Birdsong in the Garden of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul
Mar 27th, 2010 by andrew skeoch
In the garden of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul by Listening Earth
The heart of a bustling city such as Istanbul may seem an unlikely place for nature sound recording. But this morning I thought I’d give it a go.
The day dawned bright and sunny, and I grabbed my recording gear and walked through the yet-to-open markets, up to the magnificent Blue Mosque, which is only a few minutes stroll from our hotel.
Istanbul has many magnificent Ottoman mosques dotted around its skyline, and the Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmet Camii, is regarded as one of the finest. Inside its walls is a pleasant garden, and here I let my recorder capture the morning birdsong.
It was a peaceful place at a quiet time of day, with a variety of birds making the garden home.
On this recording can be heard ubiquitous House Sparrows, plus other species characteristic of this eastern extreme of Europe: a Robin, Hooded Crows, Caspian Gulls, Laughing Doves and a Chiffchaff (thanks Veljo for identifying). You can even hear occasional horns from shipping on the Bosporus!
Established in 1993 by nature sound recordist Andrew Skeoch and photographer Sarah Koschak, Listening Earth offers a range of beautiful nature sound recordings from around the world.
"Our albums feature only the sounds of nature as you would hear in the wild - no music or other distractions. Recorded in often remote and pristine locations, they bring you the relaxing and beautiful sounds of our living planet. Listen, and let our recordings take you there."
Thanks for sharing the recording! Its interesting to hear nature sounds in different cities and feel the local atmosphere. Warbler song in background belongs to Chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita.
I was in Italy this week with my family and tried to make some recordings in small town of Arona. But traffic there is very busy even in early morning hours.
Great sounds. The Caspian Gulls are gorgeous.
Your recording is lovely – quite amazing!
Nice recording! I like the Laughing Dove in the background.