Coastal Autumn Soundscapes: Active Field Recording at Hällögern

In the latter half of September 2025, I travelled north to the tiny island of Hällögern, in the northern part of Sweden. On this occasion I would spend two weeks on the island during the peak period of autumn migration. The trip was carefully planned and over the course of a fortnight I managed to to a great deal of active field recording, whilst out looking at birds in the field. My focus was on monitoring and recording passage migrants moving southwards along the coastline, as well as any interesting resident species that might be present on this tiny island. I had a magical time on the island and a great deal of success, with regard to field recording.  In this episode, I share some very high quality audio with listener's of the podcast, all secured in this wonderfully quiet location in Northern Sweden.

Transcript

 You are all very welcome to Wild Bird Acoustics. I'm your host, Alan Dalton, and I'll be taking you on a journey into sound.

Now welcome everybody once again to Wild Bird acoustics.

It's great to be back. And we have a lovely sound magazine for you today. A single long sound magazine from the far north in VA button in Sweden. Now we're riding to the autumn now and birding is at its best, as it were. And last autumn, I spent a couple of weeks up in Halligan in Va Botin in Northern Sweden.

It was the first time I'd spent two weeks on the island and it was a fantastic time and it allowed me to actually do a lot of recording.

Now you've already heard some of the audio in this season already, but I'm gonna continue in that vein.

This is field recording at Halligan in the autumn of 2025.

 Now you're all very welcome to another sound magazine here at Wild Bird Acoustics, and I think this one's gonna be a little bit special. I got up to Hagar once again in 2025 in September, but this time I got up for two weeks folks, and that allowed me to make a lot of plans with regard to field recording.

I had already left passive recorders out there. When I left in early August. I collected all of those. I had passive recorders running the entire time I was there until early October. But in this sound magazine, what I'm going to do is concentrate on the actively recorded stuff that I got over the two weeks, and that was quite remarkable.

I had an incredible time recording at the site with the Tinga Pbla, with my SE Heiser Array, and also various high quality drop Briggs. And it is that audio I'm going to be presenting to you in this sound magazine. This is Autumn recording at Halligan in VA button, Northern Sweden.

Now I am gonna start you off with a high quality recording of Black Woodpecker. I had some wonderful experiences with the species on the island over the course of the two weeks, and in this recording the background is quite wonderful. There's so much going on. The place was alive with chaffing juice.

It's also rambling here, calling Hooper Swan calls of hooded crow before a black woodpecker flies in giving flight calls and eventually some Lee calls. As I say, an absolutely wonderful terminal background here. This is Black Woodpecker at Hogar.

Now another recording of Black Woodpecker. Again, flight calls and clea calls of these species. This time recorded with a drop break, a pair of uc, micro lab mics. Quite wonderful recording. Again, it's just a live of birds in the background. Starts off with nut hatch and various other species. There's the call of common Red Paul in the background here, but once again, the main species, black woodpecker, they just continued to come and this was recorded on the 25th of September, 2025.

Now we'll give you another short recording of Black Woodpecker. I think this recorded on the 26th of September, 2025. Again with the uc Micro Lab mics, and I got some wonderful recordings with the setup in 2025. In the background, some tits here, blue tits and some cold tits, and also some calls from Goldcrest as well as a ticking European robin.

But the main subject here, once again, a short recording of a black woodpecker.

Now we're gonna move on to a very common species on the island that is Ling. This is for the nasal calls in this recording. A very typical species in. Also here, there's Meadow Pivot calling on the subtle calls of a yellow hammer. Just moving over on Autumn Migration. A very interesting call and it all makes for a very nice recording.

Have a listen. This is rambling.

Now, there have been a lot of changes on the island over the last few years due to the very, very mild winters. And one of the things that has happened is it hasn't frozen down very much in the winter, and that has meant that the soil has not frozen. And as a result, we've lost several trees on the island.

And there's quite a lot of gaps now in the island. In the interior, the mature trees, the Douglas fairs have actually collapsed. Several of them have come down, and what that has meant is a lot of squeaky trees, and that has led to quite nice ambiences actually from squeaking branches and the like.

Several trees have just clattered into each other. Some are half fallen, some are at an angle, and it's totally changed the soundscape on the island. In this next recording, I'm gonna hear some passing rambling at the start of the recording and some wonderful audio of cult hits. There was a lot of 'em around in 2025, but this is rambling and cult hits at Halligan on the 24th of September, 2025.

Now the next recording I have for you is of Chief Chaff. It was taken with a Linga Pela on the afternoon of 24th of September, 2025. The bird was just moving around the garden, so this is an opportunistic recording. I just heard the bird went outside with the tinga pbla and grabbed the following recording.

