Finnish nature resounds vol 3 -
The northern summernight
23 tracks, 43 species, total time 67'26"
1 SOUNDSCAPE. 23 June 2000, 2.20 am, Kuopio (Eastern Finland),
Kipansalo. A summer night in a bushy meadow with dewdrops
glistening in the grass. The night is turning into morning and
the birds can already sense the approaching sunrise. Blyth´s
Reed Warbler, Garden Warbler, Redwing, Fieldfare. 6'10"
2 THRUSH NIGHTINGALE Luscinia luscinia. 28 May 2000, 0.50 am,
Parikkala (South Eastern Finland), Lake Siikalahti. A grove
filled with the scent of blossoming bird cherry trees and the
masterly song of the Thrush Nightingale - the charm of a summer
night at its best. Black-headed Gull, Black Grouse, Northern
Shoveler. 1'48"
3 EUROPEAN NIGHTJAR Caprimulgus europaeus. 15 June 1999, 0.50 am,
Pori (South Western Finland), Preiviiki. The European Nightjar is
a nocturnal bird that nests in dry pine forests. Here the bird
can be heard as it sits on the branch of a pine tree, creating a
mysterious effect in the dim summer night. Redwing, Song Thrush.
1'29"
4 SOUNDSCAPE. 28 May 2000, 2.15 am, Parikkala (South Eastern
Finland), Lake Siikalahti. Sounds from the shores of the famous
Siikalahti bird lake in the small hours after midnight. Sedge
Warbler, Common Cuckoo, Water rail, Black-headed Gull, Little
Gull, Black Grouse, Common Snipe, Spotted Crake, Thrush
Nightingale. 4'27"
5 SOUNDSCAPE. 13 June 2000, 1.35 am, Pelkosenniemi (Lapland), Pyhätunturi.
Sounds of the summer night in a birch grove by a clear mountain
lake. Bluethroat, Willow Warbler, Reed Bunting, Redwing.
2'45"
6 SOUNDSCAPE. 2 July 2000, 4.45 am, Kuopio (Eastern Finland),
Savulahti. Sounds of the summer in a lakeside grove at its most
lush. Common Rosefinch, Golden Oriole, Common Gull, Willow
Warbler, Garden Warbler, Common Chaffinch, Dunnock, Yellowhammer,
Fieldfare, Common Snipe, Great Spotted Woodpecker. 2'18"
7 MARSH WARBLER #1 Acrocephalus palustris. 9 July 2000, 2.40 am,
Kuopio (Eastern Finland), Niuva. A concert given by a Marsh
Warbler perched in the bushes by the field in the dusk before
dawn. The style and tone of song of this individual is different
from the bird on track #17. Corn Crake, Northern Lapwing, Common
Gull, Yellowhammer. 3'05"
8 SEDGE WARBLER Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. 6 June 2000, 0.50 am,
Pielavesi (Eastern Finland), Lake Pankajärvi. The varied song of
the Sedge Warbler, a bird which lives in reedbeds and flood
meadows. Here the bird is singing from the top of a reed stem.
Redwing. 2'35"
9 RIVER WARBLER Locustella fluviatilis. 6 June 2000, 1.35 am,
Pielavesi (Eastern Finland), Lake Pankajärvi. A River Warbler
singing in the calm summer night. This bird favours grassy,
bushy, semi-open terrain, also overgrown gardens. Here the bird
is singing from a willow shrub. Blackbird, Redwing, Song Thrush.
1'57"
10 LANCEOLATED WARBLER Locustella lanceolata. 5 July 1999, 1.20
am, Pielavesi (Eastern Finland), the bay of Sammalisenlahti. The
clear-toned song of the rare Lanceolated Warbler. The bird is
mostly found on bushy, open grassland. Here the bird is singing
from the top of a wild chervil stump sticking up in the middle of
a fallow field. Long-eared Owl, Song Thrush. 1'57"
11 COMMON GRASSHOPPER WARBLER Locustella naevia. 1 June 2000,
1.15 am, Kuopio (Eastern Finland), the bay of Kaislastenlahti.
The Common Grasshopper Warbler is most at home on open grassland
with a few willow trees. The reeling song of the bird is
reminiscent of the sound of a grasshopper. Here the bird, perched
by a field, is creating a special feel to the rural landscape
slumbering in the dim summer night. Corn Crake, Redwing,
Fieldfare. 1'35"
12 SAVI´S WARBLER Locustella luscinioides. 16 June 1999, 1.20
am, Köyliö (South Western Finland), Kirkkosaari. The rare Savi´s
Warbler favours damp open shores with tall reedbeds. The song of
the bird is a high-frequency buzzing trill. In this recording the
bird is singing from behind a tall, impenetrable bed of reeds and
rushes. Great Crested Grebe, Sedge Warbler. 1'41"
13 LONG-EARED OWL / SOUNDSCAPE Asio otus. 23 June 1999, 1.40 am,
Maaninka (Eastern Finland), Pulkonkoski. A brood of the
Long-eared Owl begging for food. The young know how to call in
such a way that makes it almost impossible to find the nest.
