Acro's & Locustella's: Warbler Sound Quiz Answers

The answers for last weeks sound quiz , if you missed the quiz just scroll further down the blog. Also a big thankyou to John Miller, Paul Ash and Gary Thoburn for supplying the stunning photographs. 

1. Sedge Warbler: A very excitable songster that sings erratically with lots of ‘fast mimicry’ – it can impersonate many species but these calls are always delivered quickly and in amongst their usual buzzy repertoire. Easily found in the right habitats in Cornwall; particularly reed beds, lake margins and wet meadows and it can even nest in mature hedgerows. Sedge Warbler is also a regular spring migrant and can be found singing along the coast, especially in sheltered valleys.
   
2. Reed Warbler: Delivers a fast-monotonous song that sounds superficially similar to Sedge Warbler but it has more rhythm and tends to repeat notes before moving onto a new noise without a break in the song.  Not as widespread in Cornwall as Sedge Warbler owing to the fact it tends to be restricted to Phragmites Reed when breeding. However, if you visit the right habitat anytime from now onwards you will stand a good chance of hearing one singing. As a migrant Reed Warbler will sing from less typical habitat particularly in coastal areas up until early June when the last returning birds arrive.
   
3. Blyth’s Reed Warbler: This Acro has an interesting song quite unlike that of Reed Warbler being more similar to Marsh Warbler to my ear. The song is given at a steady pace but it has a ‘stop, start’ feel to It with several notes uttered in succession followed by brief pauses. They can mimic species well and produce a whole variety of rattles and tunes but to my ear at least the song seems to have a rather mournful quality at times with down slurring whistles repeated throughout the song in most instances. Blyth’s Reed Warbler is expanding its range into Western Europe and I expect more singing males to be found in spring across the UK in the next decade. In Cornwall the only records come from the ringing mecca of Nanjizal Valley (where they have been annual during Autumn in the last few years with one late spring record) so I believe they pass through other parts of West Cornwall undetected due to their skulking nature. Birders should be mindful of Blyth’s Reed Warbler in late spring (they are a late migrant which tend to arrive on their breeding grounds from mid to late May onwards) in meadows and coastal valleys with good cover. They are not really a reed bed species and tend to favour lakesides and swampy habitat in which to breed. 
   
4. Marsh Warbler: Marsh Warbler is of course well known for being an outstanding mimic of other species. In fact I don’t think any other warbler can imitate as many different species. I’ve read many times that ‘if you hear several different birds singing from one bush then it is probably a Marsh Warbler’. I do think that’s a little bit misleading as so many warbler species mimic other species well. But the sheer variety of different calls within the song, as well as the fast pace and ‘squeeky toy’ sounds make it a distinctive song. In the UK Marsh Warbler is a rare breeding bird with a declining population and it is also a very scarce migrant. In Cornwall it is a rare migrant but does turn up in late spring from time to time. A passage bird is just as likely to sing from a mature hedgerow or the edge of a wetland than from a reedbed margin. It’s worth knowing too that Marsh Warbler is a late spring migrant with early June being a particularly productive time for one to occur.
   
5. Song Thrush: A trick question! But an important species to learn and be confident with in regards to its song when ruling out other species. A loud singer which pretty much always repeats the same note three or four times, followed by a brief pause (almost as if it’s taking a breath) before singing another three notes. Song Thrush will mimic most species remarkably well as well as mechanical noises which it may have heard in the past. They will occur in most habitats and I have heard them singing from reedbeds and scrubland alongside Acro warblers. They will also sing very early in the morning before sunrise and commonly sing after sunset in spring. 
   
6. Nightingale: Another trick question! The Nightingale has perhaps the most famous song bird of them all. Its magical song is full of scratches, whistles, trills and mimicry. It could well be found in similar habitat to all of the species in this quiz (although in Cornwall it is a county rarity and far from annual in appearance) and a singing bird on migration could cause confusion. Listen out for it’s typical notes as the male starts the song it builds up in speed and then often finishes with a very fast rich rattle (listen here). Similar in style to a Song Thrush it then often pauses for a split second (which can feel longer) only to begin again. Nightingale can’t really be looked for in Cornwall but it certainly can be hoped for over the years for any diligent patch birder or during spring migration. I have found three singing males and they have always been a complete surprise.
   
