All content copyright David Amey © 2006 dorsetscountryside.co.uk
Ludwig Koch is said to have been the first person to record the song of a bird in 1889 (117 years- ago!) when he was eight years old. There has always been some debate whether he was in fact the first, and was the recording made in 1889 or a year earlier? We shall probably never know.
What we do know for sure is that he was the pioneer when it came to wildlife sound recording.
Recently a box of Ludwig’s 78 rpm bird recordings came up for sale on an internet auction. I was the lucky highest bidder and now the proud owner of three fragile 78’s made in 1937.
The sound recordings are nothing to write home about by today’s standards; but given the technology available at the time, they are very good. Listen to a genuine Ludwig Koch recording below.
A 104 page book by Ludwig Koch arrived with the records and it is from the book I have taken the pictures.
Early Wildlife Sound Recording
Jacking-up the the recording van to get it level prior to a recording session.
Laying microphone cable in the dark.
Passing microphone up a tree.
Recording onto a hot wax disc.
Ludwig Koch (right) seen here selecting recordings for the final 78rpm records.
Redstart recording by Ludwig Koch - c 1937
Please click a picture to enlarge.
