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Life on Land’s Edge is our ode to migratory shorebirds, one of the world’s most extraordinary, and most threatened, species groups. Every year, millions of these birds travel on vast migratory corridors, Flyways, between their breeding and feeding grounds. Our Flyway, the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, stretches from the tundra of Alaska and Siberia in the north, to the coastlines of Australia and New Zealand in the south. For shorebirds, who dwell beyond society’s awareness on overlooked tidal mudflats, at the edge of the land and the sea, migration is in their DNA. Some of these birds have broken records that defy the imagination, flying uninterrupted for more than 13,000km.

Characterised by their extraordinary physical feats, diverse beaks for feeding in deep mud, and their soft, haunting calls, the 58 species that use our local Flyway have suffered the steepest population declines recorded anywhere in the world in recent decades. This, like so much ongoing degradation of the natural world, is due to climate change, human disturbance and loss of habitat. Certain species have experienced declines of between 60-90%, some with only a few hundred individuals remaining.

The music on this album comes from our live production of Life on Land’s Edge, which tells the story of these awe-inspiring birds through scientific and traditional knowledge, poetry, soundscapes, music and imagery from across the Flyway. In partnership with BirdLife Australia, eight new Australian compositions were commissioned, and then juxtaposed with works by Philip Glass, Dai Fujikura and Vivaldi. Life on Land’s Edge takes audiences on an epic journey alongside migratory shorebirds as they connect continents and cultures: a musical and visual odyssey, and an uplifting call to action. 

Releases June 30, 2023.

Recorded by Mick Wordley at Mixmasters, Adelaide Hills, March 2023
Produced & Edited by Anthony Albrecht, Simone Slattery
Mixed by Chris Doherty at Studio 301, June 2023
Mastered by Andrew Edgson at Studio 301, June 2023
CD Design by the Bowerbird Collective
Artwork by Annie Day, Kate Gorringe-Smith
Photography by Chris Purnell, Nigel Jackett, Tristan Stringer, Shelley Pearson (Liner Notes Front Cover), Georgina Steytler (Liner Notes Back Cover)

Produced with respect and gratitude on Kaurna, Gadigal and Wonnarua Country

Invisible Connections - Simone Slattery

Bowerbird Collective