Nature of Savo - Soundscapes 5

Catalog number: KSUCD-2019
14 soundscapes, duration 76'34"
https://soundcloud.com/kultasointu/01-the-drumming-of-the-white-backed-woodpecker-and-grey-headed-woodpecker-in-trees-by-the-lakeside

Preface

The 14 tracks on this album are scenic soundscapes from the woods of Savo which are home to woodpeckers. On this album, you can hear the drumming of six different woodpecker species in their different natural environments. In addition, it is possible to hear the mating calls of four of these species. It is believed that this production is the first ever recording capturing the characteristic drumming sound of woodpeckers in their natural nesting areas. In fact, these are the best recordings that I have made of woodpeckers in North Savo in a prolonged time period, 2002 - 2019. All of these tracks were made by carefully hiding the recording equipment in the woodpeckers’ environment, to ensure that there is no influence by humans.

There are several recordings of the sounds of woodpeckers available on the following Kultasointu albums: Nature Resounds 1 – The Birds of North Savo, track 28. Nature Resounds 2 – Tales of the Wilderness, tracks: 4, 21 and 33. Nature Resounds 7 – In the Coniferous Forests, tracks: 1, 12, 16 and 25. Nature Resounds 9 – In the Deciduous Forests and Scrublands, tracks: 2, 12, 17, 20 and 22. Nature Resounds 13 – In the Courtship Arena of the Western Capercaillie, tracks: 7 and 13. The Call of Lapland, North of the Arctic Circle Vol. 3 – track 1. Nature of Savo – Soundscapes Vol 1, track 5. Nature of Savo – Soundscapes Vol 2, tracks 5 and 10. Nature of Savo – Soundscapes Vol 3 CD1, track 2. Nature Resounds in Israel Part 1, track 13

Acknowledgements

This recording has received a stipend to allow its publication from the Friends of Kuopio Nature ry (KLYY). This stipend is significant as it makes possible the release of this natural recording. I am very grateful that KLYY appreciate the importance of this form of recording. In addition, I would like to thank all the experts who have contributed to the production of this recording; technical assistance with the recordings, the production of the cover art, the English translation etc.

Kuopio, 30.07.2019
Lauri Hallikainen
Producer / Recording engineer

Track descriptions and background species

01 The drumming of the White-backed Woodpecker and Grey-headed Woodpecker in trees by the lakeside. 13.05.2018 at 06.50 am, Kuopio, Riistavesi. 06'07"
In a narrow strait of the lake, there is a small bushy cove from which the late springtime floodwaters are gradually receding. In the calm water of the strait, one can see the reflections of the ancient aspen and birch trees which line the lakeside. Trees on the two sides of the strait form the territories of both White-backed and Grey- headed Woodpeckers. In addition to the croaks of the moor frogs, on this recording you can hear not only the drumming of the White-backed and Grey-headed Woodpeckers but also their characteristic calls. In this recording, it is also possible to hear some of the drumming sounds being made by Black Woodpeckers and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Tree pipit, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Wood Pigeon, Song Thrush, Common Chaffinch, Bee, European common frog, Blue Tit, Common Cuckoo.

02 Tree Pipit, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Black Grouse 26.04.2013 at 06.39 am, Kuopio, Riistavesi. 05'01"
It is a still and fresh spring morning in this idyllic wooded landscape of Savo. Each springtime morning’s dawn chorus is swelled by the arrival of more and more migrating birds. Thirty-two seconds into this recording, one can hear the characteristic morning song of the Eurasian Curlew. The other bird sounds that can be heard here are from Tree Pipits, Song Thrushes, Common Cranes and Common Chaffinches. Common Snipe, Fieldfare.

