Bringing nature to you in sounds and images
Jul 26th, 2010 by andrew skeoch
Late Winter Birdsong in the Australian Bush by Listening Earth
Ah, it is so good to be home!
After our four month field trip in Turkey, Sweden and the UK, Sarah and I arrived back to our bush home last Wednesday evening. We were tired, but happy to be back in familiar surroundings.
Jul 7th, 2010 by andrew skeoch
Seabird soundscape from the Farne Islands by Listening Earth
No one could say that tens of thousands of seabirds breeding together on a small, rocky island would be anything but noisy. Raucous in fact.
Jun 30th, 2010 by Sarah Koschak
Puffin heaven! – 38,000 of these adorable little birds pack onto the Farne Islands, a dozen rocky islets off the north-east coast of England.
We set out from Seahouses, a small town on the east Northumberland coast. It was a sunny day with barely a puff of wind, which boded well for Andrew who was hoping to get some recordings.
Our small tug boat departed at 10am, and en route we observed Grey Seals lolling on the rocky outcrops amongst the kelp as the sea crashed and sprayed around them.
Grey seals in the surf
Jun 19th, 2010 by andrew skeoch
Redstart song in the Scandinavian Taiga by Listening Earth
This last week, Sarah and I have spent at the small village of Drevdagen, in the highlands near the Norwegian border.
The upland taiga of Sweden is so beautiful – wild and desolate, yet delicate and ephemeral.
Jun 12th, 2010 by Sarah Koschak
In 1977, I was given the book Gnomes (written by Wil Huygen and beautifully illustrated by Rien Poortvliet) by my aunt Sally when I was 8 years old – It instantly became my favourite book. I used to pour over the stories and pictures, explaining the habits, family life and mythology of Gnomes, Trolls and the Snotgurglers (my personal favorite for the name alone), never imagining I would one day visit Scandinavia – homeland of the Gnome!
We are staying in a cottage that backs onto a long distance wilderness walking track that meanders its way through Sweden’s national parks and forests. We were rained in the first three mornings, but today I was up at 2am, and made my way along the track.
Forest in Drevdagen
Jun 12th, 2010 by andrew skeoch
Dawn birdsong in Dalarna, the Dales of Sweden by Listening Earth
Driving out of Stockholm, our first impression of Sweden was of a landscape that seemed like a never-ending golf course.
That doesn’t sound very appreciative, does it? It is probably inspired by the mixture of woodlands and grassy fields, and the sense of a landscape tended with care for generations. Add in the quaint farmhouses with traditional red-stain wood buildings, and a proliferation of beautiful lakes, and Sweden is a very picturesque country.
Jun 10th, 2010 by andrew skeoch
Dawn chorus in the Forests of Turkey by Listening Earth
After two months of travelling through Turkey making nature recordings, our final morning in the forests turned out to be a wonderful culmination of all that we have experienced here – a lovely conclusion to our time in this fascinating country.
Jun 8th, 2010 by andrew skeoch
Birdsong in Turkey’s agricultural lands by Listening Earth
After many weeks of exploring Turkey’s forested and more wilderness landscapes, it came as a pleasant surprise for us to discover how rich in birdlife her agricultural landscapes were.
May 29th, 2010 by andrew skeoch
Dawnsong of Robins in the Black Sea Mountains of Turkey by Listening Earth
During our time in Turkey, we have often found recording a good variety of birdsong difficult and perplexing. Forests where we anticipated symphonies of birdsong were eerily quiet, or we’d find birds singing heartily, only to realise we were hearing species found commonly throughout Europe.
At times like these we’d console ourselves with our antipodean ignorance Continue Reading »
May 23rd, 2010 by andrew skeoch
Wheatears and Snowmelt by Listening Earth
Those of you in the northern hemisphere who have endured a grueling winter will probably be over the novelty of snow. But for us Australians, it is great to be playing in the white stuff for the first time in many years.
