Jane Pitt

The next Flut-ter-ance will take place on fri 19th june 1pm-2pm, meet War Memorial/King’s Bastion, Great Lines, ME7. we will be joined by Paul Fretwell a lecturer and composer based at University of Kent Medway

Ranger Simon Bellinger joined the core Flut-ter-rers for a walk and Flutterance. Simon knows the Great Lines inside out from years of conservation management experience and opened our eyes to the distribution and names of plants and grasses in relation to the paths and desire lines made by dogs and walkers. He also opened our ears using his keen birder’s ears and along with the birds that have become familiar to us we heard a skylark at last. A kestrel hunted at close quarters to us and swifts ‘zreeeed’ above our heads We made a Flutterance at the end of the walk as usual everyone is keen to start evolving the sounds to reflect what we’ve heard and experienced rather than reading the ‘words’ off the page…watch this space for the next stage in devising a flut-ter-ance unique to the Great Lines. Will post the recording asap.
We also had an impromptu Paper Birds workshop at Riverside Country Park on Sunday 14th June, thanks to David Hale and his staff for their welcome. Many birds were made and we met a woman who showed us a fantastic way of making a Flapping Bird. Sara & Marissa were our fabulous origami experts as before. We met lots of great people and were well baked by the sun. We heard: black headed gulls, oystercatchers, a cuckoo and some amazing warbling (need to identify exactly what kind tho!) in the bushes.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the filmed Flutterance for Margherita Gramegna’s film commissioned by Medway Council. The recording of the Flut-ter-ances, made by Sue Allison, Peter, Keith & Steve, can be heard here. We will be meeting again soon to devise a Flutterance that describes the Great Lines. Read the text we Flut-tered below:

tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit

tssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit’ssit

TSSIT’SSSIT’SSSIT’SSSSSIT’SSSSSSIT’SSSSSSIT’SSSSSSSIT’SSIT

tswit tswit tswit tswit tswit tswit tswit tswit tswit tswit tswit tswit

KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

kraaah kraaaah kraaah kraaaaah kraaah kraaaaah kraaah

KRAAAAAAAAAAH KRAAAAAAAAAH KRAAAAAAAAH

dvehr dvehr dvehr dvehr dvehr dvehr dvehr dvehr dvehr

tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit

tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit

tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit

prrit PRRIT prrit PRRIT prrit PRRIT prrit PRRIT prrit PRRIT prrit PRRIT prrit PRRIT prrit PRRIT prrit PRRIT

wu-WHOOR-ooh, wor-hoo

wu-WHOOR-ooh, wor-hoo

wu-WHOOR-ooh, wor-hoo (some repeat getting deeper as repeat)

tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit tssit’ssit’ssit (some repeating as a whisper quietly upwards)

We will be filming a quick Flut-ter-ance on the Great Lines, all welcome, meet near War Memorial/King’s Bastion ME7 at 2pm to run through the sounds we’ll utter, filming @ 2.30pm – 2.45pm

Unfortunately the Listening Walk at RSPB Northward hill, High Halstow today has been cancelled. Will post further information about Walks & workshops as soon as…Please post a comment or email me if you were planning to come but hadn’t booked &/or advance booking put you off and I’ll contact you with updates.

We had a beautiful Listening Walk on the Lines last night and were rewarded with a throng of Meadow Pipits. David James(RSPB) filled us in on the habits of the birds we could hear and every now and again impromptu Flut-ter-ings broke out in the group. We had a brief written phonetic guide of sounds (see below) we were likely to hear to prompt us. Mike Snarr documented our progress (see pics) & recorded the inaugural Flut-ter-ance as a finale to our Walk – click here to listen to us having a flutter. Thank you everyone for your Flut-ter-ings. Looking forward to meeting up again to devise & record a unique Great Lines Flut-ter-ance. Will post further info & events here as & when..Jane

First Great Lines Flut-ter-ance..
Some sounds likely to be heard include..

House Martin = prrit    (hard sound)

Swift = scree  (harsh scream)

Meadow Pipit = tssit’ssit’ssit (thin)

Skylark = churrripp (bright dry rolling)

Carrion Crow = kraaaah (slightly nasal)

Swallow = tswit (hurried, dry)

Wood Pigeon = wu-WHOOR-ooh, wor-hoo
(deep repeated)

Black-headed Gull = kaa’aarrr
(slurred screech)

Common Whitethroat = dvehr dvehr dverhr
(migratory route)             (nervous nasal)

Flut-terances took off yesterday up in the shelter of the War Memorial hedge on The Great Lines.  It was great to be greeted by a variety of people, both new and familiar faces, clutching the paper birds they’d made from the flyers we’d posted through their doors earlier in the week or that they’d taken the time to download from the website.  They proudly handed them over for safe keeping and we had conversations about Flut-tering and Listening on the Lines next on Wed 20th (6pm War Memorial/King’s Bastion – not 7.15pm as Medway Messenger says).  Some settled down to make  Paper Birds (Pigeons, Cranes, Seagulls & a special flapping bird that proved pretty tricky) with huge concentration.  Sara & Marissa eased everyone into the art of paper folding and soon the hedge was filled with colourful birdli.  It was pretty gusty up there so not so many birds out, we did see Crows (kraaaah) hunting over the Meadow Pipit nests in the grass; House Martins, Swifts & Swallows zzreee-ing around; Pigeons (wu-wHoor etc.) enjoying the buffety wind, Black headed Gulls were pretty much the only sound we could hear over the wind.  Everyone tried Flut-tering with the sounds of the birds we know are present on the Lines; passersby stopped for a chat (or a strong territorial debate in one case) and to share their love & knowledge of the Lines.  Mike Snarr took photos to document proceedings.  David James from the RSPB provided expert knowledge.  So Flutterances has begun at last..very excited to see how it takes shape from here.