Nature Recordings - Europe

The Eurasian Scops Owl (Otus Scops) is the only European owl that undertakes a long migration from south of the Sahara desert up to southern and eastern Europe to breed in the early Spring. 

This recording was made late at night on the Old Golf Course of Mandelieu La Napoule. A number of Scops Owls were calling to one another from the trees around the golf course. 

Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH 8040s
11.04.2021

Image courtesy of Frank Vassen (Creative Commons)

Eurasian Scops Owls - Mandelieu La Napoule, France

The Forêt des Cedres (cedar forest) is one of the most unusual of the forests and green spaces of the Luberon massif, given the oriental origin of these large trees. At an altitude of 727 metres, the cedar forest was originally planted with seeds from the Algerian Middle Atlas, back in 1861.

Due to it's altitude and distance from major towns and roads, the forest is very quiet and makes for a perfect recording location. I arrived an hour before sunrise intending to record the spring dawn chorus. As I approached the entrance to the forest I heard a nightingale singing so I slowly approached, getting as close to the bird's song post without disturbing it. I setup my mics using the "tree ears" technique: spaced omnis with the tree trunk acting as a natural baffle. 

Sony PCM A10 + 2 x Lom Mikro Uši (tree ears technique)
02.05.2022

Common Nightingale - Forêt des Cèdres du Luberon, France

I have tried to record common midwife toads unsuccessfully for over two years and finally succeeded on a recent trip to Lorraine. This recording was taken in an old disused quarry. The toads begin calling at dusk and when the conditions are right, continue on throughout the night. This recording was made at around midnight, once all the birds had stopped singing. There were hundreds of toads all calling at slightly different pitches, resulting in this very musical performance. 

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

Photo credit : Bernard DUPONT (Creative Commons)

Common Midwife Toads - Lorraine, France

The main goal of my trip to Lorraine in the east of France was to record Common Midwife Toads. The location was an old disused quarry just outside Lérouville and knowing the toads begin calling after dusk, I arrived early to have time to scope out the location. I was immediately greeted by a group of very vocal Pool Frogs, their calls echoing around the quarry. I captured this recording much later that night, just after midnight. 

Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH 8040s (ORTF)
Recorded on 05.06.2022
Photo credit : Holger Krisp (Creative Commons)

Pool Frogs - Lorraine, France

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 group of Black Grouse lekking, with up to 30 males (blackcocks) displaying as they try to attract hens, who will then choose their mate.  Recorded at dawn with an overnight drop rig.

Zoom F3 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH 8020s
12.04.2023

Photo courtesy of Jayne Simmons (Creative Commons)

Black Grouse Lek - Öjesjöbrännan Ekopark, Västerfärnebo, Sweden

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

This recording features an abundance of wetland birds, including Lapwings, Common Snipe, Whooper Swans, Grey Lag anmd Canada Geese, as well as distant Skylarks in the fields beyond the lake. Recorded at dawn using an overnight drop rig.

Sony PCM A10 + 2 x Lom mikroUši 
15.04.2023

Wetlands At Dawn - Gussjön Lake, Salbohed, Sweden

Shortly after dawn in the heart of the Fermansbo Urskog Nature Reserve, woodpeckers begin drumming on tree trunks. The forest is extremely calm. Towards the end of the recording we hear a group of Sandpipers calling as they fly through the forest.

Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 ii + 2 x Sennheiser MKH 8040s (ORTF)
13.04.2023

Woodpeckers - Fermansbo Urskog Nature Reserve, Sweden

Recorded in the heart of the Fermansbo Urskog Nature Reserve, the Eurasian Pygmy Owl calls out shortly before dawn. Recognised as the smallest owl in Europe, the Eurasian Pygmy Owl is not shy and once reassured that we were no threat, it happily sung from the trees above us.

