One morning, managed to grab this short snatch of some cute Magpie chatter from the balcony with the D100.

2021.01.03 A Little More Magpie Chatter

The enigmatic Magpie,
omnipresent, sews whole
this world of paradox
with one forever-evolving song.

About this track: No mixing and no effects in post. Essentially, this is field recording pure and simple, with only one thematic experimental inclusion. A continuous recording of a Magpie singing* was pitched down one octave and slowed down to half its original tempo. This recording was played back through wireless portable speakers in several quite different kinds of locations, so that the pitch-and-time-shifted recording of the Magpie's singing became an actually present element in each location where a new field recording was made. Selected segments from the first few of these 'live spatial mix' recordings were linked together with simple cross-fades. The Magpie's singing persists through each part, physically present in each, stitching them all together, and creating from them a new sense. The work continues as an evolving process and experiment; but this track is offered as an indulgently lengthy sample: a first seeing of a 'first sewing'.

The locations were chosen quite intentionally for the kinds of soundscape, sound events, and sound qualities that they would provide; but, in every case, there were always unexpected and often beautifully synchronistic surprises. I was careful not to obtrude or interfere in any of these places and soundspaces; yet, at the same time, it felt as though the Magpie's song was somehow enigmatically prompting each place, each soundspace, into some form of reaction, interaction, or response.

The recording can be listened to with good headphones or good speakers, at a medium volume, preferably in a quiet environment; quality open-backed headphones are particularly recommended.
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*The original recording from which the Magpie singing was excerpted can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20200831-pine-forest-winterspring-midnight-magpies.

Other related tracks:
https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20220410-experimental-prelude-echo-tunnel
https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20220126-27-thunderstorm-meditation-summer-night

2022 (April to July). Magpie Stitching. First Sewing.

In the first part of this recording, listen for the quiet 'grunting' or 'chortling' sounds and the soft 'squeals' in the foreground, both much lower in frequency than the background lorikeet calls, of the juvenile magpie feeding. In the second part, other magpies arrive, and the juvenile begins a louder plaintive calling. At the end, one of the tenants comes along and gets into his car under the adjacent carport, and the magpies fly off.

The dramatic increase in the number (and loudness) of rainbow lorikeets audible in the background, compared to the earlier recordings in this set, is due to the fact that the local gum trees have flowered - a favorite food of lorikeets; and of fruit bats, too.

Recorded around 8:30 am with a Sony D100 concealed very close to where the birds feed. (Best listened to with good quality headphones with a flat frequency response.)

Photo credit: Antoni Camozzato, https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/50584509, under a CC BY-NC License. (Photo of Gymnorhina tibicen telonocua taken locally in September 2019.)

2020.03.22 Back Yard Magpies Feeding (No. 6)

Australian Magpies (the local sub-subspecies is Gymnorhina tibicen telonocua) are extremely intriguing. They are beautiful and sensitive musicians; yet they can also be vicious and violent group-thugs, both to their own and other species. They seem to be as fundamentally contrary, and as fundamentally fascinating, as human beings. Which makes one wonder what goes on in their minds.

This recording was made close to the coast in Deep Creek Conservation Park, South Australia. Hence the roar of the ocean and crashing of large waves in the distance, as perpetual undercurrent throughout (somewhat rolled off, in this version, so as not to compete too much with the vocalisations of the birds). I'd just recorded my second 'Night Listening' episode (https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20200706-night-listenings-winter-location-2-part-1 and https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20200706-night-listenings-winter-location-2-part-2). That was followed by a 'First Light' episode, made at the blurred boundary between the Conservation Park and adjacent pastoral properties (https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20200706-deep-creek-winter-first-light-part-1 and https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20200706-deep-creek-winter-first-light-part-2).

An hour after sunrise, I'd planted my main rig at a third location, within the Conservation Park, some distance farther inland, in what I felt would be a potentially auspicious location, and was wandering towards the ocean, with the D100, through the fringes of the eucalypt forest, seeking out interesting sound events.

This was one of the scenes that I was grateful to have been able to capture. When I later listened to what my main rig had captured, I was intrigued to find that one of the scenes it had recorded was an almost identical kind of exchange between Magpies, nearly a kilometre away (forthcoming).

Aside from Magpies and Ravens, other species occasionally audible in the background of this recording include, among others, Crescent Honeyeaters,  Fairy Wrens,  Galahs, Grey Currawongs, Grey Fantails,  Grey Shrikethrushes, Lorikeets,  Rosellas, Scrubwrens, Willy Wagtails.

Recorded at around 08:30 with a Sony D100. Alternation of calm and slight breezes.  Overcast, 9° C, high humidity. Original recording at 192/24, resampled to 48/24 for upload here. (Best listened to with good quality headphones with a flat frequency response.)

Recorded on land of the Kaurna people, that is now designated as Conservation Park, although the descendants of the Kaurna people have apparently not been engaged by Government in the management and operation of this Conservation Park, as, under all historical, cultural and ethical considerations, they absolutely should have been.

2020.07.06 Coastal Eucalypt Forest. Winter. Morning. Australian Magpie Interactions. Location 1.

For the background to this recording, see the track description of https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20200706-coastal-eucalypt-forest-winter-morning-australian-magpie-interactions-location-1.

This is the long version of the parallel recording, made at the same time by an unattended rig about one kilometre away, farther inland, with very similar magpie vocalisations and interactions. But the overall soundscape and temporal flow feel subtly different.

The recording begins at 8:26 am. The location is 1.3 kilometres from the nearest point of rock and cliff coastline, but most of the audible ocean sound is actually coming from Tunkalilla Beach, between 1.5 and 6.5 kilometres away. (Compare: https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20200810-tunkalilla-beach-first-light-winter-eurasian-skylarks-excerpt, https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20200810-creek-and-ocean-shore-winter-excerpt.)

(A brief excerpted detail from this long version has also been uploaded: https://soundcloud.com/hearingbeings/20200706-coastal-eucalypt-forest-winter-morning-magpie-interaction-location-2-detail.)

Recorded with a pair of MKH 8020s in AB at 50 cm into a MixPre-6-II. Minimal post-processing, with no EQ. (96/32 WAV > 48/24 FLAC.)

(Best listened to with good quality headphones with a flat frequency response.)

Recorded on land of the Kaurna people that is now a Conservation Park.

2020.07.06 Coastal Eucalypt Forest. Winter. Morning. Magpie Interactions. Location 2 (Long Version).

(Best listened to with good quality headphones with a flat frequency response.)


Track image: Modification of a photograph by Antoni Camozzato, https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/50816578, under CC BY-NC licence.

2020.08.31 Telonocua

(Best listened to with good quality headphones with a flat frequency response.)

2020.08.31 Pine Forest. Winter/Spring. Midnight Magpies.

Actual number: 288

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