Seaweed, Shetland sheep, Arctic Terns

One of the things I have learnt in Shetland is that many crofters and farmers still supplement the diet that Shetland sheep enjoy on land with seaweed from the shoreline. At different points in the year either the seaweed is gathered in for the sheep, or they make their way down to the shore to eat the seaweed and though doing to glean some much-needed minerals for their diet. I have heard several accounts in the Tobar an Dualchais archives which refer to this practice, and Mary Isbister mentioned it to me too, while generously showing me all around the Burland Croft Trail. I was wondering if I might find some sounds which could describe in some way the relationship between seaweed and sheep. While exploring Tommy and Mary Isbister's land, I found that down by the shoreline, the seaweed was making exciting sounds. At each slight swell of the tide, millions of tiny, crackling-type bubbly sounds would rise up in a drift from the swirling wet leaves. I could also still hear the sheep in the fields nearby, baa-ing to one another, and the Arctic Terns circling above the bay. I listened for some moments, and then decided to leave my recorder down to the water, where it might capture some of this wonderful sonic texture of sheep and seaweed. You can also hear the road. Recorded with Naiant X-X microphones and FOSTEX FR-2LE.