild turkeys in cottonwood trees at Range Creek. Utah and the Southwest are prized by recordists. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The archive has recordings of 90% of the birds including hummingbirds in Western states. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Jeff Rice records wild turkeys at dawn in Range Creek, Utah. Hes in constant search of sounds without the interference of man-made noise. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