Sound Devices Mix Pre ii + 2 x Sennheiser MKH 8040s (ORTF)
13.04.2023

Photo courtesy of Mattias Björkman (Creative Commons)

Eurasian Pygmy Owl - Fermansbo Urskog Nature Reserve, 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

In the stillness of a Swedish forest, a solitary Mistle Thrush sings its melancholic tune. This recording captures the essence of the forest, a place where time seems to stand still and the beauty of nature can be fully appreciated.

Recorded 14.04.2023
Zoom F3 + Sennheiser MKH8020

Image courtesy of Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (Creative Commons)

Mistle Thrush - Öjesjöbrännan Ekopark, Västerfärnebo, Sweden

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

Wildlife Sound Recording Society (WSRS) 2018 Competition 
- Individual Reserved Winner

I'd headed into Senonches forest to record the dawn chorus. I found a nice spot that was fairly open so set my mics up, then ran some long cables off to the side so I could sit down. I'd been recording for around 20 minutes when a Roe Deer came walking by, probably on it's way to drink from the nearby pond. It was only about 15 metres from where I was sitting and when it saw me, it ran off, then started barking loudly. Roe Deer bark (often repeatedly) when alarmed, so I had clearly surprised it.

Recorded with a Sound Devices 722 and 2 x Sennheiser MKH8040s on 09.04.17
Photo courtesy of Paul Appleton - Creative Commons License

Roe Deer Barks - Foret de Senonches, Le Perche, France

Late one evening I walked along the beach just outside Amarynthos Village on the island of Evia in Greece. I came across a group of crickets stridulating in some trees that bordered the shoreline. I setup my recorder directly below one of the trees and captured the cricket chorus accompanied by gentle waves lapping onto the beach.  

09 August 2018
Sony PCM-D100

Evening Crickets And Gentle Waves  - Amarynthos, Evia Island, Greece

In the middle of March each year, about 30 couples of Storks return to the Chateau de la Riviere in Saint Fromond, Normandy to breed. They have been coming to this part of France since around the 1970s and each year their numbers are increasing. 

Chateau de la Riviere is an old fortified castle, built in the 13th century. Uninhabited since 1818, and badly damaged in 1944 during fighting related to the Normandy landings, the castle is now home to White Storks during breeding season. 

I managed to record the adult storks clacking their beaks. We also hear young storks calling for food as the adults arrive back to the nest. This seems to immediately trigger more clacking by the adult. 

Recorded 02.05.19
Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + Telinga Parabolic Kit (Stereo MK2)

White Storks - Chateau De La Riviere, Saint Fromond, Normandy, France

The Buckenham Roost takes place in the winter months, roughly between late October and March. Just after sunset, groups of Rooks and Jackdaws begin flying in to gather in the trees surrounding Buckenham Railway Station. Up to 80,000 birds congregate here, noisily making their presence felt. This goes on for around thirty minutes until eventually, when the darkness is almost complete some sort of signal spurs the birds to fly up and swirl noisily east to settle in the woods of Buckenham Carrs where they will spend the night together.

Recorded 31.10.19
Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 + 2 x Sennheiser MKH8040 (ORTF)

80,000 Corvids - Buckenham, Norfolk, UK

This gentle insect chorus was recorded late at night on the Le Muracciole Farm on the outskirts of Canino in the Lazio region of Italy. The mics were placed close to a trickling stream resulting in a calm natural soundscape. 

Recorded 06.08.2020
Sony PCM A10 + 2 x LOM mikroUsi

Night Insect Chorus  - Canino, Lazio, Italy

This field recording captures activity around the nesting location of a group of European Bee Eaters. The nests were located in the banks of the river Fiora. The mics and recorder were carefully placed and left to record over a long period so not to disturb the birds. In the background we can hear a Golden Oriole, Skylarks and European Blackcaps.

Recorded 04.08.2020
Sony PCM A10 + 2 x LOM mikroUsi

European Bee Eaters - Montalto Di Castro, Lazio, Italy

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

Nature Recordings - Europe

World-Sounds.org