Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

Blyth's Reed Warbler's habitat in the late morning. Alam-Pedja nature reserve, Estonia June 5, 2021

The recording starts at 7 am. It's raining a little. Close-up of swallows. Redwing(his dialect or subsong) and other birds can be recognized in the background. It is an interesting fact that the Swallow (Hirundo rustica) was chosen as the national bird of Estonia on November 26, 1962 in Tartu

Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

Sharing the habitat with swallows one night. Soomaa National Park, Estonia May 23, 2021

This is a compilation preview of my second album from Alam-Pedja which is available here: https://andruskannel.bandcamp.com/album/alam-pedja-soundscapes-in-an-abandoned-farmhouse-nature-recordings

This is my second album that contains nature recordings from the Alam-Pedja nature reserve from Estonia. When the first album presented with ​​how Alam-Pedja sounds through the year and in different habitats then the concept of this album is one day and in one selected location in Alam-Pedja. All recordings are made in the yard of an abandoned farmhouse located in a deep forest. I'll listen one day through audio recordings I made in May 2020 and 2021

Some information about the old farmhouse. The farmhouse was built for forest workers in 1938 during the time of the first Estonian republic. Up to 15 people lived there at the same time in 1956 and in 2004 the last resident of this farm died. Since then, the farm is empty.

Equipment:
Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

released June 15, 2021

Preview of a nature recording album: Alam-Pedja soundscapes in an abandoned farmhouse

The picture is in the same place this morning when I recorded the soundscape. The river is Emajõgi (Mother river). The river connects the two largest lakes of Estonia, Lake Võrtsjärv and Lake Peipus and is the second largest river in Estonia by discharge and the only fully navigable river. The banks of the Emajõgi provide habitat for very different species including Great Reed Warbler.

Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

River soundscape with Great Reed Warbler. Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia. Mai 28, 2021

It's half past seven in the evening. The color of the sun is turning golden but it is still hot. It is 26 degrees outside. There are no boat owners or passengers in the harbor. There is one small building in the port where a ticket seller sits despite the fact that the last ferry of the day to Piirissaare departed half an hour ago. The water of the lake sings against the ferry's landing bridge. There are swallows nesting right under the bridge and motor boats can be heard from the lake

The sound of Lake Peipsi in Laaksaare boat harbor. Field recording. Estonia June 30, 2021

Half flooded polder area near the city Pärnu. There was some kind of water collection well, and the birds loved to rest on the metal roof of that well. At the same time, there are many young birds in the reeds. The microphones are almost under that roof. There are smaller village roads around. The voices of swimmers can be heard from the seashore and the paraglider flies in the sky.
Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

Inside the colony of Black-headed gull(Larus ridibundus) Field recording. Estonia July 7, 2021

One slightly older recording which I recorded during the first lockdown in the spring of 2020. Forest with thrushes and cuckoos in the foreground, ural owl and bittern in the background

Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

Forest Full Of Cuckoos. Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia. Mai 29, 2020

Once the birds have nested, it is the turn of the wasps. The recording was made in a small village. In addition to wasps, the village road, dogs, grasshoppers and the wind can be heard. Headphones recommended but it can be scary for some

The European hornet builds a nest inside the bird house. Estonia. August 05, 2021

It was a very windy day. Summer breaking point. The hot and dry summer started to get rainy and cold. The strong wind that day was a sign of that change. The grass in the meadow was dense and high, and deep inside, there was a grasshopper. I carefully moved the microphones under the grass near the grasshopper. The grass worked very well as "dead cat" or natural "wind muff" and the wind roared in the nearby trees and meadow. After recording, I sank the camera where I heard the grasshopper to look at the place from the grasshopper's perspective.

Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

Grasshopper and Wind in Soomaa National Park, Estonia. August 12, 2021

Crisp morning and wet spring forest on the first of May 2021 in Alam-Pedja, Estonia.  Redwing sings high on the top of the tree. His song seems a little poorer or shorter than it usually is. Maybe he's a young bird and this is his first spring. Nevertheless, the whole piece of the forest is full of his song. Suddenly, two black woodpeckers arrive and take full attention. This is a section from a longer recording

Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

Spring Forest with Redwing and Two Black Woodpeckers in Love

The audio recording was made in a place where I loved fishing when I was a kid. I'm experimenting here. I usually listen to the place and then choose a place for microphones. This time I'm going to do with microphones like I usually do with a camera when i take a series of pictures. I try to convey the place from different points of view. Listening to this sound recording, you can imagine yourself as a fish, for example, or an otter coming out of the water, swimming around under a bridge and diving again.

