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Recordist's notes
Every morning this winter we wake to the strident sound of a Robin belting out his tunes directly outside our bedroom window. He must be perching in the winter-flowering Cherry Blossom tree that's there; anyway, I lie in bed and listen to the song and it's the most beautiful thing and then throughout the whole day after I hear more Robins in other spots around the garden. I don't remember such a profusion of Robin song in any other winter/early spring, and we've been living here for sixteen years. Are other species not here yet, Blackbirds and Thrushes? Are there extra Robins this year? I don't know. But the song is so striking and such a pronounced sonic feature of these days. I went to bed last night with my recorder ready to leap up at 6am and pop it on the window sill which is very near to the tree. As usual, the little fellow comes and sings for a bit, then disappears for a bit, then returns for a bit. We usually get three sets of songs from this position before the Robin moves to the back garden, but just before the street wakes up and the chatter of traffic and gates begins, there is this wonderful territorial concert. Now you can hear it too. Recorded with EDIROL R09 left on the windowsill near the little songster.
About the place
Reading is a city of about 318,014 people in England, United Kingdom. OttoAnna lists 153 field recordings from here.
Equipment mentioned: Roland / Edirol R-05 & R-09. Compact Roland/Edirol recorders that were popular for early sound-map contributions.
Recorded nearby
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Reading, United Kingdom
A Japanese Quince bush full of bees - bees in the bush
Reading, United Kingdom
Silkworms in the living room
Reading, United Kingdom
Silkworms in the living room
Reading, United Kingdom
Male silkmoth beating his wings
Reading, United Kingdom
DIY and washing machine
Reading, United Kingdom
More by Felicity Ford
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Robin singing in Winter
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Creaky train between Waterloo East and London Bridge
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Doves fluttering
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Owls and jackdaws
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More wind recordings
Sources & credits
- “Katesgrove, Reading, UK - The Robin in the winter-flowering Cherry Blossom tree” by Felicity Ford – CC BY-SA 3.0 · radio aporee ::: maps via Internet Archive
- Reverse geocoding: GeoNames – CC BY 4.0