Now, in this recording, after about a minute and 10 seconds, you can hear some quiet contact calls from rambling. Quite a good call to know. Very, very subtle, but I find this very, very interesting. Very different to chaffing, but the main species here is common chief chaff. The typical calls of these species on autumn migration have a listen.

Now, the next recording I have for you is of a common buzzard. The bird just flew into roost in the evening on the 24th of September, 2025, and I had a drop rig out in the woodland, very close to where this bird flew in. I just quietly went outside and identified the bird. I thought it might be a honey buzzard that had quite a few of them on auto migration over the course of the two weeks, but this was indeed a common buzzard.

And happily, it gave a few quiet calls as it settled down to roost. So this is a short recording of common buzzard.

The next recording I have for you is of common snipe, and I left my Sennheiser array out on the evening of the 24th of September and just caught this bird passing by in the evening. Just as it began to get dark, it came very, very close to the microphones. There's a little bit of noise, Medicin road in the background, but because the bird came so close to the microphones.

It's a very nice care recording of these species. This is Commons tonight.

Now I'm just gonna give you a little soundscape from the morning of the 24th of September, wonderful morning on the island. Lots of birds passing on migration, and it's typical of the wonderful sounds on the island in autumn. It's just quite incredible. This recording gonna hear are various calls from Siskin Red Paul.

This calling Goldcrest in the Woods, hooded Crow. Plenty of chaffing. Also lots of calls here from rambling. The wonderful call of done passing overhead on migration, one of my favorite calls and quite a lot of tree creep action. They were very, very common in 2024. A lot of birds moving through the island.

Listen for the quiet calls of tree creeper here. There's also willow tit and reed bunting as well. A wonderful morning soundscape.

Never something a little bit different. This is a mammal species. It is field V. And I left some seed out just to attract some birds on a rock just right in front of my cabin. And pretty quickly some field valves actually started to come in and take the seed, and I had left my recorders out beside the seed on several occasions.

This was recorded with the S Heiser array, and this is actually the quiet squeaking noise of field vol. A sharp recording. Quite wonderful. This is Field vul.

We'll stay on Field VO and a, a wonderful recording. Next. This was recorded with the Sennheiser array. Again, it's Field vo. High-pitched calls from the species or squeaks, I don't know what you'd call it. Also in this recording, there's some goldcrest, very close to the recorders and some Clee calls from Black Woodpecker.

So this is Field v Goldcrest and Black Woodpecker at Halligan.

Now the next recording I have for you is of a northern specialty. It is gray headed wood. And in this recording to begin with, you're gonna hear the calls of a staging dunk on the island. There's also some corts in the background, some hooded crow, and also a checking magpie. But after about a minute here, you will hear the contact call of gray headed woodpecker, followed by the more typical call of the species.

A wonderful recording, a fantastic species. This is gray headed.

I am gonna stay in Gray head of Woodpecker for a while and I got this wonderful recording on the 27th of September, 2025. Quite wonderful at the beginning of this recording, in the background you will hear part of Cross Bill are just quite calves and the species going over on migration. There's plenty of tit here in the background.

Blue tits and others listen for the calls of Meadow Pivot and also the dry call of Skylark as it goes overhead on migration. Surprisingly scarce actually at Hogar. Plenty of tree creepers here once again, but some wonderful audio here of gray headed woodpecker contact calls and the kind of, it's almost a display call, but they give it through the year, and it's a wonderful mournful sound of the northern forests.

Quite a special species of Northern Sweden, and it's quite a scary species around Europe. Quite difficult to connect with. You can get it in Poland, you can get it here in Sweden and across Finland. The species range does extend all the way to the far east, but a wonderful, wonderful species and one of my favorite sounds on hogar in the autumn.

This is gray headed woodpecker.

Now quite a subtle call next for you. It is of Lapland bunting. Quite a difficult species sometimes to pick out. And this next recording kind of highlights that. And this recording, you're gonna hear all kinds of stuff in the background is feel fair, hooded crow, cold, hit, and ling. But listen very, very carefully and you will pick out the ting calls on occasion of Lapland bunting.

Also, the chew calls here of the species and especially around 48 seconds when the bird gives the ripple call very, very clearly. This is typical radio of the species. Quite often it's quite difficult to pick out on passage, especially if the bird is not close overhead. So I think quite a useful recording in some ways.

