A curated collection of sounds from the wild, from SoundCloud recording artists.

Wildlife Sound Recordings

sounds

Gamtos garsai

This soundwalk explores the agricultural traditions and ecology of Uist’s machair. A Gaelic word meaning fertile, low-lying grassy plain, machair is one of Europe's rarest yet most species-rich habitats; only occurring on the exposed west-facing shores of Scotland and Ireland. Generations of low-intensity farming have shaped this unique living landscape and encouraged wildlife over millennia. Developed in partnership with the local community, this work combines spoken narratives, Gaelic song, field recordings, and compositions with archival sound recordings from Edinburgh University’s School of Scottish Studies, that chart over 70-years tradition.

Contemporary voices include crofters Alasdair MacEachen and Anne MacLennan, whose crofts have been in their families for generations. With a lifetime of crofting experience, both provide first-hand perspectives on working the machair and reflect on how crofting practices have changed in their lifetime. Environmental scientist Matt Topsfield provides insights into the machair's formation, history, and ecology. Originally from Essex, Matt settled on Uist in 2010 as a project advisory officer for the EU-funded research project Machair Life. Towards the end of the walk, we hear from the next generation of crofters, namely brothers Freddie (aged 7) and Seoras (aged 4) MacDonald, who provide an excellent commentary on harvesting crops on the machair.

From the archive, we hear excerpts of Dr Emily Lyle's 1977 interview with islanders Roderick MacKillop, John MacIver, Angus MacKenzie, and John Morrison. Through their conversation, insights are given into pre-war crofting practices, collecting seaweed and planting crops, where the absence of machinery required considerable manual labour. Despite the hard work, we learn that these practices were an important social event that brought communities together – as MacKillop exclaims, ‘it was a special day!’.

As a cultural landscape, the machair and crofting practices are a source of inspiration and are often cited in Gàidhlig music and song. As such, songs from the Western Isles feature throughout and help frame the structure of the walk, echoing the themes featured in spoken narratives. These include songs about homeland and crofting practices, such as Angus MacDonald’s rendition of ‘Eilean Uibhist Mo Rùin’ (My beloved island of Uist) recorded in 1986, and Nan MacKinnon singing the children's song ‘Orra Bhonnagan a Ghaoil’ (Dear Orra Bonnagan) about lifting potatoes recorded in 1958. As we learn about seaweed, a 1977 recording of the waulking song ‘Mhòrag 's na Hòro-gheallaidh’ (Morag and the Promised) is heard that recounts a love story about a girl collecting seaweed. Light-hearted songs include a celebration of the humble potato, in the 1950 recording of Angus Fletcher singing ‘Am Buntàta 's an Sgadan’ (The Potato and Herring), and a selection of puirt à beul (mouth-music) dance tunes sung by Kenneth MacIver in 1959.

This work was commissioned by Dandelion and Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre, with funds from Event Scotland. Production team: Duncan MacLeod (composer), Mairi McFadyen (creative ethnologist), and Sorcha Monk (creative producer).

Full credits and link to the soundwalk can be found at: www.duncanmacleod.org/machair

Machair

The rainforests of Malaysia are some of the richest on the planet. While several national parks have been established in the country, large areas of primary forest still exist outside park borders, and it's these unprotected forests that are facing rapid & systemic destruction.

In March 2014 I spent a week in and around Taman Negara National Park recording the extraordinary sights and sounds of this stunning area. Sadly, only a few kilometres from park headquarters in Kuala Tahan, extensive areas of virgin forest are being logged and cleared for palm oil plantations. It's a story being played out throughout the world, as governments & corporations see forests as having more value dead than alive.

Recorded from a logging access road adjacent to pristine, primary rainforest, this is a sampler featuring some of the unique & beautiful natural sounds of this precious habitat.

