Listen on Spotify
Alice has also put together a Spotify playlist of tracks that inspired her work on Return.
The music of the film: Alice Boyd
Musician and sound artist Alice Boyd, who specialises in work that celebrates and explores the natural world, wrote the original soundtrack of Return.
Return’s music by Alice Boyd
London-based musician, sound artist and creative producer wrote the soundtrack of Return. Her work explores the natural world in different ways. She wrote the soundtrack to Return, and has also written a song, Return of the White-tailed Eagle, based on her experiences.
She said: “The story of the White-tailed Eagle really resonated with me. Over the past couple of years, my work has focused on how the soundscapes of our natural environments are changing. I’d just made a Radio 4 documentary (Shifting Soundscapes) where I revisited three locations recorded by audio naturalist Martyn Stewart 50 years ago, to see how they’d changed.
“After documenting the diminished dawn choruses and the heightened noise pollution, it felt uplifting to hear about positive change and how this bird of prey had returned to the UK”.
During the creation of her song, Alice decamped to RSPB Pulborough Brooks in West Sussex, hoping to record the bird’s calls. Whilst the day’s recording didn’t yield an eagle’s call, it captured a wealth of ambient woodland sounds which are heard across the track.
“We spent six hours just sat there, watching the nest from a distance, waiting for the eagle to call. It was an amazing experience, feeling the anticipation - it was quite meditative as well. Although it would have been nice to capture the bird’s voice, the rarity also added to the mythical quality of them as creatures”.
Songs to return to. A playlist by Alice Boyd.
Return of the White-Tailed Eagle: Alice Boyd
“I wrote this song in response to the return of this magnificent bird of prey to the UK. Through the lyrics, harmonies and strings, I wanted to capture this feeling of take-off, the anticipation of flight, and then the euphoria of soaring through an expansive sky.”
Dawn Chorus: Cosmo Sheldrake
“In this song, Cosmo Sheldrake captures the rhythm and polyphony of the dawn chorus by turning one of his field recordings into an instrument. It reminds me of the beauty of a busy and biodiverse dawn chorus. Through my song, I wanted to create a similar energy that is just as lifeful.”
Falling: Daudi Matsiko
“I am endlessly inspired by Daudi Matsiko’s songwriting. He explores the ideas of depression, loss and hope so intricately. While my song is about the white-tailed eagle and not the human experience, I wanted to capture this same sense of vulnerability: “Somehow I fell… And I have always been falling”.”
Signpost to the Stars: Daisy Rickman
“Daisy Rickman’s imagery around the night sky feels timeless. I wanted to create a similar sense of place through my lyrics - that the tale of the eagle is one that is both ancient but just as applicable to today.”
High Is The Wind: Ivor Cutler
“I love the humour of Ivor Cutler’s lyrics. His music feels like it tells a tale across different characters and points in the landscape. In my song, I wanted to play around with perspective - it shifts from the point of view of an eagle to someone dreaming of flying. Like Ivor Cutler, I wanted to create imagery that allows the listener to imagine.”
Come Home: Hana Stretton
“Hana Stretton accompanies her warm and timeless vocals, with field recordings from her grandma’s farm. The recordings introduce us as listeners to this environment that was so important to Hana. Through my song, I wanted to include the sounds of the White-tailed Eagle’s habitat, and so I recorded the sounds of the forest near its nest. ‘Come Home’ is one of my all-time favourite songs. It’s perfect in its simplicity, and to me encapsulates the feeling of yearning for home.”
Birds of Prey appeal
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Return: a celebration of White-tailed Eagles
Watch our new film charting the incredible re-introduction success of White-tailed Eagles.
White-tailed Eagle
Learn more about the White-tailed Eagle, our largest UK bird of prey.