Celebrated field recordist John Hutchinson, who spent his life preserving bird songs and capturing the sounds of Western Australia's Aboriginal communities, has died aged 87.

Mr Hutchinson's niece Jan Malcolm confirmed he died of natural causes on August 8 in Busselton Hospital.

Before passing away, he donated rare copies of his first field recordings and notes to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) and the State Library of Western Australia (SLWA).

Mr Hutchinson began recording wildlife sounds in 1956 and had his life's work honoured in May,

His recordings of the bird songs and music of remote Aboriginal communities from the Pilbara are believed to be unique.

"He was such a fanatic he only kept the best," Ms Malcolm said.

"The annotations and documentations that went with his calls are extremely important historically for future students, because they can locate quite accurately where John made his calls."

Ms Malcolm said Mr Hutchinson had left his life's work to be archived in the NFSA, the SLWA and the newly established Museum of Bunbury.

"Before the rest of us realised how heavy our footsteps were on this planet, John was living lightly and fully at ease with nature ... he just communicated with everything in the natural world," she said.

"He actually lived his passion and we really valued him for that."

SLWA acting CEO and state librarian Alison Sutherland said Mr Hutchinson was a significant contributor to the State Library.

"John was a well-known and respected ornithologist who made remarkable field recordings of bird songs, involving long stints in remote bush locations," Ms Sutherland said.

"The sounds John captured are unique to the time and place of the recordings and cannot be replicated; they reflect his expert knowledge of birds, his dedication, patience and his technical recording expertise.

"His contributions of such rare and therefore valuable items add yet another dimension to our collected West Australian story."