Caught these two Blackbirds fighting yesterday evening – the female won! You gotta hear it to believe it – the sound is more important than the image.
. . . or you can play it in SoundCloud
Caught these two Blackbirds fighting yesterday evening – the female won! You gotta hear it to believe it – the sound is more important than the image.
. . . or you can play it in SoundCloud
Potential StillWalk – the other day I took a walk down a footpath I hadn’t been to for a number of years, pre-StillWalks times. Looking with “new” eyes and listening with “new” ears was fascinating.
The sound of water – There can sometimes be a recording issue with the sounds of an environment that includes running water, i.e. a stream or river. The sounds of the flowing water can so easily drown out other sounds of the environment such as birds, and can become wearing if it is permanent.
However, the small Camffrwd River that the footpath follows did not present this problem. The sounds of the river ebbed and flowed in volume with the arrangement of rocks on its bed. The photos below are accompanied by some sound clips recorded on my iPhone, as were the photos.
Recording 2 stream A short clip of the general sounds of the river.
Recording 4 birds ftstps stream The birds make their presence obvious as the sound of water is less dominant and the flow sounds change as I walk along the path.
Recording 5 walking stream This is a longer clip (2:15) which demonstrates very well the changing sound environment as I move along the path and river.
Recording 6 stream tumbling water
Unique sounds – All the sound clips and photos prove the need, in producing a StillWalk, to carry out the sound recording at the same time as the photography. The sounds on any day, at any time of day, at any time of year, will always be specific to conditions at the time . . . makes me think of the chaos theory and the interconnectedness of things! Chaos by James Gleick is a fascinating and very accessible book on this subject.
We are a week into 2013 now so a belated Happy New Year to all.
Whilst away over the New Year I took a few photos that I hope to use in the near future. They help to show that if we were not around anymore, it would not take long for nature to recover from our antics on this planet. Sometimes (in late Spring usually) I think I’d only have to blink and the bushes and trees would pounce – these images are, perhaps, preparation for that pounce!
Speaking of what we do as humans, some of what has been produced can be seen at MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, where I saw two great exhibitions – Jannis Kounellis’ Work Unwrapped and Liliane Lijn: Cosmic Dramas – both well worth a visit if you are in the area.
StillWalks Sights and Sounds of the Countryside Project – Crowd Funding
The StillWalks Crowdfunder pitch for outstanding funding towards the Sights and Sounds of the Countryside project is now live and looking for sponsors / investors.
This is a brilliant project that I hope, in future, to replicate with many other schools and communities.
Only £10 – Invest anything from as little as £10 and get a reward for your support.
Please take a look at the Crowdfunder pitch and help me promote the project and pitch by passing on this publicity to your network of contacts and friends.
I have personally guaranteed to cover this shortfall if the funds cannot be raised as I feel the project is so important not only to the schools and groups taking part but also to StillWalks and its development to say nothing of our natural environment.
All or Nothing – All the funds required through the Crowdfunder pitch must be raised if anything at all is to go towards the shortfall in the project funding. If the target is not reached in the time allowed (30 days), then you pay nothing and my guarantee comes into play.
All details of the project are on the pitch.
Birdsong ID – Following my walk to the top of Graig Fawr last week I met up with Martin Humphries (ex RSPB), Ed Tucker (Bio Diversity Ranger) and others for another birdsong ID walk. This time the walk was down the Cwm Dulais valley next door to Cefn Drum in South Wales. There were an amazing number of birds up there but I don’t think I am getting much better with my identification skills.
Peacocks among the chickens – One bird I can identify from its call is the Peacock and we were surprised to come across these as we passed by Chuckle Chicken Poultry. We didn’t see them, so no photo I’m afraid, but the sound is proof enough.
If you are viewing this in an email, click here to listen on the blog or here to go to SoundCloud.