03 The screeches of the Red Throated Diver and the call of the Black Woodpecker. 06.05.2018 at 04.40 am, Kuopio, Riistavesi. 07'57"
This recording was made on a peaceful spring morning in a remote wood that stretches down to the lakeside. The morning mist is slowly clearing from the calm waters of the lake. The Red Throated Divers have arrived to catch fish in this lake and they welcome the first rays of dawn with their mating and welcoming calls. The Black Woodpeckers arrived earlier in this peaceful spot in March to nest and they announce their nesting territories through their characteristic calls and mating drumming sounds. On this recording, it is possible to hear two different characteristic calls of the Black Woodpeckers. In the far reaches of the clear waters of the lake, one can hear the song of the Black Throated Diver. Redwing, Fieldfare, Eurasian Black Grouse, Common Chaffinch, Great Tit, Tree Pipit, Common Goldeneye, Common Crane, Song Thrush.

04 The Three-toed Woodpecker in a dead-standing tree, the common crane in the marshes and the beaver by the lakeshore. 21.05.2016 at 04.30 am, Kuopio, Riistavesi. 07'02"
This calm May morning in the late spring is a good time to hear a splendid dawn chorus in the heart of Savo; its idyllic lakes and woodlands are Lakeland Finland at its very best. In this single spot, it is possible to listen to a soundscape consisting of the natural sounds emerging from a lakeside, marshland and many different types of forest. On this recording at 3.56 minutes, it is possible to hear the sounds made by a beaver. White Wagtail, Wood Pigeon, Common Cuckoo, Whooper Swan, Redwing, Song Thrush, Fieldfare, Black Woodpecker, Mew Gull, Red-throated Diver, Common Chaffinch, Great Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Whooper Swan, Spotted Flycatcher, Bee, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Black Grouse.

05 Great Spotted Woodpecker and Common Wood Pigeon. 29.04.2018 at 05.15, Kuopio Riistavesi. 05'30"
There is an opening in the dense fir tree forest on the hillside which offers a good view of the marshy ground surrounding the lakeside. By the edge of the wood, there is a dead standing dry fir tree. The shade of the fir trees provides a protected nesting spot for Common Wood Pigeons and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. On this recording, you can hear in sequence the cooing of the Common Wood Pigeon and the drumming of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Black Grouse, Common Chiffchaff, Carrion Crow, Redwing, Common Crane, Tree Pipit, Eurasian Blackbird, Green Sandpiper, Eurasian Siskin.

06 Drumming solos by Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. 25.04.2002 at 05.55 am, Kuopio Riistavesi. 04'21"
Recorded on a brisk morning at the end of April in an opening on a lakeside grove. Here and there among the stands of alders and birch trees that line the lakeside, there are ancient dead standing stumps of deciduous trees, good nesting spots for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. In this recording, you can hear the drumming solos of two, possibly more, Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. European Robin, Common Chaffinch, Song Thrush, Mew Gull.

07 Garden Warbler and White-backed Woodpecker. 17.06.2018 at 06.30 am, Kuopio, Riistavesi. 05'04"
How splendid it is in the early summer in the shade provided by the leafy trees in this mature woodland. The opening at the edge of the wood where bushes are in full bloom is the nesting site for a garden warbler. From much deeper in the forest, one can hear the characteristic call of the Grey Headed Woodpecker and the drumming sound of a White-backed Woodpecker pecking at an old birch tree. Eurasian Wren, Bee, Common Snipe, Wood Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Common Chaffinch, Common Cuckoo, Whooper Swan, Herring Gull, Mew Gull, Willow Warbler, Fieldfare, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Bittern.

08 The mating ritual of the Grey-headed Woodpecker. 29.04.2012 at 07.10 pm Kuopio, Riistavesi. 03'01"
The landscape is a patchwork mosaic-like pattern of different trees species. As far as the eye can see, the landscape seems like a sea of both deciduous trees and conifers in different stages of maturity. In this world of green, there are some patches of meadow, marshland or lakes. Deep in the peace of the forest, one can come across some groups of old aspen trees. This is the place chosen by Grey-headed Woodpeckers to practice their mating rituals with its characteristic calls and drumming sounds. Song Thrush, Black-headed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Black Grouse.

