Hereby an all-night audio field recording from a reed bed by Roskilde fjord, June 4-5, 2018.

Twilight over the red bed and Roskilde fjord, June 4th 2018, 22:30

This year, it has not been a usual spring. Since the beginning of May the weather has been extremely hot, sunny and dry.  Day after day, 25C and not a cloud in the sky. It has been like going directly from winter to summer, completely bypassing the typical spring weather. This really prevented me from doing my usual spring recordings this year.

For this recording I found a place by the shore in a quite deep reed bed. The clip is from 3:00 to 5:30 am, starting with an almost silent night ambience. Shortly, along with the first light, the first birds start singing reaching a maximum morning chorus after about one hour into the clip. Listen in headphones.

Download mp3, 330 MB

I was expecting more sounds and activity from the reed bed and the water shore here in the beginning of June, which is really prime time of the year. However, it was all rather quiet during the dark hours. I think the warm and dry weather was the main factor. I will try to make the same recording again next year to make a comparison.

Temperature 23C in the evening dropping to 17C during the night. Very light wind (NW). Dew in the morning.

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This is an all-night audio recording April 27th, 2018 from Vestskoven – a forestland 15 km outside Copenhagen. This part of the forest is 30-40 years old, and is fairly open and undisturbed.

After a solid period of warm weather, everything is now rapidly growing and blooming. The same high activity level can found amongst the wildlife, birds and insects.

The weather forecast for the night indicated a slight chance for a quick shower, however (surprisingly) it turned out to be more or less rain the whole night. Luckily the setup survived just fine. The wind was very calm, and initially in a favorable direction with respect to the nearby motorway, but it gradually turned less favorable during the night, so in the morning the traffic noise was a bit louder. In addition, some other constant deep (machinery) rumble is heard during the whole morning.

The clip below is from the very late night hours 2:30-5:00 am.

In the clip you can hear various night/morning activities and still rain coming and going. E.g. some unknown bird calls(00:08 and 0:14), distinct fox barking (0:40), more rain (0:49), woodcock (1:06, 1:15) and the morning chorus starting from (1:54) especially dominated by a song thrush(?) (2:20).

Calm winds, from SE turning SW, 12-8C. Mostly rainy.

Recent research report on significant decline in insect populations. In Germany a 75 percent decline in total flying insect mass has been observed over a duration of 27 years in natural reserves (Hallmann, 2017[1]). Another study reports on a 45 percent decline in invertebrate populations over the past 40 years based on global monitoring data (Dirzo, 2014[2]), see figure below.

Dirzo, 2014 [2]

The reason behind is not 100% clear, but the obvious suspects are pesticides use, intensive agriculture, shrinking habitats, urbanization, use of fertilizers amongst others. [3], [6]

I think this is disturbing news. A future scenario where major insect populations have collapsed and insects are largely abundant looks quite realistic with the current decline rates. This would be just sad in every aspect. Insects are fundamental drivers of ecosystems, food chains, biological processes and biodiversity.

Hereby yet another night audio recording from Brøndbyskoven 30.3.2018, same place as last time in January -just to check out what is happening in the forest at this time of the year. It has been a cold late winter/spring and hardly a single sign of spring can be seen in the forest at the moment. It even looks more winter now than in January!
The cold soil leaves the plant and insect life to a minimum, which also affects the bird activity. All contributing to a very silent forest ambience, which is surely reflected in the recording.

The clip starts at 0:45 am and ends 1:30 am. What to hear is mainly the silent forest atmosphere dominated by lots of traffic noise. Once or twice a fox is heard sniffing around but otherwise the forest it self is only heard by very faint rustling sounds from the forest floor. Unfortunately, my memory card ran out during the middle of the night, so I didn’t get the birds’ morning chorus on this take. Listen i headphones.

Download mp3 110MB

The winter 2018 has be quite unusual, and I think, quite harsh to plants and animals. It all started with typical mild December and January, and in the middle of February there was a sense of spring in the air with geese collecting in the parks, a bit of black bird song etc.
However this all ended abruptly as a Siberian cold snap turned the land into a deep freezer for the remaining part of the month.