Rainforest On The Edge

Rainforest On The Edge - Natural soundscapes recorded in Malaysia's lowland rainforest

Canis lupaster (=Canis anthus) Loup doré africain. African wolf or golden wolf
Enregistré au Maroc à Cala iris le 23 mars 2023 à 23h59.
Enregistrement avec couple de MKH 8040 en ORTF et Mixpre 3.
Photo : cc by sa 3 Cécile Bloch

Canis lupaster - Loup doré africain - African wolf

At the crossroads of day and night, diurnal birds meet nocturnal animals for a precious hour. Thus the black-crowned night herons, doves, ducks meet the roar of the deer, the fleeting bats and the tawny owl, in a unique and precious soundscape in the heart of the forest of Orléans, the biggest forest in France

Crépuscule Automnal À L'étang Du Ravoir (Automn Nightfall At Ravoir's Pound)

A stag is passing by in the woods of Svanøya island in Norway. I think the hinds is being chased as you can hear some movement before the stag is entering the scene. The strongest rut is in the middle of the recording and luckily it does not distort my recording. 

Sony PCM D50
LOM Microusi

Deer Passing.WAV

This recording is an excerpt from the album "Tropical Rainforest" in the series "Sounds of Wild Thailand" - downloadable from https://wildambience.com/albums/thailands-tropical-rainforest/

Thailand's Tropical Rainforest

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Thailand's Tropical Rainforest - Kaeng Krachan National Park

Voici un des sons surprenants que j’ai pu enregistrer au cours du voyage en Patagonie en novembre 2023 avec Fernand Deroussen. 
Attention à utiliser un dispositif d'écoute permettant de bien restituer les sons graves !

En arrivant dans la vallée de Chingue, au sud-est de El Calafate, nous avions l’impression qu’il y avait des travaux dans un chalet, comme des coups de marteau. 
Alors que je cherchais à enregistrer un oiseau, j’ai pu entendre distinctement un son sourd, répétitif à quelques mètres de moi et ce son provenait du sol ! Il y avait des trous dans le sol, caractéristiques d’un micromammifère. En croisant plusieurs sources d’informations, j’ai alors pu déterminer qu’il s’agissait du Tuco tuco de Magellan (Ctenomys magellanicus). 

Déjà, Charles Robert Darwin dans son récit du voyage du Beagle entre 1826 et 1836 écrivait à propos de cette espèce : « Au R. Negro, dans le nord de la Patagonie, il y a un animal qui a les mêmes habitudes et probablement des espèces très proches, mais que je n'ai jamais vu. Son bruit est différent de celui de l'espèce Maldonado [Ctenomys brasiliensis] ; il n'est répété que deux fois au lieu de trois ou quatre, et il est plus distinct et plus sonore : lorsqu'on l'entend de loin, il ressemble tellement au bruit que l'on fait en coupant un petit arbre avec une hache, que j'ai parfois eu des doutes à son sujet » (Jaksic 2023).

Le capitaine du Beagle, Robert Fitz-Roy, rapporte que "ce nom indien [tucu-tucu], prononcé de manière gutturale, exprime le curieux son produit par ces créatures lorsqu'elles sont sous terre,  un bruit qui ressemble un peu au coup d'un marteau éloigné » (Jaksic 2023).  Le son peut être entendu à au moins 10-15 mètres du terrier (Francescoli 1999).
Les Ctenomys sont des rongeurs vivant dans le sol. Soixante-neuf espèces ont été décrites, toutes présentent en Amérique du Sud (Zache et al. 2021). 
Malheureusement, le répertoire acoustique de ces espèces a été peu étudié. La plupart des données ont été obtenues en laboratoire et les rares études sur des espèces dans leur milieu naturel ne portent que sur les sons audibles en dehors des galeries souterraines. Les vocalisations des Ctenomys n’ont été étudiées que chez trois espèces. Ces espèces peuvent aussi produire des sons non vocaux produits par des vibrations de leur corps ou des claquements de dents (Zache et al. 2021). 
Dans cet enregistrement, il s’agit d’une émission vocale, de type séquentiel. L’animal ouvre la bouche, lève la tête et contracte son corps pour produire les sons (Francescoli 1999). Dans une étude sur deux autres espèces de Ctenomys, Zaché et son équipe ont pu mettre en évidence 5 types de vocalisation différents (Zache et al. 2021). 
Il est probable qu'il s'agisse ici d'un cri d'alarme en présence d'intrus. Mais sachant que les vocalisations de cette espèce n’ont pas fait l’objet d’études à ce jour, il est difficile d’en connaître réellement la signification (Jaksic, comm. pers 2023).

