August 16, 2025

Autumn Leaves; Soundscapes from the Far North

1 hour 4 minutes

Autumn is almost upon us, which means one thing for many active birders, fall migration. For all birders, Autumn is perhaps the most highly anticipated time of year. Migration takes place on an epic scale over the fall months and there is much to enjoy in the field. For many, it is the spectacle of migration itself, that fires the senses. For others, it is the hopes or rarities, vagrant bird that have been swept far from where they ought to be, only to be found on a far flung headland by a lucker observer. For me, it is the rich soundscape overhead, the calls that fill our skies, as passage migrants flood southwards. In this episode, I wanted to delve into some of the wonderful sounds of the Swedish Autumn. I begin with a small audio magazine on the vocalizations of two supremely evolved specialists of Swedish coniferous woodland, Red Crossbill and Parrot Crossbill. These highly adapted, far wandering finches move widely over large areas. Furthermore, they are resilient birds, hardy late Winter breeders and are exceptionally interesting from a sound recording standpoint..
The main course, so to speak, will be an extensive sound magazine, with all audio recorded over the course of September 2024. I spent ten days on this tiny island of Hällögern, along the Baltic coastline of Västerbotten, in Northern Sweden. During this time, I was free to spend all of my time field recording the sounds of Autumn migration at the site, in a wonderfully noise free and pristine environment. For me, it simply doesn't get any better than this. Using the audio I recorded during the trip, I will share the wonderful sounds and ambience of this little island, which lies just a hundred metres offshore. This represents an audio snapshot of a wonderful location...