Fish gaze. Soundscape under the Audru highway bridge. Estonia, July 5, 2021

In this recording you can hear the forest sound of what I love the most. Birds at different distances sounding through clean, calm air, free from anthropogenic sound.
Some facts about the place taken from Wikipedia: Soomaa National Park (Estonian: Soomaa rahvuspark) is a national park in south-western Estonia. Soomaa ("land of bogs") protects 390 km², the park was created in 1993. Soomaa is Important Bird Area since 1989 and a Ramsar site of protected wetlands since 1997 and a Natura 2000 area since 2004.

Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

Crystal  Clear Spring Morning In Soomaa National Park, Estonia. May 23, 2021

Almost 45 minutes long sound recording from Alam- Pedja nature reserve, Estonia. European  Pied Flycatcher, Cuckoos, Wood warbler, Blackbird and others are heard. Wet forest next to the bog recorded May 30, 2022. Recording starts at 5.30 in the morning

The  European  Pied Flycatcher and Cuckoos - 24bit- forest sound recording.

Soomaa National Park was established on December 8, 1993 to protect the marshes, floodplain meadows and forests of the south-western part of Central Estonia. The recording started at 3.30am. The photo was taken from exactly the same point where the microphones were located.

Tascam Dr-100 MK III digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Handmade phantom powered Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. 24 bit 48kHz

Soundscape Of The River Lemmjõgi May 23, 2022. Soomaa National Park, Estonia

It's the end of June. Most birds are engaged in breeding chicks or the chicks have already left the nest. There aren't many forest birds who sing anymore. I find Icterine Warbler singing in the black alder forest. At some point, Wren will join him. 
Recording contains sound that sounds like white noise. The air is no longer crystal clear like the mornings of May. Wind in the leaves, the insects and maybe my new pair of em-172 microphones are contributing to this. From time to time there is a knocking sound, these are two trunks of trees that are pushed together by the wind. The photo was taken exactly where the sound was recorded. I believe there is some kind of crepis in the picture

The Icterine Warbler and The Eurasian wren 25 June at Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia

The small village Palupõhja is located in the middle of the Alam-Pedja nature reserve. The aim of the Alam-Pedja nature reserve is the natural diversity of ecosystems in a large area ensuring, as far as possible, the natural development of protected forests and bogs. The river Emajõgi flows on the south side of the Palupõhja village. On the banks of the river a Willow and Bird Cherry and other trees and bushes grow and nightingales like to sing there. Birds can be heard in the background: Common chiffchaff, Great spotted woodpecker, Common blackbird, Garden warbler, Cuckoo and others. Soundscape was recorded on early morning May 13, 2021. The picture was taken in Palupõhja village, very close to where my microphones heard the soundscape

Thrush  Nightingale Song In Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia. 1 Hour Recording

A forest sound free of human sounds. Bush Cricket (Tettigonia Cantans) song. It's getting to half past ten in the evening. It is already quite dark in the forest, but I see the sunset in the treetops. The wind has almost calmed down. The raven crows and crickets come from different directions.

Crickets In The Coming Night. August 7, 2022, Soomaa, Estonia

This is how Tettigonia cantans sings during the day time- with shorter phrases. The recording was made on August 10 in the nature reserve of Alam-Pedja, Estonia.

The first 14 minutes, with gusts of wind and cricket phrases, seem like breathing. Very hypnotic. Then the wind dies down and the cricket comes closer and sounds louder. After the 28th minute, longer pauses occur, and structural details are heard in the song. After 38 minutes, cricket calls become rare until he remains completely silent.

The photo probably shows Wood Cranesbill (Geranium sylvaticum), which grew a few meters away from the place where the recording was made. 

Thanks to Veljo Runnel for assigning the cricket. 

