Nature Recordings - Europe

As the sunset in the old disused quarry, just outside Lérouville, most of the songbirds fell silent. But the Song Thrush perched just to the left of my microphones and continued singing for another 15 minutes. In the background we hear the melodic chorus of Common Midwife Toads that were located in the sandy hill just ahead of my mics. At around 3 minutes in, we also hear Parsley Frogs off in the distance.

Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + 2 x MKH 8040s (ORTF)
Recorded on 05.06.2022

Song Thrush And Common Midwife Toads - Lorraine, France

This recording captures a male Capercaillie lekking at dawn. We hear this majestic forest bird flying down from it's tree perch before displaying on a raised mound, flapping it's wings and producing fascinating popping and clicking vocalisations. It took three overnight drop rig recording sessions in this magical forest to locate and successfully record the lekking. 

Zoom F3 + Sennheiser MKH 8020s
15.04.2023

Photo courtesy of David Palmer (Creative Commons)

Western Capercaillie Lek - Öjesjöbrännan Ekopark, Västerfärnebo, Sweden

The Red Deer Rut (Brame du Cerf) recorded in the heart of the  the Orleans Forest, the largest Forest in France. 

Zoom F3 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH8020s
23.09.2023

Red Deer Rut - Forêt d'Orleans, France

Summer has passed, winter is approaching. Until the rains return, the creek is dry, but pools of water remain, here and there, where a few Bibron's Toadlets linger, croaking with a sound somewhat like glass marbles grating and rattling against one another. Small birds flutter down to drink water. Particular birds sighted were Grey Fantails and Red-capped Robins. If you listen carefully, you will hear the sounds of the water as they drink, while hovering in mid-air. Birds heard in the distance include Crimson Rosellas and Grey Currawongs.

A small token towards Earth Day 2024. Macrocosms are woven only out of microcosms. If the microcosms are well, the macrocosm will be well. An unattended recording made with a pair of FEL Clippies (Primo EM172s), draped, hanging, from a branch near the pool, into an F3. Occasional contact sounds are small birds landing on adjoining branches, and sometimes perhaps the branch from which the microphones dangle.

A shorter excerpt from this longer recording, focusing on the sounds of the water as the small birds drink, has also posted here, at https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20240406-small-birds-drinking-water-from-a-small-pool-autumn-excerpt.

Recorded with respect upon the land of the Kaurna people.

2024.04.06 Small Birds Drinking Water from a Small Pool. Autumn. (Long Version)

I got to spend December 2023 recording in several jungle locations in Costa Rica. The experience was wonderful and inspiring. Most of the trip was spent on Osa Peninsula, in lodges that bordered Parque Nacional Corcovado (Corcovado National Park). With nearly 2.5% of the world's species represented, many of them endemic, it is  recognized as one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.

On the same morning as the previous  Midnight Chorus recording https://soundcloud.com/soundeziner/cr-fincasueno-midnightchorus, a troop of Golden Mantled Howler Monkeys greeted the Dawn and their neighbors (and the rest of the jungle) the only way they know how. Male mantled howlers have an enlarged hyoid bone, a hollow amplifying bone near their vocal cords that gives the ability to generate great "howling"  calls that can heard for kilometers.  Howling allows the monkeys to exercise territory and remain in contact  without expending energy through movement or bearing the risks of physical confrontation. As someone who likes little more than sitting in a forest listening to nature speak, I approve of this lazing behavior.

While this howling is their most well-known vocal characteristic, I'm rather fond of the popping and grunting that warms up to the howl and pads the time in between. It's relatively quiet, and is most noticeable only when near the vocalizing howler. The best description of it that I can think of is like the "vocal fry" not uncommon in many of today's pop singers. Check it out near the start of the first round of howling around 2:40 (link in the comments)

After a first round of loud howls, the group takes a break. With what is known about Mantled Howler activity, they're likely sleeping, or maybe eating. After 20-is minutes, they pick up again for a brief session before settling back down. It's possible they've been moving during this time as they're quieter during this round. Finally, just before Sunrise at 05:38 in the morning, they pick up again, slowly building and then tapering off after nearly 30 minutes of vocal exercising.

After speaking with other recordists, I know I am far from alone as someone who loves their sound, but I I may be one of the few that enjoys waking up to their calls. Every morning I heard this in the distance or nearby was a morning I walked out to breakfast with a big silly grin on my face.

Another voice that has become a personal favorite is the Yellow-throated Toucan, with their rhythmic, bouncing song that seems to carry on forever. There is at least one singing for most of this recording, but you can get your first good listen behind the Howlers at 53:27 or skip ahead to 1:06:02 to hear two singing at each other.

Hummingbirds are abundant, and you'll hear their buzzing wings fly by and around the microphones numerous times. Also coming and going are raucous and noisy Scarlet Macaws and Red-lored Parrots, a lone Red-eyed Tree Frog, a visiting Little Tinamou, and more. 

