29 07 20. Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels.
Shapwick Heath is in the Somerset Levels. It was originally part of the substantial peat-cutting industry which was active here as recent as the 1960s. Now it is a wonderful national nature reserve. Recording made about 4:00am, sitting across the canal from a large reedbed. The dominant sound is coming from lots of Cetti’s warblers. ...
16/06/20. Rolling thunder in Herefordshire.
Thunderstorms are not very frequent in our part of Herefordshire. But last month (16/6) we had one that lasted for over an hour. It starts very quiet, and grows in intensity as the storm comes nearer. The recording begins when the weather is still quite clear and the plants are full of bees. Birds remain ...
20/03/20. Cors Caron nature reserve, Ceredigion
Cors Caron: A nature reserve comprising a large raised bog near Tregaron. Spectacular setting, and I had it all to myself on the spring equinox this year. I left home at 3:30am and got there by 5:15 or so; then walked into the reserve to make this recording. I started recording at about 5:45 (sunrise ...
23/02/20. Nek Chand Rock Garden, Chandigarh.
In the ’50s Nek Chand started to build a secret rock garden near Sukhna Lake; he collected rubbish (ceramic – often from old sinks and toilets, electrical ceramics as well as wires and insulators) from the city and used it to fashion amazing creatures in the landscape. It is one of the most joyful places ...
01/03/20. Brown Headed Barbets in Leisure Valley, Chandigarh.
Chandigarh was designed by Le Corbusier in the early 1950s. It is a beautiful city, filled with trees and parkland and has glorious views of the Shivalik Hills, a mountain range in the foothills of the Himalayas. Chandigarh is also a thriving and very busy place, and it is impossible to escape the sounds ...
01/03/20. Sukhna Lake at sunrise.
Sukhna lake in Chandigarh is a very popular place for walkers and joggers, but it is also a nature reserve. In the eastern, more secluded part of the lake is where you will find many local and winter visitors. I went this morning just after sunrise and recorded a few minutes of their calling ...
31/01/20. Sandhill Cranes at Whitewater Draw.
Whitewater draw is a special place. I last visited almost two years ago and it was there I heard my first cow bird.; what a miraculous sound that bird makes. At that time it was March/April and the lake areas of Whitewater were all dried up/emptied; with only the central pond (photo above) holding ...
30 01 20. Cochise Lake, Willcox. Sandhill Cranes.
Tens of thousands of sandhill cranes spend their winters in Cochise county, Arizona (and neighbouring areas). Many congregate at Whitewater Draw. I was staying at a hotel in Willcox and had been advised that a visit to Cochise Lake (just a short drive outside of Willcox) would be worthwhile. Since I was planning ...
31/01/20. Kuykendall Cutoff power lines
I was driving from Chiricahua Monument to Rucker Canyon and the route took me down several “primitive roads”. These roads seem to be quite well maintained, but mostly dusty; in this case very red dust. They don’t seem to be frequently travelled, so it’s easy to stop the car every now and then ...
31/01/20. Bonita Creek, Chiricahua Monument.
Chiricahua is an amazing place full of eerie stacked rocks, called “hoodoos”. They are formed when the lower rock layers are softer than the higher layers; wind and water erosion eats away at the lower rock and this results in the appearance of large balancing structures. I went to Bonita Canyon before sunrise and sat ...