7. Great Reed Warbler: This species sounds ‘big and clumsy’ a bit like how it looks! The song is rather loud and lower pitched than other Acro’s helping it to stand out in the reed-bed. It starts at a slow pace and often stops again after a couple of seconds; the repertoire of notes never sounds so extensive to my ear with the main phrases sounding rather croaky in tone.  A rare vagrant from the Continent however a singing male in Spring is the most likely way of getting this rarity on your self-found list. Best hoped for in reed-bed habitats such as Marazion Marsh perhaps, however they do occur on migration (abroad at least) in very small ditches and scrub patches so perhaps it should be on birders radars elsewhere.
   
8. Grasshopper Warbler: This may well be the only Locustella you ever hear singing in Britain as the other two examples in the quiz consist of a rare migrant and a rare vagrant. However, Grasshopper Warbler will often sing from a reed-beds (like Savi’s) and can favour swampy ground similar to the habitat a singing River Warbler could turn up in (if only!) so knowing it intimately is important. The main things I notice is that it is slightly less ‘clear’ sounding compared to Savi’s Warbler and the diagnostic part for me is that the song changes in pitch regularly, Savi’s and River Warbler sound more monotonous from my experience. This species is sadly declining but it can be found in Cornwall on un-spoilt moorland, meadows and crop fields. It sings more frequently early in the morning and again late into the evening.
   
9. River Warbler: The song of the River Warbler is typical for a Locustella warbler; a continuous buzzing drone which is shared by all species of this family group. However, its song has a very subtle disyllabic quality (I liken it to a water pump or a cricket) and the tone of the song is constant and never changes its pitch (such as Grasshopper Warbler will.) River Warbler is a rare vagrant to the UK in spring with very few records but it could well turn up in Cornwall. It favours swamp like habitat and acidic bogs in its home range so perhaps one day it’ll be a dream find for somebody in the Lizard area, Goss Moor or Bodmin Moor.  
   
10. Savi’s Warbler: The whirring song of the Savi’s Warbler has a rather mechanical quality to its song, which is monotonous and ‘dry’ sounding. The pitch doesn’t change throughout and it always sounds rather clear in quality. Savi’s Warbler is a rare spring migrant to the UK with small numbers arriving from April on wards in most years. In Cornwall it is a county rarity and I believe the last record was ten years ago at Marazion Marsh.

Week 4 of Lockdown - Migration , Garden Bird Races and losing my mind with no Interent or Phone!

This cryptic Grasshopper Warbler was a great surprise on the local farm

So this last week has been the most frustrating without a question! Our phone and internet crashed and for me at least it was the final straw as I've based a lot of my time around projects on the laptop with the blog,birding and photography. I also felt sad for my parents who couldn't keep in touch with friends and family. So after I realised I couldn't fix it and it seemed unlikely it would get mended owing to lockdown I had a mini meltdown and sulked off to bed for an hour! After a pep talk from Lib (who explained the world wouldn't stop because I couldn't write a blog post!) and a little bit of swearing and sulking about lockdown and internet providers ( " I'm done with lockdown, everything's s##t etc etc!) I was back to myself by tea time, anyway...

Spring birding has really gathered pace in the last week or so around Cornwall with reports coming in of Cuckoo's , Swift's, Redstart's and Pied Flycatcher dotted around the county. It's always nice to hear that they are arriving safely from Africa even if I can't see them for myself at the moment. Still even around our village there have been signs of migration with a wonderful Grasshopper Warbler reeling from the lane beside my house early one morning, Reed Warbler at the local pond and a singing male Whitethroat in the field next door. Whilst at night I have recorded over 40 Whimbrel which have been migrating back from Africa on their way to breeding grounds much further north in the Arctic Tundra. All of these sightings have given me a lift each day and I feel lucky to spot anything different from my landlocked village.

Coal Tit is a garden regular

On Sunday we took part in the Cornwall Birdwatching Garden Bird Race! From midnight to midnight any bird seen or heard from the garden was logged by birdwatchers from all over the county! My more leisurely start was from the comfort of bed with the window open at dawn listening to the dawn chorus. It's really worth waking up for this spectacle if you've never heard one as all the birds sing their hearts out as the sun comes up and we enjoyed the cacophony of sounds from Blackbirds, Song Thrush , Wren and Robin and we could even hear the subtle song of the UK's smallest bird; the Goldcrest.

