Glossy Ibis photo by Jake Landau at Doñana National Park, Andalusia Spain
At Drum Labs: Rhythm in Nature, we are so excited to offer our first birdsong listening retreat in Doñana National Park , a UNESCO Site in southern Andalusia , Spain this September 12-17, 2023! There are limited spots open for this September trip.
‘Doñana is one of Europe's most beautiful and important wetlands. What makes this national park so special is that in just one day you can see very different ecosystems: marshland, lagoons, pine groves, aloe veras, moving dunes, cliffs, 30 kilometres of unspoiled white beaches , a natural spectacle that is different each season, between the Andalusian provinces of Huelva, Seville and Cadiz.’ - https://www.spain.info/en/nature/donana-national-park/
We will be traveling to Doñana National Park during the migratory season when hundreds of thousands of birds begin their migration from their breeding grounds in Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa through way of Doñana National Park area.
The listening retreat will feature daily field recording excursions in to the various ecosystems of Doñana National Park led by composer, percussionist, and sound artist Susie Ibarra and multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer, and field recordist Jake Landau. We will travel into the park via 4x4 into these beautiful and protected lands , as well as by foot accompanied by a guide and ornithology
Situated right next to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean , we will also spend time listening and field recording the ocean waves.
Post field recording excursions , we will have listening sessions to listen back and discuss / study our recordings as well as thinking about what can we do next with field recordings once we capture them , how to upload them in to the computer and edit / listen back.
We will go over some of the Drum Labs practice guide , also in the book Rhythm in Nature, about listening and studying rhythm in the ecology of biophony, geophony and human sounds.
‘Exploring the protected paths around Doñana gives you the chance to see some of the most endangered species on the planet, like the Spanish imperial eagle and the Iberian lynx. Doñana is home to more than 230 species of birds and you might be lucky enough to see breathtaking scenes such as the "pink carpet" that the flamingo colonies create when they feed. In fact, the marshlands are a staging, breeding and wintering site for thousands of European and African birds. Among the varied landscapes, you'll be amazed at natural phenomena like the mobile dunes (some over 30 metres high) which move from the beach and bury all the pine groves in their path.’ -https://www.spain.info/en/nature/donana-national-park/