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.