This male Blackbird was born last year (note the old, brown tinged feathers which have yet to be moulted)

I then got up and sat on the garden bench for a couple of hours as the birds moved through the garden. Highlights included three Shoveler (a garden tick!), a singing Skylark and a few warblers including Blackcap and Chiffchaff. After taking the dog for a walk and doing some chores I was a bit behind with the race but as the sun came back out we sat on the front lawn to watch for raptors. Soon a kettle of Buzzard's drifted overhead and as they gained height they were harassed by a male Kestrel (unusual over the garden) and better still a sub-adult Peregrine Falcon. My most memorable moment was a frantic phone call from Pete (who was also taking part from his garden in the next village along) to say a Lesser Black Backed Gull was drifting towards my garden! Now usually when I get such a call it's about a much rarer bird and it was funny to think we were both so excited about such a sighting, too much time in the sun I reckon!

I'm not sure what has happened to this Peregrine Falcon's wing. I don't think it's moult? It could have collided with something and it hopefully isn't from a gun shot

As the afternoon went into the evening I had a surprise Snipe fly overhead calling and finally a Tawny Owl hooting away in the copse below. As I stood admiring the darkening sky ready to call an end to the race I noticed a series of bright lights travelling across the sky in unison at lightning speed! My mind went from Plane to Helicopter to satellite and ended up to the most plausible answer, UFO's! As we watched these 40 plus lights (I was now joined by a very logical slightly sceptical  girlfriend and my dad  (a true believer who thought we were about to get abducted!) I called Pete who also likes a bit of drama but he couldn't find them. It was time to turn to trusted google to find the answer and a search for ' UFO's 10pm Cornwall' resulted in the boring but cool answer that we had been watching Elon Musk's starlink satellites: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/04/20/elon-musks-starlink-satellites-will-grace-uk-skies-tonight-see/.

This 1st summer male Common Whitethroat was a welcome addition to the lockdown list

A great day ended with both me and Pete level on 45 species (which was the highest tally from the race day) so we will have to share the spoils of Kudos , I'm sure Pete hated my Snipe whilst I wasn't very happy about his late night plan of waiting to hear Barn Owl and Moorhen which meant he crept back up to finish level with me!

This Dunnock is a familiar sight in the area, ringed by Pete last year it feels like seeing an old friend when we see it

For the next week it's just nice to have our phoneline and internet back so I can keep in touch with the outside world and our friends and family. Next week I'm really looking forward to sharing  my post about all of the animals we have seen since lockdown and using the footage from the trail cam we've been using around the garden and local farmland...

Woe-is-me and not more bloody Sheep

Bob and I spoke over the phone yesterday which allowed me to let rip and all my pent-up aggression poured out! Thankfully given the current dreadful situation we are all finding ourselves in, my woes were frankly, pathetic! 

The most severe annoyance that passionately poured from me was my current hatred of Sheep. Yes, that’s right I currently well-up at the thought of the wool clad beasts and their squealy little babies and for good reason. Like so many others in the birding fraternity I have been thinking about getting the equipment necessary to partake in the wonderful world of Noc-migging and the lock down gave me the kick up the arse that I needed. It’s a simple process really. You essentially leave a recording device and microphone out over night and the next day using some clever (free) technology you can turn the sounds you have recorded into pictures (sonograms) and this in most circumstances allows you to identify the call to species! Fascinating stuff and you can learn more about this here: nocmig.com/ and here: birdguides articles . Its been going well and I am damn sure you will be bored rigid with some of our nocturnal findings in the next week or two. However, now that the spring has sprung, and the grass has started growing again with some earnest the old bleating stink mounds have discourteously decided it would be a good time to give birth and now the fields that surround my house are full of screeching young lambs that have decided the middle of the night is a good time to sing the song of their people! So much for a memory card full of interesting bird songs to filter through each morning.

Not perturbed by my nocturnal conquests, I have endeavoured to salvage the spring by trying to make the most of my allotted daily exercise time and ventured to nearby localities that might throw up a good bird or two. I am and have been lucky in that I have caught up with a few of our more common returning migrants and am thankful that I still have the opportunity to do this on a daily basis. Although never quite as profitable as the autumn I still love a bit of “viz-mig” action, and I had been having some luck with the returning hirundines and the occasional oddity to help salvage my sanity. However, the rural sanctuary that I yearn for each day has been shattered by (yes you guessed it) woollen heathens and their screaming babies. Even worse this lot have decided that it might be best to sing their ancestral song when I am trying to use my ears and concentrate on birds that might be flying overhead!

I urge you all to disregard the requests of our Vegan community and buy British Lamb for your Sunday lunches for the future sanctity of a Cornish Birder! After all Carbon emissions are falling and yet the agricultural community is carrying on as normal, so it really isn’t livestock farts causing so much damage after all its us and our industrial ways, who would have guessed? Take a look here: Carbon emissions are falling sharply due to coronavirus

A quintessential beauty of British Spring time or troublesome noise pollutant? I will let you decide.

