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

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

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

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

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

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

Early morning. I went to see if it would be possible to record moor frogs in a place where I know they are. I didn't see any frogs, but I did meet a capercaillie. I tied the microphones to a tree and left to record. The picture shows the same bird that appears in the recording.

Equipment:
Zoom F3 digital recorder
An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer
Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. Recorded 32 bit 48kHz

Western capercaillie makes vocalizations in early spring forest

Late morning in Palupõhja village Alam-Pedja nature reserve, Estonia. Different little birds are chirping in the trees next to the village road when suddenly a black woodpecker comes and bangs his drum four and a half times. The recording was made in the late morning of April 17, 2023

Equipment used: Zoom F3 digital recorder An Azden microphone pre-amplifier/mixer Primo Microphones with EM172 capsules. Recorded 32 bit 48kHz

Black woodpecker drumming

Peaceful landscape with gentle sounds of life. Recording was made at 5 in the morning, in the place visible in the picture. 

Equipment used: Zoom F3 digital recorder with EM-172 capsules. Recorded 32-bit 48kHz

Morning in the bog. Kuresoo, Soomaa, Estonia Mai 22, 2023

Female fox crying in urban forest. Tartu, Estonia June 26, 2014

Field recording. Soomaa natural park. Estonia. 26th mai 2014

Recording is done at 1 am. Mosquitoes and the Nightjar, the herring gull and the dogs in the background

European Nightjar in the Woods in Pärnu County, Estonia 11th july 2013

There are a lot of fallen trees around but usually I do not see how they fall. And I did not this time. I left the recorder to record and after more than an hour before I came back and took recorder. 
At home listening to recording I found how tree falls.   

A falling tree. Selli- Sillaotsa nature trail. Alam-Pedja Nature reserve. Estonia 24th June 2016

November. Dark. Wet and windy forest. Water droplets fall from tree branches. There is a dried pine tree and woodpecker at its top.
Tascam Dr-100 MK III, Azden mixer, primos.

November Sound in Alam-Pedja, Estonia. November 12, 2017

In the evening at 20.30 Blackbird and Robin sing a duet. In the backround Cuckoo is heard. Recording ends with Woodcock flying up. Tascam Dr-100 MK III, Azden mixer, primos.

Edit: Replaced file. Cut out wind in the beginning that sounded like a distant car for me. Soomaa is very rich in nature, but there is very difficult to get recording without human produced noise. The main problem is the airplanes. There is not enough deep forest to hide from them. There I always find myself thinking how noise our planet is and how tolerant are we about it.

Small walk through the forest. Soomaa National Park, Estonia on April 30 2018

In the beginning Whitethroat sings silently. The bird hides itself in the bush and is acting there quietly. Black woodpecker makes a sound. Then Whitetroat begins to sing louder and two wood pigeons become companions of him. Tascam Dr-100 MK III, Azden mixer, primos.

Common Whitethroat singing in Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve. Estonia, May 06, 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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