On this winter’s day a flock of currawongs drew me towards a small local creek. Their distinctive call can last for hours on end. They had roosted at the top of a strand of dead trees overlooking the creek:

Placing a pair of hydrophones into the creek the stridulation of water bugs could be heard above the currawongs whose calls broke through the water’s surface. In comparison to other sections of the creek the sounds emanating from its depths were minimal yet still intriguing enough to continue recording:

The creek had recently flooded, a common event that cuts us off from the outside world for days at a time. Curious as to how the ebbing floodwater sounded I dangled the hydrophones from a small wooden bridge. The current produced a watery glissando effect as it ran across the surface of the microphones.

The stillness of winter has forced me to search harder for interesting sounds. With the dominant soundscape of the warmer months stripped away a smaller world has been revealed. It is ripe for sonic exploration.