Jackdaws on Sunday morning in the city park in Zaltbommel, the Netherlands.
On this Sunday morning, I captured the ambiance of this park.
The microphones were placed tightly against the old city wall.
It was wonderfully quiet until a group of magpies disrupted the peaceful Sunday morning gathering of the assembled jackdaw society. The atmosphere changed instantly. Suddenly, everything took flight. Jackdaws and Magpies called and screeched above my head. The jackdaws were collectively engaged in a seemingly hopeless fluttering defence. But they succeeded. After a few minutes, the magpies departed with one last provocative call, and calm returned.
About the picture It’s a clouded morning in the Stadswallenpark of Zaltbommel. You’re standing with your back to the imposing medieval city wall. In front of you lies the gently sloping park, with the Singelgracht shimmering in the sunlight. Almost bare trees cast long shadows across the grass. Behind you is the town, quiet behind the high walls; the traffic you hear comes from outside the city center.
About the recordings location: The microphones are positioned just behind the tall medieval city walls, overlooking the park. Behind me lies the city center, barely audible due to the high walls. You can hear traffic, but it comes from outside the city center. In front of me is the Singelgracht — a city moat that encircles the town.
Birds detected by Merlin Bird ID app (ver. 3.7.2 (256 – 2025)
#0:00 – END Eurasian Jackjaws
#0:00 #0:15 Great Spotted Woodpecker
#0:05 #0:33 #0:40 #0:45 Eurasian Magpie
More recordings here today / More around here trough the years
About the Stadswallenpark (city wall park) history Zaltbommel developed into a walled city with moats from the 14th century onward. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it became a strategic fortress town, reinforced with bastions, ramparts, and an outer moat. After losing its military function in the 19th century, the area was transformed into a public city park in English landscape style. In the 20th century, the park fell into neglect, but between 2017 and 2025 it was restored based on the original 1834 design. Today, the Stadswallenpark offers a unique blend of history, nature, and tranquility.
Date/time: November 9, Sunday 2025, 10:24 am
Weather: 11-12 c, (clouds 100 %), wind WSW 3-18 km/h, 1017 hPa, humidity 95 %, dew-point 11 c, visibility 11 km, clouds 4.9 km high.
Location; Stadswallenpark Singelwal, Zaltbommel, Gelderland, Netherlands (Holland), Europe. Geo location: 51.81027 5.24714
Gear chain: Sennheiser mkh30/50 MS, pointed S170°, in Rycote cyclone small in windjammer> Sound Devices 302 >Tascam dr-100 Mk2. Decoded Mid-side to STEREO Mic pointed South. Noise floor 50dB.
About this morning in this park
There’s barely a breath of wind, yet the golden-yellow autumn leaves still drift gently to the ground. Sometimes they fall so slowly it seems as if a little bird is fluttering down from the trees. When the wind picks up slightly, it looks like it’s snowing, and the leaves land even on the microphone’s windscreen. That’s the dull thudding sound you might occasionally hear in the longer tracks.
The jackdaws are having a lively meeting, as they often do. But there’s more: the stock dove, the robin, and the great spotted woodpecker. And of course, the wren. When the great spotted woodpecker starts calling too, my day is completely made. But there’s even more today.
On this Sunday morning, people are walking and jogging—some with dogs—along the rolling paths of the park. Occasionally, you hear the rattle of an automatic retractable dog leash, shortening with the press of a button. In my mind, I imagine a much larger wind-up machine with a tiny dog that, with a single press, flies through the air back to its owner.
Even when people pass close by, they leave me alone. That’s nice when you’re trying to capture just the ambiance of the park.
The clouds gradually thin out, and after about forty-five minutes, the sun finally breaks through. I was starting to feel a bit chilly.
After an hour, more people are dressed and heading out for walks. They’re talking more now, and louder. A little girl, about four years old, is allowed by her parents to ride a lap around the bandstand. And off she goes. Sometimes all you can see is the tall orange safety flag on her little bike, letting me know where she is. This is pure happiness—for the child, for the parents, and for me too—as if no other world exists.
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Original MS-track 48/32 float available for motivated pro's and artists.
If any of these sounds have been of help, and you are feeling charitable, please do consider donating to Freesound to help keep the site running (a link is also on the home page). Any donations are greatly appreciated!
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This sound (32) was in radioshow Vroege Vogels BNN/VARA, Dutch public radio 7:32 am, November 16 2025.
To hear, you first have to listen
Type
Flac (.flac)
Duration
2:32.485
File size
32.1 MB
Sample rate
48000.0 Hz
Bit depth
24 bit
Channels
Stereo
Comments
1 week ago
Thank you guys for your comment
1 week, 2 days ago
Wow, too many jackdaws !
Great recording ! 5*
1 week, 2 days ago
This is the stuff that happens after I hit the stop button and put everything away.
5*
