Field recording and found sounds
Avebury features a large prehistoric stone circle encompassing the village.
These Morris dancers performed English Country Garden near the NT cafe on a warm sunny day in late September. Somehow fitting with the prehistoric circle and the ambiance of the site.
Binaural OKMII
on radio aporee
This tawny called near the doorway of a holiday cottage in Sidmouth. It’s a lovely evocative sound. I hear them at home too, they’re common as muck according to the RSPB distribution map. This one was disturbingly close, and he was getting a reaction from another tawny. Presumably saying keep off my lawn in Owl language.
Olympus LS14 XY
Tawnies have a rep for being pugnacious and you can’t hear ’em coming . The photographer Eric Hosking lost an eye to one. I stood in the doorway, the dishwasher was running so it makes a faint background, as do the neighbours. It was a surprising encounter in Cheese Lane, Sidmouth – a row of terraced houses surrounded by other housing.
The picture’s not of this owl. Looks a bit odd for a tawny but it was a WordPress freebie. There’s a bit of an AI feel to it. The straight AI offering had gorgeous eyes but was spooky.
Owls are spooky enough on their own without added AI creepiness
Sidmouth is quite genteel through the week, it livens up a bit towards the weekend. I was recording the sound of the sea on the shingle beach when these kayakers were finishing up. They dragged their kayaks across the beach to get a break to go to get a bite to eat.
Olympus LS14 XY
A little further to the west the cliffs rise steeply. A path leads round to Chit rocks and to the dog beach and steps to the Jacob’s Ladder cafe.
These steps were a good setting for the sound of the sea close up
Olympus LS14 XY
Seaton Tramway were running open-top trams on a pleasant sunny September afternoon, bringing an unusual perspective to Colyford level crossing. I normally experience level crossings as a road user, and even from trains it’s usually only audible at one side.
XY recording, Olympus LS14
It’s a great way to overlook the Seaton Wetlands nature reserve. The driver pointed out this Kestrel on the tram power poles. We saw little egrets, grey herons, cormorants and some Curlew. They run occasional birdwatching trips on the tramway too.
The tramway makes an interesting sound running past – there must be a gearbox between the motor and wheels. The control system is quite rudimentary, you only have about four positions.
You can hear this under load when the driver runs slowly, pulsing the power on and off.
The next recording is taken from the Colyton terminus, with a tram passing the platform to the terminus.
XY recording, Olympus LS14
Seaton Tramway has an interesting history. It uses some of the old trackway from Seaton Junction to Seaton. This branch line was taken out in the Beeching axe. Claude Lane was looking for a permanent site; Claude had run trams at Rhyl then at Eastbourne. He bought the trackway fron British Rail and he and an assistant moved the tram from Eastbourne. This took 36 lorry round trips from September 1969. The first passenger service at Seaton ran on the August Bank Holiday of 1970.
The system voltage is 120V DC, with battery stations along the lines, presumably to minimise line losses at such a low voltage.