Listen carefully and see if you can pick out the calls, the chew calls, but also especially the dry rippling call of a Lapland bunting. This taken on the 27th of September, 2025 with the alarm. Uc. Micros, a drop rig just left in the Woodlands.

Now next up is a very common species. Indeed it is Meadow Pepper. A short recording of the typical calls of these species going overhead on passage. I'll play that without. Without any further ado, this is Meadow Pivot on passage at Hagar on the 29th of September, 2025.

Now next up, one of my favorite species on autumn migration. It is missile thrush. I absolutely love the rattle call of the species, and that's what you're gonna hear in this next recording. It was recorded on the 28th of September, 2025. With the Tinga Pela and it is a wonderful recording. You can hear some missile rush just quietly calling from the trees.

And typically what they do on migration at this site is they move over the water to the north, just land briefly on the trees in the island and then move on, continue their migration, quite often south or southwest. And it's a wonderful call, a very typical Autumn roll call. And like I say, one of my favorite calls of the autumn period.

This is missile thrush at Halligan.

Now a very brief recording next, and it concerns a specialty Northern Species. That is three towed woodpecker, and quite often in late September, early October, you get these birds passing over on proper migration. Moving over from Finland in a set westly direction over the island, and here is a case in point.

What you're gonna hear is calls from an overlying three towed woodpecker. There's also calls here from Reed Bunting, but a wonderful recording of the species on active migration. This is three towed Woodpecker at Hall Garn on the 28th of September, 2025.

Now three third woodpecker on Hogar. Very, very regular. The last sort of five days of September, well into October. And on certain mornings if the weather is just right, you will get birds on passage overlying the islands, and on occasion, birds come off the mainland. They come off the sea as well and you will get birds feeding on the island.

And this year with a lot of trees down, it seemed like feeding conditions were good on the island. And I had several birds on the island. I'm gonna play on absolutely wonderful recording. Next, I found a pair of birds, a male and female. They were feeding on down trees. I got really close with the Linga.

Pela, unfortunately far away in the background. There was somebody out just doing a little bit of work on their cabin, on the woodlands, maybe using the chainsaw. But the birds were so close, it doesn't really matter. One of the nice things about the Tinga Pela is it focuses the calls. You just end up with a lovely, clear recording, and that was the case on this occasion.

A beautifully focused recording with the Tinga Pbla. The birds were very, very close, and I got my best recording ever of a pair of feeding, three to wood picker right behind the cabin. I had a wonderful afternoon with the birds, photographed them, saw 'em incredibly well. A very, very close range, down to a couple meters.

And it was a wonderful afternoon on the island. I'm gonna play the recording now. This is three Total Woodpecker, a wonderful, wonderful recording on Hogar in late September, 2025.

Next up, we have Par Crossbill, a very regular species on the island from late September, and we're gonna play you a recording now made with these Sen Heiser array, which was just placed in the woodlands behind the cabin on the morning of the 27th of September, 2025. You're gonna hear para crossville after about 40 seconds, they go quiet for a while.

And then they come back again towards the end of the recording. Now also in this recording, I'm gonna hear some Eurasian Jay, some calls, some raucous calls from the species. Also, some very noisy gray lags towards the end of the recording. But listen carefully and see, can you pick out the typical calls of Par Cross Bill in this recording?

Now we'll stay on par Cross Bill for a moment. I'm just gonna play another lovely recording of these species. This came on the 29th of September, 2025 on the island. Again, some lovely ambiance from the trees behind the cabin, these squeaking of branches. But this is a par of cross bill coming right behind the cabin, right over the Sennheiser array and left a lovely recording and it's quite wonderful.

We'll play that for you now. This is Parrot Crossville.

Now next up, a very subtle recording taken on the 22nd of September, 2025. I was out monitoring migration. I had my semi heiser microphones quite close to my position when this rustic bumping went over giving the typical high calls of these species. They sound a lot like song thrush folks, and it's very difficult in the field sometimes, unless you see the birds well.

But it's very, very easy to get your ear in this call with a bit of experience. Halligan is an excellent site for the species, but most of the birds actually go through in August and early September. So by the time we got up in late September, not so many to go through. I had a handful of birds, but I was very happy to catch this one on the Sennheiser Array.

Once again, this is rustic bunting over flying the Sennheiser array on the 22nd of September, 2025.

A very common species. Next, it's Eurasian Siskin, but despite the fact it's so common, it's just a wonderful call. It just reminds me of the island, and I love recording these birds in the autumn. When I get onto the island, you can hear some birds now moving around these HAI array just flitting around and giving some wonderfully clear calls.

It's just a very nice recording of Eurasian Siskin on the island in late September, 2025. We'll have a listen to that now, folks. This is Eurasian Siski.