Tascam DR 100 Mark III with phantom powered Em 172 microphones. Recorded at 96kHz

The Song Of The Bush Cricket (Tettigonia Cantans)

Song thrush, 1.17 cranes, female snipe in the background, 5.43 male snipe begins to sound, chaffinches, a small leaf warbler... 12.30 two jays begin to chat

Forest sound early morning at 6 o'clock. Keeri-Karijärve Nature Reserve on April 17 2016. Estonia

The night is over. Gradually gets lighter. Silence replaced the singing of birds. 
Recorded with phantom powered Primo EM172 microphones, Azden mixer and Tascam Dr 100 III recorder.

Early morning in old forest at 3:37. Soomaa National Park, Estonia on Mai 27 2017

November. It rained just . The forest is all wet. Quite windy . Water droplets fall from tree branches and trees are creaking. Yes there are some birds, they keep together. Landscape here is ready for snow.
Tascam Dr-100 MK III, Azden mixer, primos.

November Sound in Alam-Pedja, Estonia. November 11, 2017

In the morning at seven.. April's forest here belongs to the thrushes. Image is taken where my microphones heard the soundscape. Tascam Dr-100 MK III, Azden mixer, primos.

Forest Sound in Alam-Pedja, Estonia. April 26, 2018

Early in the morning. Sun rises. Black grouses are heard from the bog and tree pipit sings aloud. Tascam Dr-100 MK III, Azden mixer, primos.

Tree Pipit and Black Grouses early in the morning. Alam-Pedja nature reserve. May 25, 2018

Arrives in Estonia at the end of May and at the beginning of June already ends the singing. Therefore, the opportunity to listen to him does not last long.  Tascam Dr-100 MK III, Azden mixer, primos.

Blyth's Reed Warbler. Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve. May 26, 2018

It was news that May was the warmest and driest May in the last fifty years in Estonia. And then after cloudless morning without warning, the little storm came out of nowhere. 24-bit, 48000 Hz, Tascam Dr-100 MK III, Azden mixer, primos.

Ambient Forest Sound with Slight Rain and Thunder. Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve. June 2, 2018

Raining, goes dark. I am inside the hut and waiting for the cranes. 24-bit, 48000 Hz, Tascam Dr-100 MK III, Azden mixer, primos.

Waiting For The Cranes. Matsalu National Park, Estonia On September 15, 2018

This is an 8-minute summary of the album which is available here: https://andruskannel.bandcamp.com/album/alam-pedja-soundscapes-through-the-four-seasons

Alam-Pedja is vast protected wilderness area covering 342 square kilometres. It is situated in Central Estonia northeast of Lake Võrtsjärv, in a lowland area called the Võrtsjärv Basin and consists of rivers, their floodplains, various bogs, and some very different types of forests. There are very few people living there so that the human population density is comparable to that of wolf, bear and lynx. There are few roads so the forests and bogs are not too fragmented. Since 1997 Alam-Pedja has been recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. In 2004 it was designated a Natura 2000 site.

In this album we hear recordings made in the mornings, in the day time, evenings and at nights from different types of habitats in Alam-Pedja. These soundscapes cover the springtime through summer to late autumn. Album starts with a soundscape recording where still lasts winter time. The listener gets a good idea of ​​how Alam-Pedja sounds through the year, gets a feel for the spirit and majesty of this wild area. Recordings were made over two years; 2017 & 2018.

My special thanks to fellow nature recordist Fintan O’Brien for valuable advice and help.

Alam-Pedja soundscapes thtough the four seasons

Alam-Pedja soundscapes through the four seasons (Preview)

April 20, 2019. The recording begins at 7.37 in the morning. I really like diversity of birds in Matsalu but recording is somewhat difficult because there are no natural obstacles (thick forest or mountains) to preventing noise from the roads. It's not technically pure clean recording. It's a sketch, the groundwork, note in my audio notebook.

A walk through the landscape of Matsalu National Park, Estonia.

The clock is 6 am and the weather is beautiful. The recording begins 5 am and was 1 hour and 20 minutes long. This is a seven-minute cut from it. I recommend listening to it with headphones.

Early morning Soundscape from Alam​-​Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia. May 22, 2019

Preview of the audio recording of how a night in the woods turns into a morning, Original slow 52 minutes long progression is avalaible for listening here: https://andruskannel.bandcamp.com/track/forest-soundscape-from-night-to-morning
The recording was made on the morning of May 23, 2020 in the Alam-Pedja nature reserve in Estonia

Andrus Kannel

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