Audio and Film
Here we provide links to audio recordings and films that can be used independently or alongside the other resources. The audio includes:
- Tales From the Wetlands – Children’s poetry, students’ music and stories by Jane Flood;
- Sounds of the Somerset Wetlands – Sound recordings of wildlife;
- Avalon Marshes, A Peatland Story – The history of the marshes.
- Sights and Sounds of the Marshes – Films and digital stories
Several films were made by pupils from local primary and secondary schools and colleges, in a project called ‘Sights & Sounds of the Marshes’. They cover various topics linked to the natural and cultural heritage of the area, and can be accessed in this section. In addition to these we have wildlife footage from motion-sensor cameras set up on the nature reserves. Click on a link below to listen or watch.
Tales from the Marshes
Tales From the Marshes was a CD produced in partnership with Jane Flood and Daniel Shaw as part of the Wetland Stories & Drama project. Here you can listen to children’s poetry, written and read by local school-children. You can also listen to Jane tell her stories, and to music by Daniel and his students from Strode College.
There are 14 tracks in total. Play them from the start button or choose the individual track to listen (scroll bar on the right hand side of track listing)
Sounds of the Somerset Wetlands
Philip Radford recorded the wildlife sounds on this CD for a the Somerset Wetlands book. He has kindly given his permission for it to be used by the Avalon Marshes Partnership for educational purposes. Listen here for reed warblers, mute swans, marsh frogs, starlings and more!
Track List:
- Call of Grey Herons, young being fed; early morning at the heronry. August; 1-50
- Calls of Canada Geese and, later, Mute Swans. May; 1-48. Background; calls of Little Grebe and song of Cetti’s Warbler.
- Reed Warbler; song on a windy morning; sounds of Mute Swans in flight. May; 1-59
- Sedge Warbler; anxiety calling by pair. August 2-41. At end; flight sounds of small Starling Flock.
- Reed warbler; anxiety calling by female and song of male. July; 1-16
- Sedge Warbler; song of male, pre-dawn. May; 3-58. Note the variety of trills, harsh notes and chirps. Background calls of Cuckoo.
- Dawn Chorus of Reed Warblers from reed-bed. May; 1-50
- Songs of Cuckoo, Reed Warbler and Wren; wind. May; 0-56
- Dawn chorus of Reed Warblers from reed-bed; calling by Tawny Owl. May ; 2-05
- Pre-dawn song by Cetti’s Warbler. May; 3-04. Note that there are long gaps between the song phrases. Background: distant song of Reed Warbler.
- Call of Coot (explosive type); trill of Little Grebe and call of Moorhen. April; 1-29.
- Calls of Coot (two episodes). May; 1-35. Traffic noise in background.
- Songs of Reed Bunting. June; 2-45.
- Mallards; calls and splash landings; calls of Common Toads; traffic noise. March; 1-57.
- Calls of mating Common Toads. March; 1-40.
- Calling of immature Mute Swans. June; 1-13.
- Calls of Pochard; background song of Reed Warbler. June; 0-45.
- Calling of Mating Common Frogs; 2-31
- Calls of Little Owl, pre-dawn. May; 1-10.
Avalon Marshes, A Peatland Story
This CD includes original recordings of interviews to tell the story of the heritage of the wetlands, from their formation to the present day, through archaeology, peat and wildlife.
Sights & Sounds of the Marshes
Film page
This link will take you to a page of films that were written, directed, scripted and recorded by local school and college pupils, in partnership with Somerset Film. They were part of the Sights & Sounds of the Marshes project, and cover a range of topics about the Marshes, including prehistory, the Romans, farming and the peat industry.
Digital Stories page
This link will take you to a page of digital stories recorded by local primary schools children as part of the Sights & Sounds of the Marshes project. Each digital story presents Avalon Marshes wildlife.