I am gonna stay on your just for a bit longer. This recording came on the 28th of September, 2025, and again with Theen Heiser array, wonderfully clear early, early in the morning, and the birds just moving through the forest. Giving some incredible calls, the typical mellow calls of these species, as well as the kind of harsh chatter you often hear from small flux as they go overhead in autumn, a wonderful, wonderful species, a wonderful sound, and very typical of Hogar in the autumn.

These birds pass through from late August all the way through into early November, an absolutely wonderful species, very much a sound of Northern Sweden. This is Eurasian Siskin.

Next up a very rare species, but perhaps not what you're thinking It is. Trees Sparrow. Like I say, extremely rare in the island. This is only my second record of these species. I've spent an awful lot of time out monitoring migration and only seeing them once before I got a nice recording of these species as they went over with the alarm.

Uc, microlab mics. This is Tree Sparrow overlying the island on migration on the morning of the 1st of October, 2024.

Another regular species. Now for you, it's bohemian wax wing regular that is on the island of Hogar in late September, early October. And these birds can move through in big numbers, but it was quite nice to catch a species with the Sennheiser array on the morning of the 1st of October. And again, you have some lovely ambience from the movement of tree branches in the background.

This is a lovely recording of the doorbell. Call of Bohemian Waxwing. Have a listen to this folks.

Now a very special recording for me personally. This is a species I have been looking for on the island for several years now. I've been quite amazed it hasn't turned up before this point. But finally, I broke my duck in 2025, but unfortunately I didn't get to see the word now. I was recording out in the forest overnight with the SE Heiser array.

The weather was clear and at the start of this recording you can hear a red wing passing over and it was still dark. You can hear the ambiance again from squeaking branches, and then just towards the end of the recording, a single call rings out that of yellow brow warbler, long overdue record for the island.

So I was absolutely delighted with this recording. It's long overdue, as I say on the island. The species that should show up on a regular basis, but perhaps have actually been going a bit late. These birds tend to come true a little bit earlier, so far north in Sweden, but like I say, delighted to finally add the yellow brow warbler to the list on the island.

We'll listen to the recording now. This is Yellow Brow Warbler, a single call on the island at five forty five in the morning on the 26th of September, 2025.

Now Ottoman Hogar would not be complete without a recording of the following species. They're present all through the year. They breed close to the island in the summer and still present in the autumn. I haven't been there in the winter. I would imagine it's quite possible. The birds are still up there at the moment, as it's been a very mild winter.

But Hooper Swan is the species, and it's one of the sounds of the island in the autumn. I recorded this bird in late September. I recorded the most nights. In fact, this is just one of the battle recordings of these species. This is Hooper Swan recorded at Hogar in late September, 2025.

So there you go. That's a lovely selection of audio from my trip to the island, September and October, 2025. I hope you've enjoyed the recordings. It's been wonderful to actually share them with you. That's all for me. Alan Dalton here at Wild Bird Acoustics. We'll see again folks in a couple of weeks.

So there we are. That's Autumn at Halle. Garn in Vata button. A quite wonderful place, and it's somewhere I can't get enough of.

Now I would like to spend a lot more time up there in the future field recording. I'd love to go up there in spring. I still haven't been up there late May or June, and it must be incredibly interesting to be up there at that time of the year when birds are just arriving and singing on territory.

I have no idea what could be present on the island at that time of the year, but for now, I just wanna say thanks to everybody for tuning into Wild Bird acoustics. This is the pen episode of the season.

I don't know where the time goes, and I'll be back in a couple of weeks for the last episode of Season three. Until then, take care of yourselves, spread the word, let people know about the podcast, and thanks very much for listening.

 So that brings us to the end of another episode of Wild Bird Acoustics, and I hope you've enjoyed it. As always, you can find us on YouTube by simply searching for wild bird acoustics. We do have a mailing list also, and if you want to be part of that folks, you can drop us an email at Wild Bird acoustics@gmail.com.

Now all feedback is greatly received here at the podcast. And if you'd like to write review of the podcast, you can do so at the buzzsprout header page. In addition, if you'd like to make a small financial donation to the podcast, you can do so using the buy me a Coffee button, and you'll find that also on the Buzzsprout header page.

We will be back in a couple of weeks with more from wild bird acoustics. Until then, take it easy, folks, and as always, don't be afraid to get out into the field and relax and just listen to the wildlife out there. Maybe even do a little bit of field recording of your own. We'll talk to you soon, folks.

Take it easy. That's all from Wild Bird Acoustics.