My walk this week is a revisitation to Aberavon seafront at this current time of year but from 2016 – the weather is much the same today (as I write) as it was then! But that does not make it any less interesting to me and I remember the walk well, though I admit the images and soundscape are a good memory trigger for the atmosphere.
It was a dark, wet day with a heavy sea fret coming off the bay, but it wasn’t actually raining and people were walking and running as they always are on this wonderful expansive seafront.Continue reading→
Like this solitary crow, I enjoy my solitary walks, but this is far from the only species of fauna I found when in Scotland last month. I approached it quietly to try and get a closer shot but was spotted, naturally, and it it took to the air, flying across the bay to meet its partner.
There is a quiet bay, an old disused harbour, along the shore from us where the gulls and oystercatchers – and on this occasion, swans – gather and sit quietly on the water or by its edge andContinue reading→
The sound clip I have included with the images below may be said to sound like wind in trees, but apart from the fact that it is not and the images would also suggest otherwise, I think there is a difference. I don’t deny that the sounds can be very similar but I like at least to imagine that there are subtle elements of each that would allow me to differentiate between the two. However, I’m not sure I would bet on it – every sound in any environment will always be different according to the circumstances at the time of listening or recording but attuning your ear to those individual elements can be a challenge.
Whatever, I love the sound of the sea, the sea in the clip below and feel confident that the waves breaking amidst the general water and wind ambience can be distinguished as such. See what you think!
Looking back on my walk this week with the Taste of Gower group at Llanmadoc, we were very lucky with the weather. We saw both sunshine and clouds over the beautiful open space of the beach at Whitford Point with the old Victorian lighthouse not quite clear of the tide. Having said that, one of the main reasons we have such a green and luscious land in Wales is the amount of rainfall we get. It is less predictable where it is going to fall these days and looking again at the dark clouds and sun bleached beach, that is why I say we were so lucky not to be rained on until the end of the walk.
return route
My soundscape for this walk is about the same length as usual (around 4 mins) but I could easily have made it twice that length or more. I may decide to produce a StillWalks video from the photos and sounds I have collected on this walk but it will have to wait in line with the others I have not yet post produced.
Llanmadoc Walk Soundscape
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I have said that the weather was kind to us on my walk this week. It can be seen here on the expansive beach at Whitford, that there was the potential to be caught by an impending storm. Fortunately the wind favoured us and took this huge bank of dark cloud off to the north east.
calm before the storm
The scene felt other worldly with the calm humidity and the simplicity of the open space. The haze blurred the details of what land could be seen and the “canvas” was reduced to indistinct sea and sky in muted colours. The old Victorian iron built Whitford Lighthouse was an enticing object just out of reach in the water and a small flock of one of my favourite birds flew as if in slow motion along the length of shore, mixing their calls with the skylarks. It was magical!
Larks and Oystercatchers
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More sights and sound from Rhosilli Bay. There is no doubt in my mind that the Oystercatchers enjoy flying across the water of Rhosilli Bay, though I am sure that Chris Packham would tell me there is some specific and logical reason behind it – I am also sure that he is right!
However, I get great pleasure from thinking that they are enjoying themselves in their activity and so, despite all reason, I will continue to believe they are.
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This year we missed our usual trip north to Scotland and the other day I overheard the sound of Oystercatchers on one of my StillWalks videos playing in the background. It emphasised the loss of not getting to where they had been recorded.
At least I have the StillWalk to watch and listen to. Here are a couple of images from it. The video can be viewed on the Spring Walks page.
Last Friday I went down to Blackpill in Swansea Bay to meet a group of people doing Nordic Walking and try it for the first time myself. I wanted to try this for a few months but my prompt to do so was as much to do with the StillWalks project, Sights and Sounds of the Countryside as my personal interest – the project still needs further funding and if anyone is interested in helping out with this, here is the crowd fundinglink – 7 days to go to the deadline for funding.
The walkers are a group organised through Mentro Allan and I wanted to meet them in order to make first contact with carers in the area. We would like the community group on the Sights and Sounds project to be made up of carers from rural wards in Swansea.
Neptune’s Audience! Arriving early in the bay and having brought my camera, I got a few shots off before others arrived. Here is the reason for the title of this blog post 🙂 Other photos can be seen on Flickr.
