Zoom H6 with matched EM172 mics using 12 volts phantom. Set up on a modified Olsen wing with mics angled outwards. First trial of this rig; a trial and error approach with ad hoc dimensions and angles just to see what happens. Wanted to keep the size manageable; so not as large as some wings.
Seems to be no perfect dimensions as far as I can find so I just did my own thing. Initial recording is better than I expected despite the traffic noise.
Any feedback greatly appreciated here. This was a real stab in the dark attempt.

Mod "Olsen Wing" garden birds and helicopter! - first test

short sections from a longer unattended recording beside a mountain burn near Beinn Eighe.
H6 with 2x EM172 omni's on wing.

Grey Wagtail, willow warbler and faint sand martins.

A short excerpt from a storm passing close by. The original recording lasts around 30 mins.  The loudest part of the storm suffered from clipping so I chose this section from a little later when the gusts and rain were in full flow. Maybe analog limiters are not such a bad idea even for nature recordings!
Zoom H6 with 2x EM172 omni's on my modified wing.

Thunder Storm excerpt.

Recording of emerging insect life (mostly bloody midges) and various birds singing after the morning's rain stopped and the sun appeared.
Did I have my midge repellant? Nope. Did I suffer the consequences? Yep.
H6 and 2x EM172 mics on my homemade wing.

Loch Bran soundscape after the rain stopped.

A segment from a longer recording made in woodland on North shore of Loch Maree. Wren singing in this selection.
H6 with 2x EM172 mics on wing.

Wren L.Maree Woodland Soundscape

Recording of a shore crab in a rockpool near Achmelvich in the NW Highlands. I had no idea what this was initially.  I was surprised how loud it was until I realised I had inadvertently let the mic settle on top of the poor beast which was hiding under some fronds of kelp! It does pay to get close to your subject!
H6 and JfR hydrophone.
Image courtesy of John Haslam.

Shore Crab Chirping In Rock Pool

A failed attempt to record ravens but managed to salvage a few minutes of a stag roaring on the floor of the glen. I was sheltering from the strong breeze in a cave up on crags hence the dripping water all around.
H6 with MKE600 mic in a blimp and dead-cat. Normalisation and 150dB high pass filter used.

Stag Roaring, Assynt.

24/03/18 A windy day in the hills near Lochindorb Scotland.
Calls of greater spotted woodpecker and buzzard can be heard.
Zoom H6 with MKE600 mic.

Wind in the Willo.......ok pines, with a couple of residents struggling to get heard.

Signs of spring at last in the Highlands; a few toads starting the breeding frenzy still to come.
Zoom H6 with MKE600 mic

Toads Mating Calls

Mysterious sounds from below the surface. Picture of site as it appears in warmer seasons, still snow on the ground today.
Zoom H6 with JfR hydrophone.

Pond Life Mysteries

Fulmars around a small coastal cliff in Easter Ross Scotland.
Zoom H6 with x:y capsule.

Fulmars

Recording of a pair of stonechats on a warm but breezy evening on the lower slopes of Ben Eighe, Glen Torridon.
Zoom H6 with MKE 600 mic

Stonechats

Starlings chattering away on a telegraph wire, probably discussing the imminent storm approaching. Wind and waves also present despite hiding in a depression in the ground.

Starlings At Machrihanish

Wind and waves as storm "Ali" hits the Kintyre peninsula.
Recorded from the waters edge in deep shelter from the wind.
The exposed coast I visited was wild and impressive with foam filled air but just chaotic noise. A very loud noise to be sure! Decided against recording there.

Storm "Ali" arrives at Kintyre.

Recorded at night just after a car had passed by stirring up some of the local birdlife.
Zoom H6 MKE 600 mic

Poolewe Sandpiper Greenshank Dunlin

Weird pond life sounds, always fascinating to listen to.

Zoom H6 JRF hydrophone.

R Ewe Pond Life 070619

Farewell recording of my 2002 Yamaha XT600e. Traded in for a new bike in September hence the untypical clean look to impress the bike shop.

XT600e Rear 170919 1312

Lifelong amateur naturalist, birds and geology with a bit of marine biology thrown in from diving days.
New to sound recording....lot to learn I know.
Constructive feedback very welcome.

Highland Soundscapes.

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