The Sounds Of Nature - By Dee Sharma

Maple Farm, cradled in the heart of the south-east of England, now thrives under the stewardship of Youngwilders; a place where time seems to stretch and breathe with the pulse of nature itself.

It’s here, amidst acres of wild meadows and oak trees, that my journey with bioacoustics and field recordings truly began. The sounds captured within these walls of living history are not just mere recordings; they are fragments of life, the whispers of fallen sticks and rocks, the soft murmur of nesting birds in the oak branches, the intricate hum of ant farms among buttercup fields, and the voices of those gathered around campfires, weaving stories under the wide open sky.

This farm, a sanctuary for insects, birds, and mammals (including occasional sightings of the youngwilder stewards themselves), is a living testament to the land’s reclamation and resurgence. It was the nightingales, singing their hearts out in the peak of breeding season, that first beckoned me to this place, sparking a need to capture their song, to preserve it, fearing that it might be the last time I’d hear their call.

For me, the art of field recording has become a pilgrimage, a way to truly be with the land, to honor its presence through the delicate, unseen threads of sound. I’ve learned that presence is not just about sight, but sound, a quiet immersion into every breath the earth takes. By listening, we remember that we are alive, here, in this moment.

What you hold in your hands now are the aural trinkets of that journey, each sound a small testament to the life unfolding on Maple Farm. Listen closely, for these are the sounds of a world coming back into itself, carried on the wings of a nightingale's song, the rustle of the wind, and the silence between.