09 In an ancient grove of birch trees in April. 29.04.2018 at 05.45, Kuopio, Riistavesi. 06'07"
This soundscape describes the sounds from a grove of birch trees in the spring just before the budding of the trees. The gnarled trunks of these ancient birch trees support many thick branches which arch over the grove. From deeper in the conifer forest, there emerge the drumming sounds of a Black Woodpecker. The wetlands by the lakeside resound with the calling sounds of the Common Cranes. A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker begins its morning rapid drumming mating calls on the side of a birch tree. Carrion Crow, Common Chaffinch, Song Thrush, Eurasian Black Grouse, Common Snipe, Whooper Swan, Goldcrest, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Mew Gull, Eurasian Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker.

10 Western Capercaillies and Black Woodpeckers in an old conifer forest. 30.04.2010 at 04.50 am, Kuopio Riistavesi. 05'21"
It is an early spring morning as April turns into May in the pine tree dominated conifer forest by the edge of a swamp. This is the peak time for the mating rituals of the Western Capercaillies. In this recording, it is possible to hear the clucking and grunts of three, possibly more, Western Capercallie cocks. This fascinating soundscape of the natural wilderness is complemented by the drumming of two Black Woodpeckers. Song Thrush, Eurasian Black Grouse, Great Tit.

11 The Dawn Chorus in a woody grove and the call of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. 29.04.2018 at 05.55 am Kuopio Riistavesi. 03'43"
Listen to the Dawn Chorus in this morning as April turns into May. This is the time of the year when the return of migrating birds is at its height. The migrating Thrushes are still returning but the European Robins have already established their territories. The main songsters of this grove, such as the Garden Warblers and the Willow Warblers have still to arrive; when they return, the Dawn Chorus will become even more spectacular. This recording was made in the territories of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and a Eurasian Tree Creeper. These non-migrating birds have started their courtship rituals earlier in the spring. Common Chaffinch, Tree Pipit, Dunnock, Song Thrush, Common Crane, Eurasian Black Grouse, Common Snipe, Wood Pigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Herring Gull, Fieldfare, Redwing.

12 Willow Tit, Hazel Grouse and Great Spotted Woodpecker and the sounds from the springtime ice. 25.03.2014 at 06.40 am, Kuopio, Kaislastenlahti. 04'13"
It is a crisp end-of-March morning in this forest of fir trees close to a still ice-covered large lake. The grinding of the ice sounds very like distant thunder. The Hazel Grouse and the Willow Tit are two bird species that nest in this environment and their song season has already started. The drumming sounds from a Great Spotted Woodpecker can be heard in this soundscape. Great Tit, Eurasian Black Grouse.

13 A soundscape with a Great Spotted Woodpecker in a conifer forest and the croaks of frogs from the lakeside. 12.05.2018 at 11.30 pm, Kuopio Riistavesi. 05'25"
It is a peaceful early morning at the edge of a conifer forest which slopes down to wetlands by the lakeside which is covered by bushes and reeds. It is that time in May when the Moor Frogs are at their most vocal in grassy wetlands. A drumming sequence from a Great Spotted Woodpecker and the characteristic call of the cuckoo drift into our hide in the conifer forest and complete this natural concert of bird song and frog sounds. European common frog, Song Thrush, Common Chaffinch, European Robin, Bee, Eurasian Bullfinch, European toad, Eurasian Siskin, Willow Warbler.

14 Forest Stream, Common Blackbird and Great Spotted Woodpecker. 20.05.2019 at 05.20 am, Kuopio Kaislastenlahti. 07'34"
It is a splendid May morning in this remote glen through which a stream passes. On the stream’s banks, the majestic birch and fir trees stand immobile on this windless morning. Further up the slope of the glen among the columns of pine trees, there is an old greyish dead-standing tree. The quiet gurgling sound of the stream creates a perfect backdrop to the tranquillity of this wooded landscape. At the beginning of this track, you can hear the flapping of the wings of a Great Spotted Woodpecker followed later by its drumming sounds. Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Siskin, Whooper Swan, Bee, Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Black Grouse, Wood Pigeon, Willow Warbler, Tree Pipit, Black-throated Diver, Red-necked Grebe.

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