Finnish nature resounds vol 6 -
In the fields and meadows
24 tracks, 62 species, total time 72'01"
1 SKYLARK Alauda arvensis. 25 May 2003, 5.20 am, Maaninka
(Eastern Finland), Haatala. The springtime song of the Skylark is
filled with joy. Soaring high above the open medowland during its
song flight, this bird is part and parcel of the Finnish
countryside. Willow Warbler, Fieldfare, Eurasian Curlew, Common
Snipe, Northern Lapwing. 3´19´´
2 COMMON WHITETHROAT / SOUNDSCAPE Sylvia communis. 8 June 2003,
3.50 am, Siilinjärvi (Eastern Finland), Vehkasuo. An idyllic
summer morning in the meadows. Tufted vetches and daisies are
flourishing by the fence and further off there is cattle out in
the pasture. Further away towards the horizon, a lake seems to be
melting into the blue sky. Corncrake, Wood Pigeon, Yellowhammer,
Common Rosefinch, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Eurasian
Curlew. 3´50´´
3 WOOD PIGEON Columba palumbus. 10 June 2000, 4.45 am,
Vehmersalmi (Eastern Finland), Soisalo. Wood Pigeons are
typically found on farmland with small patches of forest. The
birds usually nest in dense spruce stands not far from the open
fields. In this sample you can hear a Wood Pigeon pair cooing by
their nest site. Blackcap, Common Chaffinch, Common Rosefinch,
Fieldfare, Garden Warbler. 3´38´´
4 YELLOWHAMMER Emberiza citrinella. 29 June 1999, 2.20 am, Kuopio
(Eastern Finland), the
bay of Kaislastenlahti. The Yellowhammer singing in the forest
next to the fields of a nearby farm is easily recognized by its
voice. This bird is a common visitor to bird-tables in winter,
especially if there are oats on offer. Fieldfare, Woodcock. 1´47´´
5 SOUNDSCAPE #1. 26 May 2003, 4.00 am, Kuopio (Eastern Finland),
the bay of Haminalahti. The small bushy meadow surrounded by open
agricultural land is home to many birds, one of them being the
Red-backed Shrike. In this sample the bird is heard uttering
harsh alarm calls as well as skilful, soft song. Another
prominent sound on the track is the song of the Common Rosefinch.
Common Whitethroat, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Great Tit,
Redwing, Red-backed Shrike, Common Gull, Fieldfare, Common
Chaffinch, Herring Gull. 2´38´´
6 GRASSHOPPER Brachystola. 29 August 2002, klo 2.50 pm, Kuopio
(Eastern Finland), the
bay of Kaislastenlahti. A late summer day on the edge of a
meadow. A grasshopper is tuning its instrument in the grass by
the road. A warm breath of air is whispering in the grass and the
leaves of the aspen nearby. 1´25´´
7 SOUNDSCAPE #2. 9 June 2001, 3.35 am, Tervo (Eastern Finland),
Rakola. A fallow field on an early midsummer morning. The
Yellowhammers are already into their second nesting this summer
and are singing intensely. The warning calls of the Northern
Lapwing reveal the presence of its young nearby. Yellow Wagtail,
Common Cuckoo. 2´29´´
8 NORTHERN WHEATEAR Oenanthe oenanthe. 28 May 2002, 5.05 am,
Varpaisjärvi (Eastern Finland). A Northern Wheatear male singing
its scratchy song perched on some ruins on the edge of a dry
meadow. The song period of this long-legged bird extends from
April to May. Some individuals are particularly good at mimicking
other birds. Tree Pipit, Common Cuckoo, Willow Warbler, Common
Chaffinch, Song Thrush, Northern Lapwing. 5´10´´
9 CORNCRAKE Crex crex. 1 June 2001, 0.50 am, Maaninka (Eastern
