This recording contains ten different acoustic lyrical pictures and different nature environments. In it you can hear the distinctive soundscapes from the Archipelago Sea and from Lapland. This CD also contains soundscapes from different types of forests and a soundscape from a bird wetland. The recordings were made either before or after those moments when the eastern horizon basks in the first glow of dawn. The exceptions are recordings made in Lapland at the time of the midnight sun. I want to thank birdwatchers, guides, my friends and all of you who have contributed to this recording. My warmest thanks to my wife Maarit. After long-lasting recording travels with hardly any sleep, my homecoming was like a draught of cool water to a thirsty man.

Kuopio, 19 May 2006

Lauri Hallikainen

2. RIVER LANDSCAPE IN LAPLAND. 22 May 2004, 1.50 am. Savukoski Värriö Ala-arajoki. 8’34’’. A calmly flowing river is winding its way through an expansive landscape and disappearing into the depths of a coniferous forest dimly seen in the distance. On the river bank, water drops sparkle in the willow bushes and fall rustling into the grass. After the rain, the air fills with the scent of freshly opened buds. In the early morning of spring in Lapland, flickers of light burst forth. Common Reed Bunting, Common Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Hooded Crow, Black Grouse, European Golden Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Eurasian Dotterel.

3. FOREST WITH OLD BIRCH TREES. 1 June 2002, 2.45 am. Kuopio (Eastern Finland) Riistavesi Kipansalo. 7’52’’. The jagged trunk of an old birch tree branches in different directions higher up and forms a broad canapy with arched boughs. Nearby, in the shade of another old tree, there is a tilted dead and rotting tree. On the trunk of the rotting tree, a tit has hollowed its nest hole. As the morning wind is still asleep, the leaves of birch trees hang calm and motionless. Wood Warbler, Common Blackbird, Eurasian Treecreeper, Fieldfare, Great Tit, Garden Warbler, Redwing.

4. BIRDLIFE ON AN AAPA MIRE. 9 June 2002, 2.30 am. Pelkosenniemi (Forested Lapland) Sokanaapa. 7’13’’. Far to the north, above an aapa mire, the midnight sun is just above the horizon, creating a magical atmosphere around the wide mire. At the mire’s edge, just where the thin pine forest starts, there is a bushy strip where willows and birch trees grow. This spot where the forest and mire meet is a nesting site for many northern bird species. Common Redpoll, Common Cuckoo, Whinchat, Common Crane, Common Reed Bunting, Swan, Hooded Crow, Yellow Wagtail, Whimbrel, Willow Warbler, Wood Sandpiper, Song Thrush, Eurasian Wryneck, Brambling.

5. FARMYARD IN A MEADOW LANDSCAPE. 26 April 2006, 6.30 am. Korppoo (Southwestern Finland) Rumar. 7’52’’. Out of the shade of the trees in a farmyard, one can see a wide meadow landscape with its patches of forests and rocks. At the fork of a branch of a birch tree in the yard, the master of the house has hung a bird house for a starling. A warm spell at the end of April has melted the snow from the fields. A slowly rising morning wind of spring brings an earthy fragrance to the yard. Common Chaffinch, Common Starling, Black Grouse, Common Eider, Eurasian Skylark, European Greenfinch, Yellowhammer.

6. MARSHY MEADOW ON A MOUNTAIN IN LAPLAND. 27 June 2003, 3.00 am. Salla Nuolusoiva. 8’51’’. Over the years, marshy areas have been formed in the hollows of a treeless ridge of a mountain. A mountain cap covered by light grey lichen can be glimpsed on the horizon. Solitary dead spruces stand at the edge of a mossy marshland where the land is barren and stony. Bar-tailed Godwit, Meadow Pipit, Common Cuckoo, Whimbrel, European Golden Plover, Redwing, Arctic Redpoll.

7. OLD SPRUCE WOOD. 4 June 2004, 3.45 am. Kuopio (Eastern Finland) Vuorilampi. 6’35’’. The trunks of old spruces with their shield-like barks are highlighted in the summer’s early morning haze. Between the trees, a dead and rotting alder lies at an angle. Further behind, surrounded by spruces a European aspen with sturdy boughs has grown to be the master of the treetops. A soft and springy mattress of moss covers the earth. Common Chiffchaff, Common Blackbird, Greenish Warbler, Common Chaffinch, Common Raven, Common Cuckoo, Whooper Swan, Fieldfare.

8. BIRD LANDSCAPES ON THE ARCHIPELAGO SEA. 27 April 2006, 4.05 am. Korppoo Rumar. 8’25’’. The calm and peaceful sea rests in the lingering morning light awaiting the first rays of dawn and the awakening of the morning breeze. The shallow and reedy shore is covered by melting ice but on the edge of the reeds, the calm and open sea stretches out. Birds back from their migration south are eager to start their nesting chores. Common Eider, Common Goldeneye, Eurasian Coot, Mew Gull, Northern Shoveler, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Goosander.

9. CLEARING IN A MIXED DECIDUOUS FOREST. 26 April 2006, 6.20 am. Korppoo (Southwestern Finland) Rumar. 7’51’’. At the edge of a small clearing, a rugged old pine governs the landscape. In the clearing, among low spruce saplings, sun-scorched stubble tries to thrive. The clearing is surrounded by a dense thicket formed by birches, spruces and aspens. High up on the trunk of an old pine tree, a woodpecker has its nest hole. Winter Wren, Redwing, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Common Eider, Fieldfare, Tree Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Black Grouse, European Robin, Song Thrush.

10. SPRING NIGHT ON A BIRD WETLAND. 28 May 2000, 1.15 am. Parikkala (Eastern Finland) Siikalahti. 6’42’’. The crisp and fresh spring night will soon meet the dawn. The pale dusk of the night shrouds the landscape with its veil. The grassy wetland gives way to small ponds further in the distance. At the edge of bushes by the shore, a small hillock rises covered by a luxuriant and shady grove. There a cuckoo occupies a calling tree. Common Cuckoo, Sedge Warbler, Black-headed Gull, Great Bittern, Water Rail, Spotted Crake, Black Grouse, Northern Shoveler, Little Gull, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Thrush Nightingale.