The sounds of life

I wish I could post the sounds that greet one when one pops a bleary-eyed head outside the door at GB's at 6 in the morning. The only thing I can record sounds with is my camera and the microphone is not sensitive enough to give a decent recording.

Firstly, and of greatest comparison with home on Merseyside is the absence of traffic noise. Nor is there any other sign of human activity at this time of the morning . Some folk, like Iain up the road have already gone to work but GB is at the end of the road so the only vehicles that are ever heard are the immediate neighbours and, a couple of times a day, the bus reversing to head back out of the township again.

Secondly, there is the sound of the sea. This morning it is a gentle lapping sound,

There are sheep bleating and 'merr'ing across the valley. Meehhh


The skylarks are up in the sky parachuting and singing their incomparable and distinctive song.

Oystercatchers are calling as they criss-cross down on the shoreline.

Much less usual this morning is the addition of the bubbling call of a Curlew.

An occasional sqwauky gull goes past and the House Sparrows are lined up on the fence cheeping to tell me to fill the feeders.


On the roof a couple of pigeons are cooing and clomping around in their hobnail boots as they drop bits of discarded food onto the study roof with a little clattering sound.

A Snipe just drummed somewhere in the valley. This sound, made by its feathers, as it flies is remarkably loud and when one buzzed me a couple of years ago it gave me quite a shock. Every time I hear a snipe I look to see if I can see it but they must be so far away and so well camouflaged that I haven't succeeded apart from that one instance.

A noisy place the countryside - but oh, what wonderful noises!

P.S. Just went outside to listen if I'd missed anything obvious. I had. 'Slap'! The sound of another midge biting the dust as it attemted to bite my arm.