Cima Verde

Available for over a year

Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson captures a journey in sound from the summit to the valley floor of Cima Verde in northern Italy. We descend 10,000 feet, down the alpine slopes, across high pastures, through Alpine forest and down into the vineyards on the valley floor. We hear an imagined soundscape high above the mountain in a place we cannot tread, but as we begin our descent we catch the sounds of passing ravens as they fly high above the summit scavenging for food. A snow field melts into the sounds of a high pasture. Further down, capercaillie are captured in a forest clearing, spirits dancing in the forest at first light, as these brightly coloured male birds perform their ritual dance to attract the females. A tawny owl signals a change of location and a woodland chorus reveals resident birds as well as African migrants. Our descent continues through orchards and vineyards where the clear silver song of a nightingale fills the air. This nocturnal soloist is then joined in the first light of dawn by the forest chorus as we reach our journey's end. Produced by Sarah Blunt. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2016.