Lyrical pictures of nature vol II -
Call of rising light
10 soundscapes, total time 70'01"
This CD contains 10 soundscapes, which have been recorded in the early mornings of April, May and June. The recordings depict moments in nature when song of birds has reached its climax with the increasing light. The CD calls you to enjoy peace of nature at the time of rising light.
The CD is clear nature recording without manmade sounds and mixed recordings.
Kuopio 9.8.2003
Lauri Hallikainen
Recorder / producer
1 Lake forest at dawn. 9´54´´. May 2002, Karttula (Eastern
Finland), Lake Hirvijärvi. The courtship season of the Black
Grouse is still ongoing as May turns into June, although it
peaked a good while ago, when the birds performed their courtship
displays on the ice of the frozen lakes. At this time in late
May, a large choir of different song birds have already arrived.
At the crack of dawn, birds respond to the increasing light by
starting to mark out their territories in song. The shoreline
forest, with its many shades of green, is reflected on the mirror
smooth surface of the lake. Black Grouse, Garden Warbler, Common
Gull, Willow Warbler, Wood Warbler, Blackbird, Red-breasted
Merganser, Whooper Swan, Common Chaffinch, Redwing, Crested Tit,
Siskin.
2 String fen at the time of midnight sun. 5´52´´. June 2002,
Pelkosenniemi (Lapland), Sokanaapa. The magic of the night of the
midnight sun in the northern summer. The sun, just above the
horizon in the north, is radiating its light on the wide string
fen scattered with small ponds, adding a mystical sense of space
to the landscape. The scenery is swarthed in peace, as the sun
slowly moves toward the North-East and the approaching morning.
The abundant birdlife of the fen and its outskirts creates a
soundscape that reflects the tender tones of the light northern
night. Whinchat, Common Snipe, Reed Bunting, Common Crane, Common
Cuckoo, Yellow Wagtail, Whooper Swan, Brambling, Song Thrush,
Common Redpoll, Wood Sandpiper, Herring Gull, Willow Warbler,
Eurasian Curlew, Hooded Crow.
3 Awakening shore grove. 7´09´´. June 2003, Parikkala (Eastern
Finland), Lake Siikalahti. The first rays of dawn are already
shining on the tops of the tallest birch trees. The grove is dim
and the haze of the morning hangs over the reedbeds. The
night-singers, having demonstrated their singing skills in the
pale night, start to give way to birds which sing during the
hours of daylight. Thrush Nightingale, Common Chaffinch,
Blackcap, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Garden
Warbler, Eurasian Curlew, Great Bittern, Fieldfare, Great Tit.
4 Jingling spruce wood. 7´44´´. May 2003, Kuopio (Eastern
Finland), the bay of Hirvilahti. After a spring shower during the
night, the spruce wood is filled with the fresh smell of
conifers. The drops of water dripping off the trees glisten
against the dark green of the foliage. The air is filled with
sweet sounds as the morning gets brigher. Willow Warbler, Song
Thrush, Common Chaffinch, Common Chiffchaf, Common Cuckoo, Lesser
Whitethroat, Common Snipe, Black Grouse, Common Gull, Redwing.
5 By the open water in the spring. 6´55´´. April 2003,
Leppävirta (Eastern Finland), Konnus. In a spot of open water in
April, the yellow and red hues of the sunrise are reflected off
the smooth surface of the water. Two Whooper Swans resting by the
edge of the ice are mirrored in the water. On the shore, stout
aspens and birch trees stretch their branches out over the water.
Common Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Greenfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker,
Hooded Crow, Whooper Swan, Bohemian Waxwing, Willow Tit, Great
Tit, Common Redpoll.
6 Sunrays in the woodpecker forest. 4´11´´. April 2000, Kuopio
(Eastern Finland), the bay of Hirvilahti. After daybreak, the sun
beams down on the foliage of the tall forest. The shadows, which
are gradually being displaced by the light, are slowly moving
around. The notes of a new spring symphony are written on the
stave formed by the rays of light cutting through the canopy.
Song Thrush, Black Grouse, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common
Chaffinch, Robin, Wren, Black-headed Gull, Great Crested Grebe,
Hooded Crow, Redwing, Great Tit, Fieldfare, Wood Pigeon, Eurasian
Curlew, Dunnock, Northern Lapwing.
