Wind Is the Original Radio

Recorded in Croatia by Ivo Vicic

Welcome to our second episode of this series where we have conversations with the best nature listeners in the world.

In this episode, Chris Hails talks about his multi-faceted career as an ecologist and zoologist in Malaysia, an environmental advisor in Singapore and Conservationist in Switzerland. Nature field recording has been a practice for Chris since tape recorder days. He has a PhD in bird ecology, and his professional activities have led him to research, teach and advise, with the efforts of saving the environment.

We discuss why there is so much disconnection between people and Nature, ways to bridge this gap and be conscious about our own consumer patterns and the connection to politics.

As a staple in this series, we talk about being in nature, deep listening and being alone in the dark outside.

Find out more about Chris on his website.

Episode’s references:

Chris' book Birds of Singapore

Tools for species ID:

Cornell University Bird NET

Merlin App

Xeno-Canto

Chris' Website Wild Echoes

The Sound Approach

Literature and films mentioned:

The Singing Life of Birds. The Art and Science of Listening to Birds by Donald Kroodsma

Memoirs of a Birdman by Ludwig Koch

Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of the Natural World and The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places by Bernie Krause

The Singing Planet, by Liz McKenzie

Recording by Martha Mutiso in Tanzania

Welcome to our very first episode of this series where we have conversations with the best nature listeners in the world.

In this episode, Mélia Roger discusses how her approach to sound has changed; intimacy and empathy through sound;, and the context of politics and ecosocial conflicts in which sound and listening exists.

"Her work explores the sonic poetics of the landscape, through field recordings and active listening performances. Exploring human non-humans relations, she tries to inspire ecological change with environmental and empathic listening. She believes in the importance of participatory projects in order to share knowledge and personal experiences through sound." (from Portfolio - Selected Works, 2016-2021).

"Mélia Roger is a sound designer for film and art installation. She has a classical music background and owns a Master[’s] Degree in sound engineering (ENS Louis-Lumière, Paris, France). She spent her last year of Master in the Transdisciplinary Studies Program at ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland), where she developed an artistic approach of sound, working with voice and field recordings. She is now living between Paris and Zurich, working for post-production film and her own artistic works."

Find out more about Mélia on her website.

Episode's references:

Donna J. Haraway - Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene

Environmental philosopher Vinciane Despret

Karen Barad -: “On Touching the Stranger Within – The Alterity That Therefore I Am”

Field recordist Marc Namblard

Philosopher Timothy Morton

Glenn Albrecht - Environment Change, Distress & Human Emotion Solastalgia

Bernie Krause - The Great Animal Orchestra exhibition

Solastalgie podcast [French language]

Land Body Ecologies podcast

Field Recordist and Sound Artist Félix Blume

Upon my odyssey for wisdom, destiny cast me ashore on the isle of Little Tobago, a haven where avian secrets awaited, concealed within the artistry of bird banding. Here, amidst the tranquil embrace of nature’s symphony, my passion for recording the melodic tales of the wild began to unfold.

Little Tobago, a minuscule jewel adrift off Tobago’s northeastern shores, a realm within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. A realm of seclusion, where the only passage is by sea, where human comforts relent, surrendering to the unspoiled canvas of the night sky, adorned by the celestial dance of the Milky Way.

This sacred isle cradles a dry forest, a sanctuary for seabirds—Red-billed Tropicbirds, Audubon’s Shearwaters, Brown Boobies, Brown Noddies, Sooty and Bridled Terns—all gracing the island as custodians of the heavens. White-tailed Tropicbirds, a rare sight nesting among the rocks, weaving their tales into the tapestry of this mystical land.

Stepping ashore, one is transported to a Jurassic kingdom. The dry forest, a verdant abode for diverse songbirds and near-passerines, like the Trinidad Mot-Mot wielding anvils to conquer beetle shells, while shearwaters echo their cackling calls in the distance.

The saga unfolds as the Tropicbirds, pelagic wanderers of the azure expanse, commence their aerial ballet. At 2:30 pm, a celestial rendezvous at the cliff’s edge, where winds sculpt destiny. In elegant circles, they harness the invisible currents, orchestrating a grand descent into the embrace of shrubs below.

Yet, should the first dance falter, a daring plunge off the cliff, a daring encore to perfect their art. Enter the Frigatebird, the ocean’s marauder, soaring through the mid-air theater. Aware that Tropicbirds, satiated after a day of feasting, carry the ocean’s bounty, these aerial pirates seize their opportunity. Mid-flight, a violent shake coerces regurgitation, and the Frigatebirds seize the harvest in a daring mid-air ballet.

As the clock ticks towards 4 pm, the winds subside, and the avian performers retire to their roosts, leaving but a fleeting window to capture their symphony. In this ephemeral dance, the Red-billed Tropicbirds emerge as the maestros, rendering their enchanting melodies, making them the most bewitching notes I have ever endeavored to record.

Recorded by Giselle Ragoonanan Little Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

Recorded by Martha Mutiso in Kenya

A very calm secluded bay on the Bulgarian Black Sea, with gentle waves crashing at the stone shore.

Recoded by Jan Brelih, in Bulgaria

Every year, birds that breed in Europe and Asia migrate south to spend the winter in Africa, passing over Tsavo National Park in Kenya between late September and December. On dark, misty nights during migration, many birds become disoriented and land in the bushes and shrubs around the lights of Ngulia Safari Lodge, situated in the Ngulia Hills Escarpment.  

This year's migration brought a rich mix of migratory and resident bird songs. As day broke, the beautiful savanna was filled with the songs of visiting Nightingales, Warblers, and Orioles, often trying to sing louder than the resident Emerald-spotted Wood Doves, Boubous, Guineafowls, and Francolins. At times, their songs blended into one of the most spectacular dawn choruses I've ever heard. Avian migration is one of the greatest natural spectacles in the world, and it was amazing to record a small part of this sound phenomena in my country. 

This recording is highly dynamic and therefore we ask the listener caution with listening volumes, especially if using headphones.

Recorded by Martha Mutiso in Tsavo West National Park, Kenya 

End of December and it is a pleasant afternoon. It is hot and there are a few white clouds. It

Recorded by Verónica Cerrotta in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil