This is quite a rare recording where the infrasound of the lekking male capercaillie is clearly audible. This infrasound is thought to be an indication of male quality and the two bands of 35 Hz and 55 Hz probably travel much longer in the forest than the rest of lek. When males utter their infrasounds just after the "plop" they go temporarily deaf so it must be quite exhausting to produce. The males go directly under my microphone and the "crisp" sounds are from dry reindeer moss.

Skogstibble. April 21, 2023.

Mixpre 3ii + AudioTechnica BP4025

Infrasound in lekking Capercaillie

Beware of the flying capercaillie, 5 kilos on the move, after less than a minute. Otherwise quite a strange mix of species this morning: bitterns, ural owls, and capercaillies... 
Fiby, Uppsala. April 23, 2024.

Lewitt 440 pure + Mixpre 3ii

A strange mix of bird species

This is a cover of Capercaillie's Both Sides Of The Tweed by Klandathu.

Both Sides Of The Tweed

A Capercaillie mixtape. Collated in the month before a trip to Skye with the boys. 

Dr MacPhail's Reel
Dr MacPhail's Trance
Bonaparte (remix)
The Little Cascade
Coisich a Ruin
Take the Floor
Alasdair Mhic Cholla (extended remix)
Marc's Set
Eastern Reel
Balindore
Four Stone Walls
Silver Spear Reels (live)
Hebridean Hale-Bop (edit)
The Hebrides
Waiting For The Wheel ('92 version)

fergus' reel (Capercaillie catch the ferry to Skye)

Capercaillie lek, fighting, displaying

Highlights from a Capercaillie lek with closeup recording of all parts of the male display including infrasound parts as the flutterjumps and the "buzz" (28 Hz).

Uppland. April 17, 2025.
Zoom F3 + AudioTechnica BP4025

Clicks, Trill, Cork, Whetting, Flutterjumps and Infrasound

A Common Snipe perched on top of a pine and had its so called "ground display" when two Capercaillies decided to take breakfast on that particular pine top! They have a lek in the nearby forest. After a while the Capercaillies realise that I am directly below the tree and decide to take off. The first male has some "grunts" when taking off. An older gentleman perhaps?

Långhällsmossen, Uppland. April 24, 2025.
Mixpre 3ii + Wildtronics stereoparabole

Common Snipe disturbance

I’ve loved immersive audio things since falling asleep to prog rock albums on cassette players at night as a kid. These are things I’ve made over the years as Batty Roy, Keta Bush & Sonic Headtrip Inc while DJing and messing around with Ableton.

I’m capturing sounds in nature which hopefully makes you feel present and as part of nature.

Musician and songwriter from Scotland.
Please like if you like a track and leave a comment. Thanks.

Field sound recordist and archivist of vanishing sounds in natural Iandscapes. Highly commended in the Sound of the Year Awards 2024 - Best Natural Sound.

New tracks tagged #capercaillie