Finland), the bay of Kurolanlahti. The call of the Corncrake
gives a special feel to the summer night. Favouring agricultural
land and mostly hiding within the vegetation, the bird is
difficult to catch sight of, but is revealed by its
characteristic rasping call. Common Blackbird, Woodcock, Robin. 1´58´´
10 SOUNDSCAPE #3. 27 June 2003, 4.30 am, Tuntsa (Lapland), Salla,
Nuolusoiva. A summer morning on a barren, windswept meadow up in
the Lappish mountains. The grassy flowering meadow growing in a
shallow, marshy depression provides a nesting place for birds,
including a colony of Yellow Wagtails. Another bird nesting on
the treeless highlands, partly covered with fields of huge rocks,
is the Golden Plover. Bar-tailed Godwit. 2´21´´
11 ORTOLAN BUNTING Emberiza hortulana. 21 May 2000, 5.30 am,
Maaninka (Eastern Finland), Haatala. The Ortolan Bunting nests on
open meadowland with scattered trees and bushes. In this sample
you can hear the male giving its beautiful, wistful song perched
on a bushtop. The newly sown field and the crisp, calm May
morning provide an ideal backdrop for the harmony and beauty of
the bird. Yellow Wagtail, Skylark, Northern Lapwing, Black
Grouse, Wood Pigeon, Tree Pipit, Common Grasshopper Warbler,
Whooper Swan, Magpie, Common Chaffinch, Fieldfare, Pied Wagtail.
2´52´´
12 SOUDSCAPE #4. 3 July 2001, 4.30 am, Kuopio (Eastern Finland),
Riistavesi. By early July, you can already hear bright chirps
from here and there in the sheltered bushes surrounding the
fields. Young Fieldfares have left the nest and are energetically
begging food from their parents. The early midsummer morning in
the meadows is filled with bright sounds. Yellowhammer, Common
Chaffinch, Garden Warbler, Brambling, Common Rosefinch. 2´03´´
13 WHINCHAT Saxicola rubetra. 9 June 2002, 3.15 am, Pelkosenniemi
(Lapland). One of the distinctive features of the Whinchat in
both sexes is the characteristic soft flicking of the tail. This
small bird nests along bushy ditch banks and on marshland. The
Whinchat heard in this sample was perched in the bushes beside a
meadow, singing in the pale northern night. Common Cuckoo, Yellow
Wagtail, Reed Bunting, Wood Sandpiper, Whooper Swan, Meadow
Pipit, Willow Warbler, Brambling, Hooded Crow, Whimbrel, Common
Crane, Common Snipe. 5´24´´
14 YELLOW WAGTAIL Motacilla flava. 27.6.2003 klo 4.10, Salla
(Lapland), Tuntsa. The song of the Yellow Wagtail male is rather
unimpressive and not very far-carrying. This tail-flicking,
sprightly bird nests in colonies on wide agricultural lands and
marshes. Willow Warbler, Redwing, Golden Plover, Whimbrel,
Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Cuckoo, Wood Sandpiper. 2´11´´
15 SOUNDSCAPE #5. 8 June 2002, 4.30 am, Pelkosenniemi (Lapland),
Kairala. A variety of birds singing energetically in the meadows
up in the North. The night is gradually turning into morning, but
the small Lappish village nearby is still sound asleep. House
Sparrow, Whimbrel, Common Rosefinch, Common Cuckoo, Black Grouse,
Fieldfare, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redpoll. 1´54´´
16 NORTHERN LAPWING Vanellus vanellus. 27 May 2001, 3.50 am,
Rautalampi (Eastern Finland), Rastunsuo. The display flight of
the Northen Lapwing is an impressive sight, soaring above the
farmland. Both the male and female birds fly over their territory
swooping up and down and giving their distinctive mewing sounds.
