The Corncrake disappeared from the English countryside as its breeding places in wildflower meadows were lost.
“Music has always been inspired by the sounds of nature. There are very few wildflower hay meadows now left in England. By listening to our Meadow Soundscape, anyone can enjoy the sounds of nature in a wildflower meadow, wherever they are.”
Today (1st July) we are celebrating National Meadow Day by releasing a specially created soundscape evoking the lost Wildflower Meadows of England.
97% of all wildflower meadows in England have been lost since 1945. Just a few thousand hectares remain.
People Need Nature Trustee Keith Datchler had the idea for a meadow soundscape at the launch of the Queen’s Meadow in Green Park, London, in 2016.
“We were standing next to Hyde Park Corner, with all the traffic noise, and I just thought wouldn’t it be fantastic if people visiting the Coronation Meadow could escape from the London hubbub for a few minutes and enjoy the sounds of a wildflower meadow.”
People Need Nature worked with composer Matt Shaw to develop the Meadow Soundscape. Simon Emmerson of Afro Celt Sound System produced the mix, with Charlie Moores from Lush Radio providing voice-over. Mark Constantine and Magnus Robb of The Sound Approach recorded the bird samples used in the Soundscape.
You can download the Meadow Sounds soundscape here.
The Meadow Sounds Project was generously supported by Agrifactors, who supply locally harvested wildflower meadow seed to the Sussex Weald.
Corncrake photo via Wikimedia Commons. By Richard Wesley – http://www.flickr.com/photos/balvicar/5480680608/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17725668