terrific rasping sound from this mechanical wind pump – a slow turning sail drives a reciprocating water pump directly. The clunk is probably OK but that rasp could use some grease
Mechanical Wind Pump at Ham Wall
Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff counterpoint
I love the sound of willow warblers, for a long time I had only heard them in Scotland, where they aren’t so fussy about willow. When I lived in Suffolk I heard them very rarely.
Somerset has plenty of willow on the Levels, and it has a good number of Willow Warblers with their lovely liquid song. Here one seems to be duking it out for territory with a Chaffinch
Ebbor Gorge, Somerset Dawn Chorus
There’s a welcome reduction in aircraft during the coronavirus pandemic, which means our soundscapes aren’t scarred by the rumble of jets. I listened to the lovely soundscape unfold, with an extract from the early part of the chorus which is more sparse, the later part which is denser and richer in sound.
It was a lovely expedition to a local nature reserve, and I am intrigued to sample other nearby soundscapes with less human-induced noise. The gorge helps shield the valley from noise, it will be interesting to see if this works on the Somerset Levels as well, which don’t have the protection of lots of limestone rock.
International Dawn Chorus Day
I joined with Locusonus and the Reveil project to broadcast birdsong from near my garden for International Dawn Chorus Day. Due to the coronavirus pandemic the choice of locations was limited. It’s good to appreciate one’s local birds, however, this blackbird sang well after he’d settled down from whatever fright woke him up at the start.
These mics aren’t the finest – basically cheap Chinese electrets because they’ll be left out in all weathers. IDCD was a still dry day, and the birds could give of their best, with human noise lower than usual. The recording extract starts at at about a quarter to six BST.
Clap for Carers NHS Appreciation
Every Thursday in the coronavirus pandemic there is a clap for carers event at 8pm to show our appreciation of the workers in the NHS
You can read more about Clap for carers here. It’s a way to show appreciation for everyone who is working for us all at this difficult period.
XY recording, AT8022, Glastonbury
Chalice Well Bell sounding for a Silent Minute’s reflection
At noon and 3pm a bell in rung in the Chalice Well Gardens, Glastonbury to invoke a minute’s silence for reflection. A wren breaks the silence, and the bell is sounded again at the end of the minute.
The bell was the old school bell, the school buildings were cleared in the 1970s which opened up the bottom of the gardens a lot.
The ritual of the Silent Minute was instigated in WW2 by Wellesley Tudor Pole, who was a key figure in the founding of the Chalice Well Trust.
OKMII binaural microphones
Winchester Great Hall
Fabulous reverb in Winchester Great Hall with its iconic Round Table, one of the many seats of King Arthur in the British Isles. There are probably as many true Arthurian residences across the UK as there are oldest pubs in the land 😉
Some visitors wandered over to the door on the left which leads to Queen Eleanor’s Garden and the large door closes with a resounding clang.
Winchester Cathedral ambience
The huge imposing structure of Winchester Cathedral has a fantastic long reverberation time
and some remarkable low-frequency sounds. There is some research suggesting very low frequencies induce a sense of awe, quite appropriate for a cathedral 😉
Knud Viktor’s remarkable sound paintings from 1977 released
The Vinyl Factory has released Knud Viktor’s sound paintings– featuring creatures from the Luberon in France
The sounds are sparse, opening with a nightingale, but the sounds work into a fine narrative. Towards the end of the first track there is a great mix of some fellow moaning out into the night against a nightingale and the humming of bees
Harassing hounds
This pair holler at everybody walking down the footpath by the side of the house. At least there’s a tall wooden fence at the front so they don’t go off at people walking on the main road. The dogs seem to be triggered by sight rather than sound. There’s a little growl on the in-breath that gives me a feeling of aggression behind the yap.
Unusually for a soundmark, they are reactive to a listener’s presence.
Enquiring Ear 