My second gripe that I confronted Bob with was the fact that we were stuck at home and potentially missing some good birds! He quickly reminded me that I was a lot luckier than most people due to where I lived and the fact I had no underlying health issues so could get out for an hours walk each day. For once I thought he was right and that there is no sneaky solution to this. The only thing to do is strictly adhere to the government guidelines and respect the necessity for there placement. I do though miss some of my regular haunts, I miss carrying out the bird ringing activities and I miss the people that I bumped into on a regular basis. I know I am not alone with these frustrations! We just have to do the right thing for a little while longer. Stay strong people this will all be behind us before you know it! Here is a little selection of recent photos showcasing what the immediate area around my home has to offer. Actually come to think about it, its not so bad after all!

Chiffchaff are well and truly back with several seemingly on territory in my village now. Common Whitethroat also seemed to arrive a little earlier than previous recent years and I look forward to seeing these going about their daily lives in the coming weeks.

I am also grateful that a scattering of Northern Wheatear have showed face and brightened up even the dullest of mornings. I have been pleased that our Skylarks are also in full choral flow each morning and seemingly good numbers seem set to breed in nearby habitat.

My third and final plight of anguish was what to write about on the Chough Junior Blog Spot? I am so used to writing shortly after a recent interesting or exciting event that it just seemed to flow out with little effort (you may read into that however you wish)! Now I had the time and inclination to write some posts but lacked the topics. I had been flicking around other blogs that I enjoy following and was starting to get infuriated by the same subjects being covered. How to feed your garden birds, lets make a list of our garden birds, lets look at other wildlife in your garden blah blah blah. All lovely stuff and something that I feel passionately about and partake in even when we don’t have a Covid-19 Pandemic taking place. But holy cow I was so sick of reading the same topic I nearly pulled my bird feeders down in protest! So, after another nudge by Bob I now have a whole list of subjects that I have been meaning to cover or not had the time. Now that I don’t have any excuses and have your undivided attention I am sure you will be hearing from me again in the next couple of days! Stay safe everyone. Here are some further photos taken very near to the front door:

This Raven has been showing me his honking splendour in recent weeks. A truly underrated bird in my opinion!

How can any day be a bad one when you have such stunning company! This male Stonechat has become quite the favourite.

Though sadly extinct in the rest of Cornwall, Corn Bunting is managing to cling hold in the North with some careful habitat arrangements. Lets hope we never loose the "jangling key" sounding song for good!

I have seen this tiercel Peregrine a number of times actively hunting in the locality. Lets home he is carrying prey back for his partner atop a discreetly placed eyerie somewhere along the coast. 

Week 3 Lockdown Birding in Cornwall

House Martin returning from Africa

Throughout the Coronavirus lockdown  I've found myself missing the little things in life and have realised that there are many things that I take or have taken for granted and I'm sure everybody reading this can relate to that in one way or another. I've found myself adapting my lifestyle to get the most out of what there is in life and concentrating on the things I can still do and this outlook has kept me (fairly!) sane so far!

These two male Blackcap where so preoccupied in fighting for a small territory in St Columb Major hat I managed to get close enough for these photos. Notice the brown markings around the base of the bill , this is caused by pollen when they fed in the Mediterranean or North Africa before setting off to England, a sure sign these birds were fresh in.

Last week I mentioned I would be having a go at recording birds overnight as they fly over the house calling on their migration. What a whole new world this has unearthed in the way I think about birds migrating! You don't need to live anywhere fancy to get results from 'Noc-migging' anywhere will produce and so far I've enjoyed it immensely. I've recorded several Grey Herons, multiple Moorhens and even a Little Grebe flying right over my house at 2am! Searching through the recordings the next day is an art in itself as you filter through different sonograms which aren't just birds! For instance  I've heard myself weeing in the upstairs toilet (!), recorded every cow mooing, sheep bleeting and horse neighing within at least 3 miles and also very unnervingly recorded what could only be a demon sucking blood on my roof! (A quick email to Pete confirmed this ID and he was happy that he didn't live at my house!). The best part though for me is learning so many new bird calls of species which I thought I was very familiar with. As a birder in the day I am very confident with bird songs and calls but by night I realise I am a total novice which is refreshing in a nice way.

