Field Notes & Observation
This recording captures the sound of wind moving through the coniferous trees, accompanied by the distant sound of waves breaking against the shore at Björnö Nature Reserve in the Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden.
The wind creates a fairly constant, deep rustling in the trees nearby, while the waves can be heard much further away, gently rising and falling in the background.
Björnö is a beautiful nature reserve, known for its rocky coastline, pine forests and the sandy beach at Torpesand. It's also a fairly popular destination for swimming, hiking and spending time by the sea, especially during the warmer months.
Knowing this, I was a little nervous about heading out there in the middle of the day. Finding a quiet spot without people passing by can be quite a challenge in places like this, and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Fortunately, and much to my surprise, I had the entire area to myself!
The landscape around the beach is a mixture of exposed rock, cliffs and trees, with some wonderful views across the water. I initially climbed up to the highest point overlooking the beach, hoping to make my recording there. The sound of the waves was just about perfect, but unfortunately the wind was far too strong. Even with wind protection on my microphones, the gusts were causing the audio to peak, so I had to look for somewhere a little more sheltered.
After exploring the surrounding rocks and woodland for a while, I eventually found the spot you see in this video. A small, relatively sheltered area surrounded by coniferous trees, just far enough from the exposed coastline to escape the strongest gusts.
Fun fact: This spot actually overlooks the cliffs where I recorded my second Here by Ear video ("Calm Morning Wave Sounds...").
What I particularly like about this recording is the contrast between the sounds. The wind creates a fairly constant, deep rustling in the trees nearby, while the waves can be heard much further away, gently rising and falling in the background. There was no birdsong to be heard during the recording.
As always, everything you hear and see was recorded on location, in one continuous take. No loops, no added sounds, no music and no AI-generated content. Just the natural soundscape of this particular place, at this particular moment.
