Evening at Étang de Ravoir

Haunting Red Deer rutting in the forest of Orléans

Red Deer Rut - Binaural 26:09:2022

These recordings were made with deep respect in the country of the Ngarrindjeri peoples.

With respect, with sadness, with hope. Everything here has changed; except for the sound of the ocean. Where the waters meet, is where the sounds merge. The sound of the ocean, permeating all, remains the same.

Unprocessed excerpts from original recordings. (Listening with good quality headphones - preferably open-backed - with a flat frequency response is recommended.)

An Afterword: I am deeply pleased and honoured that the original recordings from which this piece was composed have found a perfect home in Megan Spencer's important and heartfelt podcast, 'Bringing His Spirit Home: Private Arthur Thomas Walker, Ngarrindjeri ANZAC', as immersive field recordings made in, and expressing the natural spirit of, Arthur Thomas Walker's home country. This educational podcast is one of four produced by Megan, commissioned by the Virtual War Memorial Australia, and can be heard here: https://vwma.org.au/education/bringing-his-spirit-home-private-arthur-thomas-walker-ngarrindjeri-anzac.

Some of my earlier Kurangk/Coorong recordings have also been happily woven into Megan's related podcast, 'Walking in Two Worlds: The WW1 Story of Ngarrindjeri ANZACs Cryril & Rufus Rigney', which can be heard here: https://vwma.org.au/education/podcast--walking-in-two-worlds--the-ww1-story-of-ngarrindjeri-anzacs-cyril-rufus-rigney.

@Bandcamp

2022.10.09 From the Mouth of Murrundi to Goolwa Beach. Kumerangk, Kurangk. Night to Dawn. Spring.

Recorded in my garden (Creuse, France) on October 25th, 2022 at noon. Only one group of common cranes going South.

Unfortunately, the day was a bit windy.

Recorded with a Nagra Ares BB+, a pair on Sennheiser MKH8020, AB.

221025 · Noon · Passage of a group of common cranes (Grus grus)

On the shore of the Lac du Der at night, a talkative Red fox meets a pack of responsive Common cranes.

Recorded with Mélia Roger on November 5th 2022 around 9:30pm.

Lom Usi Pro AB in PCM M10
Drop rig excerpt.

Illustration : Grues trompettant, Robert Hainard

Cranes and Fox dialogue - Mélia Roger & Grégoire Chauvot

On Saturday, 12 November 2022, South Australia, including the whole Adelaide region, experienced an uncharacteristic extended storm of unusual intensity. Several storm fronts, arriving from the NW over St Vincent's Gulf, hit Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula. The storm has been described as "one of the strongest thunderstorms in recent memory",* causing flash flooding, wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h that tore down huge gum trees (many of which crushed houses, cars, and electricity lines), as well as flattening giant electricity pylons, leaving around a hundred thousand people without power. 

This recording, made in the Adelaide Hills (near Norton Summit), captures a sample of the first and mildest storm wavefront that day. (The recording begins at 10:30 in the morning. This abridged version selects two excerpts from the longer recording, chosen because of the poignant presence of bird calls audible between the peals of thunder. The highlighted parts of the spectrogram in the track image indicate the passages from the longer recording that were selected for this abridged version.) The microphones sheltered from the fairly light rain underneath a 'sweet pittosporum' or 'native daphne' tree (Pittosporum undulatum), native to southeastern Australia, but a 'declared plant' in South Australia ('a woody weed invading native local vegetation', due to widespread ornamental planting).

Travelling farther south immediately after this recording, I was able to intercept the next two storm wavefronts, which were far more intense. Although the storm was utterly awesome and spectacular (lightning bolts plunging into fields, exploding thunder tearing the atmosphere apart), it was impossible to find any spot from which to record the storm, because it brought with it an abundant lashing downpour of rain and wild tree-tossing winds. All the shelters in the state forests had iron rooves: the rain battering the rooves was deafening, drowning out even the peals of thunder.

In the end, I could only just sit and experience it. Which, after all, is the very best thing to do, with Nature. (Most of the time, at least. Not recommended when it gets this violent. Although I have to say that this was truly a very beautiful and awe-inspiring experience; and, personally, I'm very glad to have been out there to witness it. I'm also contemplating possible recording solutions, in case this ever happens again... Enraptured by thunderstorms as a spatial music of nature. All that I have said, here, is the simple truth.)
__________________________________________
*https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/why-the-adelaide-storm-was-so-intense/925471
https://www.sapowernetworks.com.au/data/313806/12-november-storm-update-from-sa-power-networks/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/18/australias-indigenous-people-call-for-seat-at-table-at-cop27
__________________________________________
Recorded with respect upon the land of the Kaurna people.

2022.11.12 Storm above the Hills. Late Spring. (Excerpt)

Comparison of Nevaton MC 59 interchangeable cardioid and omnidirectional capsule at the calm sea hitting the rocky coast. A simple ORTF. Unedited.
 
Windshield: Rode WS9
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre I

Calm Adriatic Sea - Nevaton MC 59 Cardioid/Omni Comparison

It's dawn on a very still Lake Öjesjön in mid April. Just a few days earlier the lake was completely frozen, but in the past few days Spring has well and truly come alive. In this recording we hear Canada and Grey Lag Geese, Common Cranes, Goldeneye and other wetland birds on the lake. From the trees on the shore of the lake we hear a Redwing accompanied by other woodland birds. From time to time we hear Black Grouse displaying in the distance. 

Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 ii + 2 x Sennheiser MKH 8040s (ORTF)
15.04.2023

Dawn At Öjesjön Lake - Västmanland, Sweden

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

A small swell pressing water and air between the ground ice and a bigger floe. Free water still, though the weather become colder. Recorded on a beautiful day with no wind and still open sea by Loukkeennokka shore in 

http://www.rupuranta.net/weblog/filet/210128/

(Sennheiser KE4 ab50cm, MixPre 32>24, no processing, 24/48 flac)

Snoring Sea Ice - 28/1/2021 - Loukkeennokka Shore

Sound editor - Field recordist - Bird enthusiast

Cranes and Fox dialogue - Mélia Roger & Grégoire Chauvot

Grégoire Chauvot

Recent comments

maaheli

Eeva Ojanperä

Olivier Swift

Lê Quan Ninh

Related tracks