During this morning's dawn chorus, a Song Thrush pretty much landed on my recorder and then went through his full repertoire. You can hear the sound of it landing on the dead tree where I'd positioned the Zoom. It moves slightly further away after a minute or so. There's a cuckoo playing as a backing track...

Recorded on a Zoom H3-VR in binaural mode, so if you wear headphones to listen, you should get a good, 360 degree effect.

Ballygriffey Song Thrush

A first walk in the woods with a Lom Geofón. 
Designed to capture seismic activity, but here put to use listening to the inside of an ash tree as it bends and creaks in the wind, rubbing up against one of its neighbours.

LOM Geofón First Outing

The sound of House Martins feeding their young in a nest above the window of our room at Kells Bay House - June 2022

The House Martins

Sounds from an overnight camp on Inchagoill, an island on Ireland's largest lake, Lough Corrib.

As I settled in for the night, the wind picked up and began to whip up waves that broke against the rocks where I'd camped. This is the soundtrack that put me to sleep...

Corrib Lapping

Sounds from an overnight camp on Inchagoill, an island on Ireland's largest lake, Lough Corrib.

This is the sound of the campfire, cracking and spitting away. I didn't need a fire of course, but after a few hours on the lake and a beer in my hand, I had to. You can also hear me snapping sticks to add to the fire and the sound of the waves on the shore...

Corrib Campfire Audio

More from Wrocław Główny railway station. This time, the sound of departures arrivals and announcements on platform 3.

Wrocław - Główny Platform

On the morning after the vernal equinox in Spring 2023, I took a pre-dawn walk into Ballygriffey Woods in County Clare, Ireland, and recorded for an hour. 
It was damp, miserable morning - the sun didn't so much rise as the greyness got lighter - so, the dawn chorus wasn't as lively as it had been on other days recently. At about 6:45am, it started to rain (you'll hear a few direct hits to the microphone) and it got even quieter. 

These sounds were recorded on a Zoom H3-VR using the binaural setting. That means that if you listen in headphones, you should be able to place each sound in the forest, and hear the early commuters passing behind you.

Ballygriffey Dawn Chorus

Welcome, fellow traveler! It's time to put on your headphones and join me on a journey to one of the most peculiar places in Europe - Hallig Hooge. Get ready to explore a landscape that's been shaped by human hands, where tiny communities live at the mercy of the sea, and where geese stop off on their way to the Arctic.

Let's start our adventure on the small ferry that takes us to Hooge from the mainland. As we make our way through the ferry, we'll encounter nervous cows, tourist cars, and a whole lot of wind. Our companion on this trip is a former sea-farer, and he regales us with tales of the reassuring rumble of a ship's engine - if it stops, that's when the real problems begin!

Once we arrive on Hooge, time seems to slow down immediately. The church bells ring out, calling the faithful to prayer, while the larks and geese continue their foraging and calling. We'll take a break from exploring to visit the Königspesel, or King's Room, in one of the ancient houses. The room provided refuge for a Danish king during a storm, and it's been largely unchanged since. Inside, we'll find a magnificent grandfather clock, built in London around 1770 and sent all the way to Japan for some custom paintwork.

As we venture further into the landscape, we'll encounter thousands of Brent Geese, stopping off on their journey from South Africa to the Arctic. Occasionally, they'll take off in a huge cloud, noisily discussing their next destination. But beware, dear traveler - the geese should be conserving every ounce of energy for their long journey, so it's best not to disturb them.

If you're feeling adventurous, take a walk out to Japland, a sand bank off the northwestern shore. But don't try to go barefoot like we did! Nature has a habit of cutting open your feet, so make sure to bring some water shoes or wellies. The walk is breathtaking, and the surroundings are truly unique.

As the sun begins to set, the geese finally calm down, but the terns and black-headed gulls continue their relentless squabbling. The haunting honks of the Eider ducks only add to the otherworldly atmosphere. But alas, it's time to head back to the real world. We'll board the ferry once more, leaving behind the rhythm of the tides and the sound of the wind. Until next time, fellow adventurer!

Hallig Hooge

One of the most recognizable elements of the Szczecin Castle is the unique Baroque clock. It comes from 1693. It was created to celebrate the victory of the Swedes in the war with Brandenburg. The clock looks intriguing. Already at the time of its creation, it was considered surprising. It shows a green gargoyle that moves its eyes in accordance with the movement of the large hour hand. He has a number showing the day of the month in his mouth. Above, the jester strikes the hours with his left hand and the quarters with his right, snapping his jaw and rolling his eyes. The griffin-decorated lower dial has no scale like today's minute dials. It shows quarters of an hour more accurately than minutes. The castle clock even shows the current phase of the moon! The clock was designed by Johann von Goethe and made by Caspar Nitardi.

Szczecin - Castle Clock

The Ducal Castle, also known as the Pomeranian Dukes' Castle, and Szczecin Castle, is a renaissance castle in the city of Szczecin, Poland, located at the Castle Hill in the Stare Miasto (Old Town) neighbourhood, near the Oder river. It is built in the gothic and Pomeranian mannerism architectural style. The castle was the seat of the dukes of Pomerania-Stettin of the House of Pomerania, who ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from 1121 to 1637. The building history originates in 1346, when duke Barnim III began the construction of the ducal housing complex, and continues to 1428, when, under the rule of Casimir V, it was expanded, forming the castle. Currently, it is one of the largest cultural centres in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland.

The castle was being refurbished during our visit and so the sound of the opera school, the swifts, rooks and pigeons battle with the sounds of hammering and cutting tools.

Szezecin - Castle Courtyard

The sound of a pedestian crossing near the city hall in Szczecin, Poland.

Szczecin - Światło Czerwone

Recording the sound of people practicing piano with the cobbled street and the ubiquitous swifts adding a backing track...

Nagrywanie dźwięków ludzi ćwiczących na pianinie z brukowaną uliczką i wszechobecnymi jerzykami dodającymi podkład...

Szczecin - Piano School

Join me aboard the magnificent Fair Lady as we embark on an unforgettable journey to Heligoland. Our adventure begins on the open deck, where the gentle symphony of the wind and sea serenade our senses. As we make our way below decks, we navigate through a lively crowd of spirited punk enthusiasts, eagerly en route to the renowned Butterfahrt Festival on Düne Island. It's only 8 am, yet the affordable beer flows freely, and I apologize in advance for any language that might be deemed inappropriate by our German-speaking friends.

Venturing deeper into the heart of the ship, we are enveloped by the rhythmic rumble and vibrations emanating from the engine, providing a captivating backdrop to the lively conversations, clinking cutlery, and eclectic music that fills the air. As we ascend past the engine room, climbing higher and higher, we reach a tranquil sanctuary after passing through the portholed door once again, greeted by the refreshing northern breeze that kisses our faces.

Recorded on a Zoom H1n recorder and Soundman OKMii binaural, in-ear microphones.

Heligoland Ferry

Gannets being nasty to each other on the remarkable Heligoland.

Heligoland Gannets

All week we've had great sunny days followed by evening thunder storms. It's unusual for this part of the world.
I've tried and failed to record them for the last few days, but tonight I got a little luckier.
WARNING: There's a very loud thunder clap, directly overhead, at about 2:30 into this track...
Recorded on a damp Zoom H3VR. Try listening with headphones...

Th Th Thunder

Taking my first, tentative steps into the world of field recording. More accurately, it's the middle of Poland, but hopefully it'll be the world before too long...

Solar-powered. Half-spreadsheet, half-goldfishbrain.
English, in Ireland. And Poland.

Barnaby Nutt

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