Yellowhammer, Eurasian Curlew, Redwing, Robin. 1'47"
14 BLYTH´S REED WARBLER #1 Acrocephalus dumetorum. 21 June 2000,
1.15 am, Kuopio (Eastern Finland), Kipansalo. This brilliant
singer of summer nights favours semi-open terrain with bushes and
tall herbaceous vegetation, such as raspberry and meadowsweet.
The bird repeats the same theme several times. Here the bird is
singing in the dim summer night perched in low willow shrub on a
shore meadow. The song of this individual differs in tone and
style from the bird on track #23. Common Gull, Lesser Black-back
Gull, Redwing. 5'50"
15 SOUNDSCAPE. 28 May 2000, 4.25 am, Parikkala (South Eastern
Finland), Lake Siikalahti. The sounds of a grove waking up at
dawn. Common Rosefinch, Thrush Nightingale, Common Chaffinch,
Black-headed Gull, Garden Warbler, Northern Shoveler. 1'47"
16 GREAT REED WARBLER / SOUNDSCAPE Acrocephalus arundinaceus. 16
June 1999, 1.35 am, Köyliö (South Western Finland),
Kirkkosaari. The Great Reed Warbler, a scarce breeder in Finland,
nests in large, impenetrable reedbeds. The song of the bird
includes coarse creaking sounds with thrush-like elements and
intermittent piercing screeches. Here, 2-3 Great Reed Warblers
are singing accompanied by the Sedge Warbler, Great Crested Grebe
and Savi´s Warbler. 2'27"
17 MARSH WARBLER #2 Acrocephalus palustris. 17 June 1999, 1.30
am, Pori (South Western Finland), Mäntyluoto. A virtuoso
performance by the Marsh Warbler, perched amid the dense grass on
the seashore. Also heard is the sound of seeds being shed from
the vegetation of the flood meadow. The song of this individual
differs from that of the bird on track #7 both in tone and
structure. Herring Gull, Common Gull, Thrush Nightingale, Willow
Warbler, Fieldfare. 5'17"
18 SOUNDSCAPE. 28 May 2000, 1.40 am, Parikkala (South Eastern
Finland), Lake Siikalahti. A pale summer night in a bird cherry
grove in May. Pied Flycatcher, Common Cuckoo, Fieldfare, Thrush
Nightingale, Thrush Nightingale, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Curlew,
Great Bittern, Northern Shoveler. 2'13"
19 SOUNDSCAPE. 29 June 1998, 1.30 am, Kuopio (Eastern Finland),
the bay of Haminalahti. Sounds of the summer night in an urban
landscape. Corn Crake, Grasshopper Warbler, Redwing, Blyth´s
Reed Warbler. 2'51"
20 COMMON BLACKBIRD Turdus merula. 10 June 2000, 0.55 am, Leppävirta
(Eastern Finland), Soisalo. The delightfully clear, melancholy
tones of the Common Blackbird singing in a spruce forest. In the
background, Robins are chirping out their warbling song in the
calm summer night. 3'54"
21 BLUETHROAT Luscinia svecica. 12 June 2000, 1.10 am,
Pelkosenniemi (Lapland), Pyhätunturi, Lake Pyhäjärvi. The
Bluethroat breeds in mountain birch forest up in the North.
Dubbed "the Nightingale of Lapland", this bird is a
brilliant singer - even better than the Nightingale. Here the
bird is singing in the birch wood by the lake against a
background of wind and rain. Willow Warbler. 1'53"
22 THRUSH NIGHTINGALE / SOUNDSCAPE Luscinia luscinia. 18 June
1999, 2.20 am, Pori (South Western Finland), Kivininlehto. The
enchanting sound of a Thrush Nightingale singing in the
sweet-scented grove by the water. Grasshopper Warbler. 2'39"
23 BLYTH´S REED WARBLER #2 Acrocephalus dumetorum. 23 June 1999,
0.15 am, Kuopio (Eastern Finland), the bay of Hirvilahti. A Blyth´s
Reed Warbler showing its singing skills perched in the bushes by
the road. The song of this individual is more clear-toned and
different in structure from the bird on track #14. Black-headed
Gull, Fieldfare. 3'26"
Translated by Kirsi Komonen and Ewen Macdonald 2004