Also heard on the track is the humming from their wings. Black
Grouse, Moor Frog, Redwing, Goldeneye, Common Snipe, Common Teal,
Fieldfare, Shoveler, Eurasian Curlew. 2´25´´
17 COMMON PHEASANT / SOUNDSCAPE Phasianus colchicus. 28 May 2001,
4.05 am, Pori (Finland´s south-western coast), Kyläsaari. A
Pheasant cock is performing its display rituals in the shelter of
a grove by a meadow. Standing on top of a low mound it delivers
its loud crowing call, followed by a rapid series of noisy
wingbeats. The summer morning is still dim, but the surrounding
grove is already filled with bird song. Thrush Nightingale, Wood
Pigeon, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Great Tit, Magpie, Common
Chaffinch. 3´26´´
18 COMMON WHITETHROAT Sylvia communis. 8 June 2003, 4.55 am,
Siilinjärvi (Eastern Finland), Vehkasuo. In the second half of
May you can already hear the Common Whitethroat singing merrily
on bushy meadowland. From time to time, the bird takes off for a
shallow song flight before dropping back into the bushes. Here
you can hear a "conversation " between two individuals.
Fieldfare, Corncrake, Common Cuckoo, Common Rosefinch, Willow
Warbler, Wood Pigeon, Common Chaffinch. 4´28´´
19 BUMBLEBEE Bombus. 10 June 2000, 5.20 am, Vehmersalmi (Eastern
Finland), Soisalo. The whirling of bumblebees around the flowers
and bushes on the meadow is one of the characteristic sounds of
summer. Here the busy bees are accompanied by birds singing
energetically in the early summer morning. Pied Wagtail,
Greenfinch, Wood Pigeon, Great Tit, Eurasian Curlew, Fieldfare,
Swallow, Common Chaffinch, Pied Flycatcher. 1´20´´
20 COMMON QUAIL Coturnix coturnix. 9 July 2001, 1.40 am, Kuopio
(Eastern Finland), the bay of Haminalahti. The Common Quail is
rare in Finland, but if you are lucky, you can sometimes hear it
calling from within the vegetation on large cultivated fields.
The charmingly peculiar voice of this small pheasant, usually
heard at night, is unmistakable. Corncrake. 2´04´´
21 YELLOW WAGTAIL / SOUNDSCAPE Motacilla flava. 25 May 2003, 4.35
am Maaninka (Eastern Finland), Lake Pieni Maaninkajärvi. A
Yellow Wagtail is singing on a ditch bank perched on a dry twig,
nearby to newly harrowed fields waiting to be seeded. The bird in
this sample has a ´srreep-srreep´ call, a rare variant
resembling the Citrine Wagtail. Also heard is the song of the
Skylark soaring high above the meadows to greet the rising sun.
Eurasian Curlew, Willow Warbler, Wood Pigeon, Whooper Swan,
Fieldfare. 1´52´´
22 MEADOW PIPIT Anthus pratensis. 12 June 2002, 3.35 am,
Pelkosenniemi (Lapland), Pyhätunturi, Peurakero. The Meadow
Pipit is most at home on the open bogs and mountain meadows of
the North. Like other pipits, the bird delivers its song during
the song flight. In this sample you can hear a courting male
performing its song flight. Between the flights, the bird emits a
shorter phrase perched on the ground or a branch. Willow Warbler,
Brambling, Whimbrel, Redstart, Common Redpoll. 4´00´´
23 FROG Rana temporaria. 2 May 2001, 4.25 am, Kaavi (Eastern
Finland), River Vaikkojoki, the ponds of Rakkinelampi. Spawning
frogs giving a concert on a riverside flood meadow. The spawning
period of the frogs peaks somewhere around the first of May, when
a warm and rainy night can trigger off an impressive acoustic
performance. Common Snipe, Pintail, Robin. 4´07´´
24 EURASIAN CURLEW / SOUNDSCAPE Numenius arquata. 25 May 2003,
5.10 am, Maaninka (Eastern Finland), Haatala. The earthy smell
from the bare fields, the murmur of a small stream and the
courting Eurasian Curlews give a special feel to the landscape,
with the fields peacefully waiting to be seeded. Whinchat, Common
Chaffinch, Skylark, Yellowhammer, Wood Pigeon, Tree Pipit, Common
Snipe, Common Cuckoo, Fieldfare. 4´40´´
Translated by Kirsi Komonen and Ewen Macdonald 2004