Spring is the first entry in the Four Walks Around the Year series. As the title implies, these recordings are represent four soundwalks at the Winnall Moors Reserve in Winchester, England. Each recording will coincide with one of the four seasons, this one being Spring. Over the span of 25 minutes we’re greeted by the sounds of: birds chirping in chorus, geese, human voices, rolling river water, footsteps, creaking wood planks, a metal shovel digging, and a myriad of other natural recordings. Incidentally, 25 minutes is approximately the amount of time it takes to walk a full circuit of the reserve.

As with all Gruenrekorder releases all the sounds are expertly captured and really transports the listener to a majestic environment teeming with wildlife and human spectators. There’s a real emphasis on the variety of birds found in the reserve, though that’s not necessarily intentional. As Hegarty mentions in the liner notes, the sounds present on the recording organised their own path. It will be interesting to hear the seasonal change on the subsequent 3 releases that follows Spring.

Four Walks Around a Year: Spring is your perfect audio tour around grounds of a natural reserve. A picture perfect slice of life captured in stunning clarity.