Author: richard

Nightingale on the heath

My bike ride to work takes me past open fields and for a short stretch over some sandy heathland. I was surprised to hear a nightingale in the distance – I had to stop and listen to the lovely sound

this was recorded using an omni MP3 recorder so it’s not a fantastic species recording, but it captures the moment for me 🙂 The singing males have come all the way from Africa, and they have scouted their territories. They are hoping to call the females down from the sky as they arrive a couple of weeks later. It feels surprisingly early to hear nightingale song at the moment.

Campsea Ash Auction Rooms

Auction in progress, classic auction patter

The livestock and game auctions at Campsea Ashe bring out a whole much of characters, full of good old Suffolk boys with strong accents. And a few loud cocks too

Loud cocks

Under The Pier show soundmark

Tim Hunkin’s madcap creations at the Under the Pier show at Southwold have their own soundmarks, but this rhythmic squeak from the animated sign is the one that most reminds me of this attraction.

A Vee of Geese overflying Southwold Pier at dusk

I was recording the waves at Southwold pier as darkness started to fall. The air was still enough to give it a go without being taken down by the sea winds.

Suddenly, in the distance I hear the sound of geese, and a massive vee of geese pass overhead, possibly a hundred birds in all

Christchurch Park Mistle Thrush

In Christchurch Park in the centre of Ipswich near the Mansion, there was this mistle thrush giving off the football rattle sound, a welcome piece of wildlife in the town centre on a freezing day. Somehow the city sounds in the background give him some edge, even though it’s hardly a classic species recording.

The sudden boost at the end is the bird diving off to take up some issue with a bird in a yew in the graveyard

Snape Snippet

As the pied wagtails swoop over the concert hall that backs onto the reedbeds sighing in the wind, a middle-aged couple climb the steps, the guy sounding knowledgeable, to impress the lady maybe? Or perhaps a couple that have been together for years. The accents are just as you’d expect, middle-class, ever so slightly affected.

The hysterical horse is a bronze sculpture in the distance, looking out over the reeds

Fat Cat Pub ambience

The Fat Cat pub in Ipswich is a fine real ale pub, which serves many of its beers gravity-fed. Sound-wise, however, the pub is a nightmare – lots of glass which reflects the conversation, to the extend that on a full Friday or Saturday night you struggle to hear your mates over a small round table. Thankfully they don’t have muzak or a jukebox! This was only made worse by the addition fo a conservatory extension with a plastic pitched roof that focuses the sound onto the middle tables. However, the beer and the ambience makes up for the odd lost word.

This recording was made on a Wednesday so there were fewer customers, it was okay for conversation.