naturerecordists
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Common Starling murmuration recording?

Subject: Re: Common Starling murmuration recording?
From:
Date: Sun Nov 10, 2013 5:54 am ((PST))
Hi Peter and all
=C2=A0
This is my first post to the group and I'm a newcomer to recording, so plea=
se don't judge my recordings too harshly!=C2=A0
=C2=A0
I'm fascinated by starlings, and=C2=A0 although I haven't made a recording =
of a large murmuration of starlings,=C2=A0=C2=A0I do have several recording=
s that I made last autumn in Richmond Park, Surrey of small preroosting flo=
cks and one of starlings in their roost.=C2=A0 They can be found on Sound C=
loud.
=C2=A0
https://soundcloud.com/frangipani24/flock-of-270-starlings
This is a recording taken from a distance, the birds were all gathering in =
the tops of a couple of adjacent trees,=C2=A0whistling and clicking togethe=
r.=C2=A0=C2=A0Every now and again=C2=A0they would quieten and then louden a=
gain.=C2=A0 They did take to the air=C2=A0 near the end of the recording, u=
nfortunately=C2=A0you can't hear the wing flaps.
=C2=A0
https://soundcloud.com/frangipani24/preroosting-starlings-in
In this recording=C2=A0I=C2=A0stood under the tree=C2=A0that the starlings=
=C2=A0were congregating in the top of.=C2=A0=C2=A0I was recording their usu=
al noises when suddenly they all=C2=A0took off; this time you can hear the =
flaps.
The synchronicity and=C2=A0rapidity of take-off within=C2=A0even small floc=
ks of starlings is awe-inspiring,=C2=A0 I wonder how it happens; is it a Me=
xican wave type of effect or is it signal led (perhaps by sound)?
=C2=A0
https://soundcloud.com/frangipani24/starlings-settling-down-to
Next all the starlings flew into dense suckers of a lime (Tilia)=C2=A0tree =
to roost.=C2=A0 It was amazing how quickly they disappeared from view.=C2=
=A0 On this recording I walked along to beneath their roost; I was expectin=
g them still to be making their usual noises, but they were mainly quiet ap=
art from some flaps of wings as they shuffled around=C2=A0before settling d=
own.=C2=A0 They did seem to flap more as I approached the tree=C2=A0and als=
o as other walkers came by, but they soon settled again.=C2=A0 (The beginni=
ng of this track is very poor, I knew even less about editing then than I d=
o now).
=C2=A0
I don't think=C2=A0starlings always go quiet straight away as they enter th=
eir roost.=C2=A0 Recently I noticed starlings in a roost=C2=A0in=C2=A0a den=
sely foliaged tree in a nearby=C2=A0town centre.=C2=A0=C2=A0These birds wer=
en't quiet but=C2=A0whistling and clicking loudly. (Perhaps this depends on=
 light intensity).=C2=A0 Interestingly, none of the many shoppers passing b=
y noticed=C2=A0the starlings!
=C2=A0
I must apologise to those of you=C2=A0=C2=A0that might not =C2=A0like the d=
rone of the aeroplanes and other additional noises on these recordings, but=
 I am experimenting=C2=A0with sounds of nature in an urban context,=C2=A0th=
ey're not there just because I lack editing skills!
=C2=A0
Regards
=C2=A0
Frances Cook
=C2=A0
.=C2=A0







"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.



------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists/

<*> Your email settings:
    Digest Email  | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    
    

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    

<*> Your use of Yahoo Groups is subject to:
    http://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/

------------------------------------------------------------------------

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the naturerecordists mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU