I have spent four nights with the wolves of Uppsala this August. No close contact but yesterday night I at least heard the parents howl in the distance. Impressive enough! Both parents are rather close descendants to Russian immigrants and therefore extremely valuable from a genetic perspective. Siggefora, Uppland. August 25, 2022.

Wolves howling

Many farmland birds in Sweden have decreased markedly in numbers during the last 30 years although the rate of decline is not as big during the last decade. I live in a nature reserve, Hågadalen-Nåsten, close to Uppsala where many farmland birds still thrives. This dawn recording starts with a Yellowhammer (background grasshopper warbler and sedge warbler) and continues with a Common Whitethroat (background Skylark). Yellowhammer and skylark are currently red-listed in Sweden. Uppsala, June 30, 2023.

Farmland birds having a difficult time

I have been very active recording in 2023 and this is a sample of some of my best recordings:
Ural Owl
Tengmalm's Owl
Pygmy Owl
Tawny Owl
Eagle Owl
Red Deer
Red Fox
Wild Boar
Wolf
Bullfinch
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Treecreeper
Hazel Grouse
Black Grouse
Capercaillie
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Common Frog
Pool Frog
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Skylark
Thrush Nightingale
Ortolan Bunting
Rosefinch
Tree Pipit
Garden Warbler
Bittern
Sedge Warbler
Water Rail
Savi's Warbler
Grasshopper Warbler
River Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Bearded Tit
Beaver
Great Snipe
Bluethroat
Reed Bunting

Best Of 2023

We have high hopes that 2024 will be a good year for owls in Uppland. Last night I set up the droprig to hopefully record a resident Great Grey Owl in Nåsten. I was not successful but had an excellent night despite this. The Ural Owls called through the night and also mated. In this recording you can first hear the male and in the end both the male and female with their courtship calls. During the night I also had Pygmy Owl, Tawny Owl and Eagle Owl on my recordings, so a good night overall! 
Uppsala, February 25, 2024.

Ural Owl calling and courtship

Someone or somebody woke up our magpies last night and they became very annoyed...!
Håga, Uppsala. March 30, 2024.

Brawling Magpies at midnight

From dusk to dawn with two pairs of cranes and one or two single male contenders. In this recording you will hear almost infrasound (80-200 Hz) growls and heavy panting as the males chase each other in the wetland and of course the trumpeting of cranes through the night. An amazing experience to be this close. Huddunge, Uppsala. April 9, 2024.

Mixpre 3ii + Lewitt 440 Pure in ortf

Cranes like you never heard them before!

Seven males black grouse were present on their lekking ground this morning but since no female was there, they only played for 20 minutes around 5AM and then 10 minutes around 8AM. This recording was "destroyed" by a redwing in the end that sang straight into the microphones! Huddunge, Uppland. April 9, 2024.

Mixpre 3ii + Lewitt 440 pure in ortf

Black grouse lek soundbombed by a redwing!

At night during the month of April rails are migrating north. Their calls may sometime be tricky to tell apart. Here you have different calls of water rails (black scooter and toads in the background) and the recording ends with a migrating coot and a moorhen.
Huddunge, Uppland. April 9, 2024.

Rails in the night

I have no idea what kind of mammal this is. Suggestions welcome! In this area you have fox, wolf, lynx, badger, moose, roe deer, fawn deer, red deer etc.
Huddunge, Uppland. April 9, 2024.

Mystery mammalian!

Not sure if this has ever been recorded before but during the fights between two male cranes I heard them panting and utter almost infrasound growls (80 to 200 Hz). These calls were not made by the wings. Has anyone heard these before?
Huddunge, Uppland. April 9, 2024

AudioTechnica BP4025 + Zoom F3

Near infrasound in Cranes fighting

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 blind 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

Lots of fallen trees in my home forest after the winter storms but this old pine (yes, photo shows a Norway spruce) never fell to the ground. It is lodged against another pine creating this creaking sound. Nåsten, April 19, 2024.

Zoom F3 + Mikro Usi Pro

Creaking pines

In the territory of this Jay you can find breeding Ural Owls and Tawny Owls. This recording shows how good jays are imitating other birds, the call of the Tawny Owl could be better but the harsh call of the female Ural Owl is uncannily close to the real deal. Nåsten, Uppsala. April 19, 2024.

Zooom F3 + Mikro Usi Pro

Jay imitating Ural Owl

This morning it was overcast and -3 degrees C. Song activity was quite dampened but the early spring passerines were active, first out at dawn is Robin, then followed by Song Thrush and Dunnock. In the vicinity lots of migrating Redwing and Brambling. Högbyhatt, April 19, 2024.

Mixpre 3ii + Lewitt 440 Pure

Early spring songsters in the forest

I make field recordings focusing on nature in my home county Uppland, Sweden. 

Equipment
Recorders: Mixpre 3ii, Zoom F6, F3x2
Microphones: Lewitt 440P, AudioTechnica BP4025, Clippy EM272, Mikro Usi Pro, Wildtronics stereo parabolic dish



Bo Söderström - Swedish soundscapes

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