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Greetings,
Does anyone on this list know whether a recording of grey seals on
Skomer Island by Ludwig Koch still exists? I have searched the
British Library online Sound Archive, where there are many Koch
recordings, but have not found the one I am looking for.
David Thomson describes the recording in his book "The People of the
Sea": "By placing his microphone in the caves and on the cliffs and
shores of the island of Skomer, [Dr Ludwig Koch] obtained many
perfect recordings of the voices of seals at play, in love, in anger,
in distress; and during a terrible storm, which wrecked the temporary
hut built to protect his gear, he heard through his earphones these
notes: (B A G A E)... Ludwig Koch tells me that he thinks it was sung
by a bachelor seal, lonely and disconsolate upon a rock." (from The
People of the Sea, copyright 1954 by David Thomson).
I've been using this brief seal tune along with my own recordings of
grey seals in performances for several years now, but I would love to
hear the original, if it exists.
Many thanks!
John
John Crockett
Let us live in harmony with the Earth
And all creatures
That our lives may be a blessing
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