SoundScapes: His Camera Led Him into the Sounds of Nature

By Martina

A wildlife photographer learns patience in order to capture just the right photo. It requires waiting long hours hidden in the wilderness. When the wait is rewarded, it is always a wonder filled experience. I was looking forward to the story I knew was waiting. I met with Alberto Rafael Hans Vada Thomaes, aka, Beto, at En’Kanto winery. We sat on the patio in the shade of Chinese Elm trees. Fall was turning the tiny leaves golden and the breeze took a few into flight. Hummingbirds were vying for positions at the birdfeeders. Beto took a break from work of what he calls a multi task worker. This helps support the completion of his master’s thesis, The Soundscapes of Baja California at UABC.

Beto is well known locally for his exquisite photographs of birds in flight as well as all wildlife. He captures the rattlesnake poised to strike and the coyote’s quiet eyes. I asked him if he would share one of his stories so we could understand the kind of commitment that is needed to get the perfect shot. He jumped right in, “This year I had the chance to photograph a beautiful coyote. It was wandering through the fields near my home. That winter we had just enough rain for a small valley to bloom a sea of wild arugula flowers at the foot of the mountains. I found the best place and the next morning I set up a small hide with the sun behind me and waited.

Tamarindo

Hours went by. Slowly the shadow of the mountain began to grow until it covered everything in cool shade. That’s when I saw him trotting through the flowers searching for food. My heart started pounding. I lifted my camera and as I took the first burst of photos he stopped. He looked straight at me. And in that moment through my lens, we shared a silent connection. It felt like time paused. I wasn’t just watching wildlife; I was part of the same landscape, breathing the same air.” His story gave the photograph a deeper meaning. “Coyotes are often misunderstood. People see them as threats, but in truth, they are guardians of balance. They keep the ecosystem alive. The coyote reminds me that we share this land and his survival depends on how we choose to care for the world around us. Being with that coyote felt humbling. It reminded me that wildness still exists close to home, and that simple quiet respect is the best way we can protect it.”

“The photography is like a space for me, it is just me going out into nature’s silence, everything stops. This year I went out and caught photos of rattle snakes. I love rattle snakes. In the ecosystem you could call their job pest control. They eat the mice, rats, and squirrels.” I mentioned that they are actually friends of the vineyards, like the owls, that take care of the critters threatening the grape production. Beto continued, “They are killed due to lack of understanding which creates an immediate imbalance. A vineyard or your garden will be overrun with rats and squirrels.”

Horse visits with Carolina

Beto was really warming to his story and the love of what he does was evident. “There is an adrenalin rush when you are looking for something and you find it, the discovery is wonderful.” I asked if he ever had life-threatening experiences. He laughs, “Once a little warbler flew at me and landed on my lens! In nature no matter how many times you go out, you will always learn something new. One time I saw a hummingbird stick its beak into a mushroom.” As we talked for a while a glossy jet-black Raven sat in the trees above us making throaty “caw caw” sounds.

Ever the adventurer Beto shared one trip he took to Chapais where the jungle is filled with exotic birds. He went with a couple of friends, “Every curve in the trail brought a new bird shot. It was also really hot and humid and we found a little waterfall and stream. We didn’t hesitate; we stripped and welcomed the relief.” Beto laughs, “Nature will always surprise us. When I climbed out of the water I looked down and my legs were covered with leaches! Horrified, I yelled to my friends to get out!”

Horse camp!

Beto spoke so clearly about his passions and insights. I wondered where it all began.

“When I was young my mother took me out to investigate nature. Most weekends we would go on field trips.” He chuckles, “At that time, I was fascinated by bugs. It was my first love of nature. As I grew older, I found my way to bird watching when I got my first camera. Later I felt I was being taken outside the scope of merely being a dedicated bird watcher.”

And here is when the story turned inward in a surprising way. Beto’s intellect took him outside the normal scope of understanding the nature in which he was investigating. “I created a college thesis based on geographic variations of the songs of birds.” An interesting factoid is that birds’ sounds are created in two ways. Some are born with their song that is embedded in their DNA, while others learn their songs like the mocking bird. I wondered, what purpose understanding sound has. Beto replied, “For me this is different than a passion for photography. What I was looking for in my studies was what is called Soundscape Ecology.”

Walker among her horses

Beto explains, “The professors pushed me to find what is the social application for this investigation. The study of this shows how the human interaction changes the natural soundscape and the application of this is important to understand. Sound changes the landscape once people are involved. The sounds can tell you about the health of a place. I plan to collect the information from the national parks. I will put recorders in a camping area; two weeks before tourists come, two weeks during high season and two weeks after the park is quiet again. I will be able to record the impact of so many people’s personal sounds, like loud music and auto traffic.”

He stresses, “Development is happening so fast people do not have time to actually fully absorb the landscape they live in, instead they are destroying it. It is a primary factor that many people are experiencing feelings of being cut off from something they can’t define. People generally take from nature, but seldom give back. Our landscape is changing rapidly and will reflect our relationship between nature and society. It shows the relationship people have with their surroundings and if there is a disconnect.

“Photography pulls you into adventure, he says. It isn’t just the birds or the species, it is the whole experience and you can do it with people or by yourself. I want to teach people to be more open to their surroundings. To be more aware of everything surrounding them. With the rapidly changing world, if you are not aware of what you have you will not be aware of what you are losing.”

Beto’s wildlife photos can be seen on Instagram. Prints are ready to hang and sold at En’Kanto. He will also bring to your table some of the best wine and pizza in the valley.

Instagram