I'll point out a few voices along the way in the comments, but I'm out of my depth when it comes to identifying neotropical birds, so I'll largely let the ecosystem speak for itself. Feel free to poke around with links in the comments to scoot around the recording, or just let it play out over your morning coffee like I do.

Feel like seeing some fancy colors? I've been playing at visualizing soundscapes lately. Check out the video for this recording on YouTube: https://youtu.be/duxU2INkyXI?si=xhIrgiHiOSOk922l

AMNS Costa Rica 01

Golden Mantled Howlers at Dawn

Accompanied by Starlings, Reed Warblers, distant corvids

Grasshopper Warblers

I was lucky to visit Xinjiang back in 2011. This recording is from Tianchi Lake, situated at an altitude of 1900m above sea level. It is an alpine glacial lake surrounded by montane forests. It is also a major national tourist attraction, one of the AAAAA (5A) areas area of outstanding beauty designated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It’s essentially an area prepared for mass tourism, which in china means big numbers.

However, a short walk up the forested slopes and away from the main visitor centres there is tranquillity to be found. And that is where I recorded this summer soundscape with playful nutcrackers.

Main Species: Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) 
Background whistling: Black Kites (Milvus migrans)
Habitat: Alpine Forest
Location: Tianchi Lake, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, PRC
Time and date: 13 July 2010, 11am

Gear: (Associate links)
Fostex Fr2-LE
Rode Nt4 https://amzn.to/4bcROVi 
Nikon D40 https://amzn.to/4dedVMC

Nutcrackers of Tianchi Lake

Je n’avais pas anticipé qu’il ferait aussi froid ce matin et lorsque les premiers rayons du soleil ont commencé à me réchauffer, j’aurais volontiers chanté comme un oiseau.

I hadn't expected it to be so cold this morning so when the first rays of sunshine started to warm me up, I would have happily sung like a bird.

2024 © Ph.V.

Ambiance matinale en Forêt de la Coubre

The gentle sounds of wind blowing through the tree canopy and across the forest floor. (beech, pine)

Wind Soundscape - Pine and Mixed Woodland

A Blackbird serenades the air at dawn from a coastal Gorse bush atop a rocky cliff in East Cork. His sweet melodic tune wafts through the air pairing perfectly with the fragrant piña colada aromas of the sun-yellow Gorse flowers. A Stonechat gently sings in the distance. Crashing waves below remind us of our seaside location. Spring is truly in the air and this handsome black and orange lad wants to attract a partner but also let other competitors know that he's fit, healthy, attractive and is laying a claim to this spot.

Blackbird on the Cliffs

Porto ◉ Ocean blow holes ◉

I am currently collecting material for a sound map of my home town Heidelberg, this recording was made for that purpose. In an allotment area, somewhere around 5 am, the birds wake up and join those that have been singing all night long. We can hear – as a soloist – a redstart with a background chorus of 3 Nightingales and some blackbirds, together with others. The city is still quiet – I was touched to find such a friendly dawn chorus in the middle of the still sleeping city. The recording is an excerpt from an unattended overnight recording.
Clippy EM 272 in A/B, 60 cm in Zoom F3.

Dawn chorus in town – redstart, nightingales, blackbirds….

I love the many different calls of ravens - this call is something that I hear less often and I am not sure when it is being used. Perhaps just for fun?
Högbyhatt, Uppsala. May 1, 2024.

Mixpre 3ii + Lewitt 400 pure in ortf

A raven chatting

I recently visited the Camargue region in southern France to record the mating calls of the greater flamingo.

This recording was taken with the group of flamingos approximately 5 to 10 metres away.

Recorded using a stereo pair of DPA 4060s into a Sound Devices 722.

Photo : Auriane Hunter

Flamingo Mating Calls (Close Perspective) - The Camargue, France

At 48 km2, the Lac du Der is the largest artificial lake in Europe. It was built in the 1974 regulate the river Marne and help protect Paris from flooding. 

Since its construction, the lake has become a paradise for birds and is a main stopping point for Common Cranes during their migration from north to south in late autumn and from south to north from mid winter. 

This recording features the Common Cranes as they take off into flight at sunrise, recorded in early January of 2021. Having rested overnight, the birds fly off in groups, with hundreds, sometimes thousands of individuals calling out. Their morning flight is usually to surrounding fields where they search for food, before continuing their migration.

Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH 8040 (ORTF)
10.01.2021

Photo Credit : BarbeeAnne (Creative Commons)

Common Cranes - Lac Du Der, Champagne-Ardenne, France

Sound recordist Colin Hunter 
Founder of the World Sounds project

Common Cranes - Lac Du Der, Champagne-Ardenne, France

World-Sounds.org

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