7 Call of rising light at the top of a fjeld. 8´01´´. June
2003, Salla (Lapland), Tuntsa, Nuolusoiva. In the uplands of
northern Finland the landscape is wide and undulating like an
ocean, with a white-capped mountain in the distance looking like
a foam-crested wave. Above the shoreless wilderness, the midnight
sun casts soft shadows over gorges and river vallies. Eurasian
Golden Plover, Red-throated Pipit, Redwing, Whimbrel, Arctic
Redpoll, Spotted Redshank, Fieldfare, Common Cuckoo, Willow
Grouse, Bar-tailed Godwing.
8 Dawn by the bird bay. 6´23´´. May 2003, Kuopio (Eastern
Finland), the bay of Kaislastenlahti. A gentle morning zephyr is
already sending small ripples across the blue surface of the
lake. In coves and around islands the water is still smooth,
mirroring the belt of forest and reeds lining the lake. The sun
glowing just above the horizon casts a glistening bridge over the
water. Wood Pigeon, Willow Warbler, Common Chaffinch, Common
Starling, Common Cuckoo, Fieldfare, Reed Bunting, Common Gull,
Great Bittern, Black Grouse, Common Goldeneye, Eurasian Curlew,
Herring Gull, Pied Wagtail, Redwing, Great Crested Grebe.
9 Call of cranes. 5´51´´. April 2001, Kuopio (Eastern
Finland), Lake Hirvilahti. A blanket of haze has crept over the
bog during the spring night and is slowly dispersing. The
twilight of the early morning gives way to the day´s bright
light. The cries of the cranes rings through the air and the
forest on the edge of the bog is bathed in the sun and serenaded
by the chorus of bird song. Brambling, Common Crane, Song Thrush,
Great Tit, Eurasian Curlew, Common Chaffinch, Common Bullfinch,
Common Gull, Hooded Crow, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Fieldfare.
10 Sparkle of morning dew in the grove. 7´33´´. June 2002,
Kuopio (Eastern Finland), Kipansalo. After a pale summer night,
the daylight dissolves the red glow of the sunrise. In the green
of the grove, the curving branches of a bird cherry tree are
carrying a white veil of flowers. The golden light of the morning
sparkles on the dewdrops on the grass. Common Chaffinch, Golden
Oriole, Great Tit, European Treecreeper, Black Grouse, Wood
Warbler, Common Snipe, Blackbird, Common Gull, Fieldfare, Garden
Warbler, Willow Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Redwing, Blue Tit,
Wren.
Translated by Kirsi Komonen and Ewen Macdonald 2004
I didn`t really get it before – what`s the point of atmosphere recordings? I am used to listening to music for pleasure or the Radio for information whilst I`m working and slumping in front of the TV when I want to relax. Birdsong without ID always seemed to me to be as irritating as watching a documentary about big game in the Serengeti whilst all those birds flit in and out of shot and no-one tells you what they are! So, being up to
my ears in work, I stuck a atmosphere CDs on as
background and I guess I got converted. This was
no road to Damascus bolt of lightening just a
gradual dawning. They are very pleasant and, of
course, often evocative. I can recommend both the Wildsounds CDs as they transported me to two different continents. I`ve never been to Sumatra but the sound of Gibbons in the early morning is something I have heard in a couple of other places and it is truly one of the most wonderful noises nature can make. I love the cicadas and song birds, the African dawn and dusk with red-eyed doves and frog choruses but nothing compares to the haunting echo of gibbons in the mist. So Wildsounds took me back to some wonderful memories and I found a really good reason to try more of these atmospheric backgrounds. Then I tried an offering from my favourite recordist in the world - Lauri Hallikainen. Nobody does it quite like him! These two offerings are as brilliant in technique as all his others. He never mixes in a studio or cuts and pastes for effect… what you get is what one would here were you wherever the recordings are made. Not what you or I would hear, but what this master hears… somehow he manages to place his gear just so that you get an incredible depth of sound. The watery tape
did not make me want to pee but it made me
remember every bubbling stream or crashing shore
I`ve visited. The dawn recordings of early summer
had a few unfamiliar birds there – but then
I`ve never been into a Finnish wood; however,
they also transported me to birding memories of
spring mornings when only the rattle of milk
bottles reminds you that the world of man exists
at all. |