Searching for Tranquillity

Many years ago when quietness and tranquillity were commonplace we didn't think to put a great value on it. It was simply the norm. Only when you lose something do you realise what a treasure it was. People growing up today and even those who were children 30 years ago have no expectation of tranquillity except perhaps to know that the surrounding environmental noise gets more pronounced each year.

Tranquillity accepts only natural sounds which includes wind and water, birdsong and other wildlife calls but excludes all man-made sound so it's absolutely not pure silence; that would be eerie. To experience something like genuine tranquillity I sometimes walk before dawn and these short clips were recorded on Blacka about 4.40 am. (The vision is completely incidental.)

• In fact what we hear is a dawn chorus, one of the most fascinating wildlife experiences of the year. Trying to pick out the individual bird species can be teasing.