Source: DMI, curve data grabbed with http://www.graphreader.com

This was finally followed by milder weather, but only again to be replaced with yet another cold wave. And so it continued throughout March, as seen on the figure above showing the winter temperature 2018 compared with 2017.
I think this kind of weather is really hard to birds, animals, insects and plants. They must be getting really impatient now. I think spring is ready to explode any time now, as soon as the temperature rises to normal.

Weather during the night was calm wind from East, and temperature dropping to about -1C. Dry road surfaces.

Weather Source: DMI, and curve data grabbed with the http://www.graphreader.com plot digitizing online tool and Google Sheets.

All night audio recording from my usual tree in Brøndbyskoven, 27-28 January 2018.

The weather forecast predicted a bit of passing rain and picking up winds during the night, so it sounded like a good chance to capture a typical winter night atmosphere in a Danish forest.

The tree ears microphones ready for the night’s recording.

However, it turned out to be a bit more than expected. Instead of just quick showers, it turned out to be 3 hours of substantial rain and wind. Sitting at home following the weather, I was getting really certain that the equipment would not survive this time. But surprisingly, it was still recording in the morning when I came back. See the images below for details of the tree-ears microphone setup.

The clip starts 0:40 am and ends 2:50 am. In the beginning in rains and the wind has picked up. A falling tree can be heard at 10 min. Around 1:30 h into the clip the rain gradually declines  leaving the sound of occasional strong wind gusts passing through the forest.

Temperature 5C, wind from SW, windy and quite heavy rain for 3 hours around midnight. Standard tree-ears microphone setup with extra layer of nylon wind protector.

 

The forest in the evening

The tree ears microphones ready for the night’s recording.

Morning light

The fallen tree

Recorder as found in the morning

Setup as found in the morning

The inner wind protection is quite soaked

Primo 172 microphone capsule had been exposed to some fine drops, but apparently not a problem.t

This is a update from my usual place in Brøndbyskoven, 11.11.2017. I did not manage to make a night sound recording this time, so pictures only.  The scene taking place is maybe also best captured visually and in daylight.

We are now deep into Autumn and the forest is in the middle of the fundamental transition from being a dense green enclosure to this open transparent retreated place.

Wide angle view, Brøndbyskoven 11.11.2017 (click for large version)

The above photo can be compared with this picture from September, taken at nearly the same spot.

The muddy forest bed is now well covered with a fresh layer of leaves. There are lots of activity when you look down.

 

Another rainy night recording from Brøndbyskoven, Sunday night October 22nd 2017, captured at my usual spot in the forest.

The recording is not that different from last night recording in September. Again it was a rainy night. The forest leaves have started yellowing and falling, but the majority are still on the trees, making the forest still dense and reverberant. Like September, October has been very wet with almost constant rain. The forest bed is now very muddy.

Brøndbyskoven 22. Octotber 2017. Sun already setting around 6 pm.

I didn’t manage to take many photos this time, as it was already quite dark when I came to the forest to set up the microphones, at 6:15 pm.  And again in the morning at 7 when I had planned to bring it home, it was indeed complete darkness.

The recording is mostly a peaceful rainy ambience of varying intensity. Traffic noise is of coarse also present, but Sunday night is usually the most quiet night of the week. Apart from that, not much happening, except around 2:40 am when a Tawny owl entered the scene with atmospheric howling for 10 minutes. Listen in headphones.

1:00 – 3:00 am – Rainy night ambience

Download (~280MB)

0:00 Quite intense rain
0:15 Rain declining
0:20 Train
0:45 Mostly raindrops from the canopy
1:21 Tawny owl

T = 9-10 C, mostly rain, damp and foggy. Nearly still, easterly wind. Sunrise: 07:58, Sunset:17:53.
Recording made using standard Tree ears microphone setup, Primo 172 capsules, Microtrack 24/96, with external powerbank, mp3 320kbps, minimum rec level + 28dB boost.

 

Tree ears microphone setup in the twilight, at the usual tree trunk

Rapidly getting dark when I came to the forest around 6 pm

.. and still very dark around 7 am when I came to pick up the recorder in the morning

This is an all-night audio field recording of the September forest ambience, captured at my usual spot in Brøndbyskoven (See also: 3-5-2017. 22-3-2017, 11-2-2017). Its now 24th of September and autumn is rapidly emerging. Still everything is green, just in gradually darker nuances. It has been a very wet month and neither did this recording escape a good amount of rain.

