Earlier this summer I set out with my newest toy – a Zoom H2n handheld digital recorder. It was my first outing with this shiny new device and I didn’t have a particular plan as to where to go or what to record. Arbitrarily I headed for a little hamlet on a Roman road called Court-at-Street, in Kent. From here you can walk onto a particularly peaceful and little-known escarpment with superb views over Romney Marsh. It’s one of those increasingly rare spots in the south-east without any road noise.
The trip was certainly a case of beginner’s luck, as a pair of buzzards were calling to each other (one circling over the scarp, the other roosting in an ancient woodland) and continued to do so for over 20 minutes! Enough time for even a novice like me to get a half decent recording.
This clip is the best 2 minutes or so. You’ll also hear crickets, a yellowhammer and the trickling of one of the many springs that emerge from the Greensand hills in this area.
It’s a stereo recording, so for the full effect, listen with headphones!