Episode Details

Here's something different to accompany this episode - an account of the aural happenings as the passage of time progresses. We collected this soundscape just east of Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex last week on a beautifully sunny late autumn afternoon.

The Lento box was tied to a post facing out across the water, pointing at the opposite bank which is Wallasea Island. We sat silently still, in sight of the box and experienced this special place as you do now through headphones.  

You can as usual just let the soundscape flow over your ears as the passage of time unfurls. Or listen and read along with the show notes below. 

0:00
Scene begins as a small aircraft brightly lit in the strong afternoon sunshine transits the sky over the estuary 
redshank fly in
a curlew can be heard dead ahead 
a small boat appears, sailing up the estuary from left to right of scene 
when the sound of the small aircraft fades away in the western sky (extreme right of scene) the sound of the small boat is more audible as it sails against the flow of the outgoing tide

4:00
gulls cry far right of scene
a steady breeze blowing in from the east presses against the left side of the box
tidal water gently laps the newly exposed mud and vegetation 
another light aircraft appears in the east, also on a westerly heading

6:33
distant but very distinctive 'crump' 
a munition is detonated on the firing range ahead and centre of scene (about 3 miles to the south) this is the military firing range on Foulness
more distant crumps can be heard at intervals 
sea birds call across the water

8.00
wings of a bird swooping in to land 
bird lands on the exposed mud to the right of the post
steady onshore breeze presses against the left side of the Lento box

9:00
a bird that's landed quite near to the mics mid-left rattles at something it's found at the shallow water's edge

11.00
the low resonant tone of a larger vessel gradually develops in the east (extreme left of scene) the vessel is sailing mid-stream on a westerly heading inland and towards Burnham-on-Crouch
sea birds swoop low over the water 
soon a heavy crump from the firing range thuds followed by more crumps
the vessel continues engine humming against the outflowing tide

14:33
a jet aircraft traverses the sky its sound soft ten thousand feet or more
the larger vessel is now identifiable as a dredger 
the sound of the dredger and the jet aircraft meld for a time
distant crump of another explosion on the firing range

16:30
the dredger's sound becomes clearer and more sonorous as it begins to draw level with the post holding the box 
slowly the dredger crosses the centre point of the soundscape
more crumps from the firing range

19:00
the dredger's heavy engines move into a more reverberant area of the landscape beginning to thrum the airspace across the estuary like low organ pipes
clanks from machinery on deck
tidal water can be heard gently washing along the vegitated tidal zone about ten yards in front of the post 

21:30
the dredger is sailing steadily now upstream against the outgoing tide
machinery clanks from its deck
sea birds call from across the water
redshank, curlew, black headed gulls 

22:30
the dredger's organ pipe-like drone feels more hypnotic now as it continues on its west heading moving against the outgoing tide towards Burnham-on-Crouch (extreme right of scene) 

24:23 
captain of the dredger lowers power 
nearby birds call out in the low afternoon sunshine
the dredger's reverberant drone eases to a chug
far right of scene the barks of a dog   

27:14
deck crew start to operate a chain mechanism
gulls call overhead
mechanisms whine 
the captain begins to maintain the vessel's position against the current in the midstream