Cette espèce n'est pas menacée (LC (Llobet et al. 2023)). 

Bibliographie :
FRANCESCOLI, Gabriel, 1999. A preliminary report on the acoustic communication in Uruguayan Ctenomys (Rodentia, Octodontidae): basic sounds types. Bioacoustics-the International Journal of Animal Sound and Its Recording - BIOACOUSTICS. 1 janvier 1999. Vol. 10, pp. 203‑218. 
JAKSIC, Fabian, 2023. Historical and current knowledge of the Magellanic tuco-tuco Ctenomys magellanicus in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, South America. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural. 11 septembre 2023. Vol. 96. 
LLOBET, Toni, VELIKOV, Ilian, SOGORB, Lluís, PEACOCK, Faansie, JUTGLAR, Francesc, MASCARELL, Àlex et MARTÍ & JES, Blanca, 2023. All the Mammals of the World. Barcelona : Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-84-16728-66-4. 
ZACHE, Keila, SILVEIRA, Lucas, FRANCESCOLI, Gabriel et FREITAS, Thales, 2021. Description of the sound diversity of two species of tuco-tucos ( Ctenomys torquatus and Ctenomys lami ) in natural environment. 
Photo cc by Sebastián Saiter V

Ctenomys magellanicus - Tuco Tuco De Magellan

Pipistrelle bats using the farmhouse as a nursery.  Positioned a microphone the other side of the wall to record their chattering and scrabbling.  

Recorded September 2014 with 2 x DPA4060s to SD744T.
Extract from several nights of recording.

Pipistrelle Bats in the loft

This is, to me, the bravest LBJ (little brown job) of all. During the breeding season Meadow pipits perform what is know as ‘parachute’ display flights, in order to attract a mate. It literally gives itself away as if singing ‘i’m all yours, take me!’ (or the peregrine falcon will…). You can hear the beautiful descending notes in this recording, made on a windy day.

Species: Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Date and time of recording: 16 March 2021, 9am
Location: Aghatirourke, County Fermanagh, Ireland
Habitat: Moorland

Gear: 
Sennheiser MKH30 and MKH8060 in mid-side
Sound Devices 744t recorder

Nikon D750 Camera
amzn.to/43glcHo

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens
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Tamron 150-600mm Telephoto Lens
https://amzn.to/3IFMFZE

Wildlife hide tent
amzn.to/3TCIkwo

Rode VideoMicro On-camera Directional Microphone
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K&F Tripod
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Meadow Pipit of Aghatirourke

Tasmania's rainforests and old growth eucalypt forests have been subjects to decades of conflict between pro-logging groups and environmentalists. Thankfully, significant areas of these unique forests have been gazetted as World Heritage  sites and hopefully other areas such as the Tarkine wilderness will benefit from similar protection in the future.

This recording was made on the slopes of Mount Field National Park, and captures the sounds of some Tasmania's unique bird species. 

You can download and read more about the full album here - https://wildambience.com/albums/tasmanias-ancient-rainforest/

Tasmania's Ancient Rainforest

Album - 'Tasmania's Ancient Rainforest'

A vibrant spring dawn chorus recorded on the banks of the Cudgegong River in Wollemi National Park, NSW, Australia. 

Species recorded on this track include Musk Duck, Australian Reed Warbler, White-throated Gerygone, Superb Fairywren, Grey Fantail, Rufous Whistler, Noisy Friarbird, White-eared Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Grey Shrikethrush, Olive-backed Oriole & Australian Raven.

Cudgegong River Morning

Cudgegong River Morning - Recorded in Wollemi National Park, NSW, Australia

The sound of dewdrops and birdsong in one of Fiji's last remaining areas of primary tropical rainforest.

More info - https://wildambience.com/location-trip-updates/fiji/dewdrops-fiji-rainforest/

Dewdrops in Fiji's Rainforest

Professional Sound field recorder and sound editor based in Paris

#field recordings #sound effects #chill out

Crépuscule Automnal À L'étang Du Ravoir (Automn Nightfall At Ravoir's Pound)

Jocelyn Robert