I would like to extend my thanks to Harry Sumner at Sonospace for adding me to the list of featured recordists!

Sonospace is an online archive of sound recordings and music from across the world, along with articles, on-going projects and podcasts relating to field recording. Definitely worth a visit!

Website: www.sonospace.org
Twitter: @sonospace_org

Every year Swallows nest in the stables on the farm, often reusing old nests and occasionally building new ones. They'll usually have lay a couple of clutches each Summer and are very successful.

It appears there are two families nesting side by side. A couple of years ago there was some serious rivalry resulting in the deaths of several chicks as one family raided the other incurring retaliations. But once their differences and territorial disputes were settled, both families successfully raised their young. Nothing like that had happened before or since. Perhaps a new family had moved in and were establishing their own territory?

This year the two pairs (one nesting in one stable, another in the hay store) both had two clutches. The second batch are close to fledging in a week or so. For reasons there aren't apparent before the second batch of eggs were laid, one family built a new nest in a different part of the stable to lay their eggs.

This was the one I set my microphones up by. After very carefully placing a pair of DPA 4060s either side of the nest, running cables to the floor to a Sound Devices 744T and pressing record, I made a hasty retreat. I've recorded very intimate sounds of the parents flying in and out feeding their young with the various insects they had collected. I have several hours of recordings. As I went in to de-rig, I listened in to hear a buzzing insect fly past the mics to be promptly eaten. I was too late pressing record and missed the event. Annoyed about that but oh well!

It's not the first time I recorded the Swallows nesting. Here's a recording from 2011 (one of my first) recorded with Microphone Madness BSM-9 omni pair to Zoom H2:

I submitted four recordings to the Wildlife Sound Recording Society's annual competition. Two won and another came in second place!

Headed up to Rutland Water for the AGM and award ceremony on the 5th July 2014. It was a splendid day listening to a wide range of different recordings from other entrants and a talk from the new president, Chris Watson!

Second place, Species Category:

First place, Combination Category:

First place, Habitat Category:

This is a recording of a Woodpigeon, a common sound on the farm. Woodpigeons appear to have had a very successful year this year. The other morning I must have heard about ten pigeons coo-ing away happily to themselves. This particular subject has taken up permanent residence in a laburnum tree in the drive. There is a nest there, an untidy pile of sticks on a branch where at least one brood have hatched and fledged.

The bird was an ideal subject for close microphone placement. It's a rather tame bird and after hearing it's call I was able to move close enough to the tree to see where he/she usually sits. I waited for the bird to move to another song post before setting up a mike. It appeared to have at least three of these; the tree; the drive gate and a taller tree above the stable.

I clipped a single DPA4060 omnidirectional microphone on a twig a few centimetres from where the pigeon had been sitting and ran a long XLR back to the house to a MixPre-D and from there via "Tape Out" to an Olympus LS5 recorder. Upon it's return the pigeon immediately began to call directly into the microphone capsule.

The wind always hampers my recording plans. Parabolic reflectors are useless and birdlife doesn't particularly enjoy calling when its blustery and tends to hide somewhere. Doesn't mean there's not lots out there to be recorded though, and recording with contact microphones is always a popular choice on windy days for capturing strange and often unheard sounds.

I went home for the weekend on the 9th to 11th May 2014 for a bit of fresh air, farming and recording; I wanted a better capture of the Corn bunting and possibly a Yellowhammer. Unfortunately it was too windy for such recordings - Contact mic weather! Unfortunately I'd left mine in Surrey. Fortunately I had my DPAs with me so I thought I'd try those out on an old plum tree damaged by strong winds earlier in the year.

The trunk had a split through the centre. I could hear the creaking of the two halves grinding together from a few paces away. Placing the capsules at a distance apart I was happy with for a decent stereo field at the epicentre of the trunk, I set off the recorder. After a few attempts at mic placement - one of them kept dislodging itself - I left the recorder running for an hour and a half.

Here's an extract of the recording...it's rather irritating.