Digital Download Catalogue — Natural Soundscapes (Section 2)
— Devon Sea and Cliffs

Classified listing

Devon Sea and Cliffs

• Branscombe Landslip — Blackbirds sing in the calm within the wind

  8 May 2016
  

  One of my top joyfully inspirational birdsong recordings, which always strikes gladness into my heart! A windy afternoon to early evening in Branscombe Landslip, during which the birds sing as though their lives depend on it. Blackbirds are particularly strong and inspiring performers, but also blackcap and chiffchaff come out crazy-strongly as well. — Yet amazingly I discarded all but the last hour (which latter had much lighter wind). So, what happened to enable me to rescue about half of what I'd discarded…? — 123'

  
  Recording code: 160508_r4x-01+02

• Branscombe Landslip — evening spring birdsong

  28 May 2016
  

  As part of an all-night session in Branscombe Landslip (Beer, Devon, UK) aimed primarily at capturing a dawn chorus, I captured this exquisite evening birdsong sequence. When you listen really carefully you realize that the apparent gaps in the performance are gaps only in nearby activity, and that there are always birds still singing at a greater or still greater distance. That big dynamic range gives a breathtaking sense of spaciousness and purity of the air. It's as though a lot of the time we're not just listening to the birds singing, but to the gaps between the sounds. Refreshing and immeasurably peaceful! — 117' (split into 2 equal parts)

  
  Recording code: 160528_r4-01+02
  (This link is for part 1, but its page links to part 2 so you can follow through)
  

• Branscombe Landslip — birdsong on a windy May afternoon

  14 May 2017
  

  Now that the trees here in Branscombe Landslip (Beer, Devon, UK) have their soft new greenery, the sound of the gusts is softened, and the birds are celebrating the spring with their songs. Particularly prominent are song thrush, blackcap and wren, with blackbirds mostly singing later on and more distantly. This is the first half of the full recording  — 90'

  
  Recording code: 170514_r4-01+02

• Dawn chorus in Branscombe Landslip — Lower grandstand panorama

  31 May 2017

  Listening from a quite exposed cliff ledge, we eavesdrop on the unfolding dawn chorus receding just below us, with breathing-like distant sea sound beyond.
   — 117'

  
  Recording code: 170531_r4-02b+03

• Dawn chorus in Branscombe Landslip — Highest grandstand panorama

  31 May 2017
  

  Listening from on high, we eavesdrop on the unfolding dawn chorus, mostly more or less distant below, including a beautiful multi-blackbirds phase, with breathing-like distant sea sound beyond. — 127'

  
  Recording code: 170531_r5-02b+03

• Sea wave patterns at night, heard in Branscombe Landslip (lower)

  30 May 2017
  

  An 'ultimate' sleep-assist soundscape. — a beautiful 'hypnotic' peacefulness, with a constant interplay between the wave rhythms down below on the left and those of the distant sea beyond the far (west) end of the landslip. Because of the acoustics of the landslip and its cliffs, this is a really immersive sound, with a strong soporific effect, so it's definitely not suitable for listening to while driving or operating machinery.
  
  This recording has the sea down below on the left more prominently audible than the concurrent recording from the highest workable spot. Surprisingly, this actually made a really nice effect in its own right, with more immediate impression of differentiation between that and the more distant sea sound out to the west. — 117'

  
  Recording code: 170530_r4-01
  You can also find there a shorter version (the last hour of this one).
  

• Branscombe Landslip magic! Spring birdsong with sea echoes on cliff

  18 April 2018
  

  This is in the lower, western, end of Branscombe Landslip, Beer, Devon, UK on 18 April 2018. The sea here has a special sound because the beaches around here are pebbles rather than sand or rocks, and this echoes on Hooken Cliff, which towers above the landslip. With rather unusually chunky waves for here, we can even hear a slight thundering quality in the waves' sound, which I hadn't noticed here before — and the blackbirds had gone mysteriously weird for this recording session… — 66'

  
  Recording code: 180418_r5-02+03