Rainy morning in Brøndbyskoven, September 24, 2017. Click for much larger version.

There is not much activity to hear in the night. Out of the full recording of +12 hours  I have chosen a clip from the deep night ambience where you can hear the rain setting in. Listen in headphones.

3:15 – 5:15 am – Deep night ambience

Download mp3 (~280MB)

The clip starts 3:15 am. In the first half, you can hear the calm forest ambience with occasional raindrops from the canopy. At about 4:15 more persistent rain sets in, lasting the rest of the clip.

Recording setup in Brøndbyskoven. Everything is still dense and green.

T=14 C, >95% RH, light rain, wind very calm from East. Standard Tree-ears microphone setup w. Primo 172 capsules, Microtrack 24/96 with powerbank.

More images from the take below:

This is an unattended night audio recording from July 22nd-23rd 2017, captured near Fjerritslev in Northern Jutland. This coastal rural area is dominated by sand dunes systems, heaths and plantations, and overall quite sparsely populated.

The recording was captured inside a smaller tree group with bushes near an old farm building and next to an open field. An ant pile was just in front of the recorder, but I think it is not audible.

The weather during the night was partly rainy and later slightly windy – typical weather for this summer.

For a long time I have been curious to capture the ambient night sounds in an area far away from the city and without the usual and constant traffic noise. However it turned out that a harvester was working the half of the night producing quite dominating deep rumble.

First clip is from 23:00-0:15 featuring mainly rain coming and going, a persistent harvester sound and barking dogs.

Download mp3 (~140MB)

00:00 Time is 23 pm. Harvester can be heard though out clip
00:03 Cranes far away. Also the nearby horse on the field can be heard.
00:16 Something moving around nearby
00:20 Rain, dog barking
00:27 Some animal nearby
00:29 Rain declines
00:43 Dog barking
00:47 Water fowl calls over field
00:50 Rain
01:07 Bird calls over the field
01:15 End – time is now 0:15

Second clip is from 04:00 – 5:00 am. With the harvester gone, wind sounds have taken over. A relaxed morning choir emerges slowly during the recording. The birdsong has now clearly declined compared to in the spring.

Download mp3 (~140MB)

00:00 Time is 4 am. Harvester gone, wind has picked up
00:02 First birdsong very faint
00:33 Fine song of black birds
00:55 More birdsong
01:00 End – time is now 5 am

Unattended night audio recording from Amager fælled, 10-11 June 2017. Nice clear sky evening, about 15C and mostly calm. It is June and officially summer. It can not only be felt by the sun intensity, but also by the distinct smell of fresh grass and the meter high vegetation everywhere.
I really like this period up to Midsummer with the moderate temperatures, abundant green growth and plentiful birdsong.

The tree ears microphone setup, Amager Fælled June 11, 2017. Click for large version.

I found a good undisturbed spot in a group of bushes and trees. With the microphones pointing out towards a grass meadow, I was expecting to hear sounds from the open area. Instead most sound came from the sides inside the canopy giving a very R-L stereo perspective of the recording.

The clip below is from 2:45 to 4:15 am, starting with night ambience, dominated by two singing nightingales. Along with the emerging light more birds wake up, gradually forming a full morning chorus around 4 am.

Through out the recording, there is of course also of traffic and party noise, something that cannot be avoided on a Friday night in June at this location.  These are obviously the natural sounds of humans in the spring / summer.

Download mp3 (~200MB)

00:00 Time is now 2:45 am
00:06  Both nightingales sing beautifully
00:12  Bat-like click sounds over the meadow
00:15  The deep rumbling sound of traffic and music clearly audible, 3 am
00:19  Bat like sounds again
00:34 Cuckoo
00:36 First distant black birds
00:45 Nightingales still very dominating, 3:30 am
00:50  First wren
00:55  Black bird, right
01:00 Cuckoos, 3:45 am
01:10 Nearby robin (a bit loud)
01:15 Nearby chiffchaff (a bit loud) 4:00 am
01:30 4:15am (still before sunrise at 5 )’

Below various images of the evening and morning atmosphere.