Analysing bird sounds in the garden

Me and Libbie are still walking once a day and whilst the places remain the same the birds are changing! More Willow Warbler have arrived in the area whilst House Martin's and Swallows have now taken up residence in the local farms and villages. My early morning walks have produced two more Red Kite and a rarity for me from home in the shape of a singing Sedge Warbler which was really exciting and kept my hopes up of something a little more out of the ordinary on my rambles as it quickly moved on and had gone by the next day.

Hundreds of Pheasants (including leucistic birds like this one) roam the countryside where I live. Recently there has been some debate from conservationists about trying to control the number of the millions of birds that get released each year as they can damage habitat and eat the eggs of ground nesting birds. I think however that maybe without Pheasants landowners may get rid of their rough land and cover crops which are vital for wild birds. So hopefully a compromise may be reached one day.

We have been counting our local rookeries (which are easy to find as the Rooks are very noisy and the nests are large and always in groups amongst mature tree's. The BTO are doing a rookery survey at the moment so it's a good thing to do if you have them near home. 

My garden bird list hasn't increased in the CBWPS lockdown challenge with 53 species seen (see more here https://www.cbwps.org.uk/cbwpsword/garden-lockdown-listing/ ) but we've seen several more butterfly species bringing the total up to eleven.

The Orange Tip butterfly is one of my favourites and a sure sign of spring as they emerge in April. Best found around woodlands and country lanes the male is easy to recognise owing to the vivid orange patches on the upper-wing (above). Females (below) are more subtle but they share the marbled green under-wing of the male and have vivid black outer wings and two prominent black spots on the mid wing. If you look closely you can also see feint orange fringing on the edges of the upperwing. Females are also noticeably smaller than the Large White and Small White.  Be warned they very rarely land!

Nature and birding have also been keeping my family connected as my sister has been listing the birds and wildflowers that she see's on her daily exercise and sends us messages and pictures of various butterflies and wildflowers to identify and admire. Even my Dad showed a compassionate side to nature today by walking up to some rapidly drying puddles by our house with a net and bucket save some tadpoles and repatriate them in our pond. These little acts of helping nature can help you feel good too in these unprecedented times. I hope people reading this will be inspired to try something new with nature or birding in these coming weeks, you may find that the things you are missing out on don't feel like such a big deal and the days might just go that little bit quicker.
Why not have a go at the Cornwall Birds garden bird race on Sunday this week? More info below!


Garden Bird ‘Race’ Sunday 19th April: We were hoping to run a County Bird Race this spring and we still can, albeit slightly differently. General garden birding rules apply (see page here), essentially from one minute past midnight on Saturday to midnight on Sunday, all birds seen or heard in or from your garden! If we have enough participants we will have categories such as coastal, rural or solely suburban, with virtual prizes (ie kudos) for best bird, most surprising bird-related event, most birds seen etc. Contact gardenlisting@cbwps.org.uk to register beforehand or to tell us how you got on at the time. 

Newly emerging Early Purple Orchid was found just below the house

Birding in a Lockdown Week 2

Barn Swallow over the garden 

I would normally do a day by day diary of the last week of lockdown but I never know what day it is! They don't really have much significance at the moment whilst things are like they are do they? Thankfully with birds and birding dates usually do have an importance or a memory attached to them.

We usually keep records of special birds we find or remember the rough day the first Willow Warbler or Whitethroat appears as the month of April heralds the return of most of our common migrants from Africa. Seeing the first returning House Martin over the garden or hearing a Whitethroat on your daily exercise includes us personally in this migration even if we can't get out to the places on the coast we'd like to. Making a note of the date is something we all do as birders and throughout the country a picture begins to build up as people post their sightings and I always get excited to learn that the birds have returned safely from their incredible journeys and look forward to seeing the many different species for myself.

This Willow Warbler was only present for 1 morning before continuing it's migration. 

This drake Teal was a real surprise and a nice record for the local area

The Yellowhammer flock has now dispersed with either singing males (above) or birds paired up (below)

Male Pied Wagtail looking very smart

The last week has been such great weather in Cornwall and this certainly makes being at home much nicer and easier to bare for all of us. Me and Libbie go walking early in the morning to a different part of St Columb Major counting the birds and recording the other wildlife and then for the rest of the day we spend as much as we can outside. The changing season is a welcome distraction from life being a bit too monotonous so I think having an interest in wildlife at the moment is a good tonic for everybody. Even if it's just noting birds in the garden you could get involved in the Cornwall Birdwatching & Preservation Society Garden Lockdown Listing Challenge! Plenty of people around the county are sending in their lists of birds seen from their garden with a league for anybody feeling competitive and also every record goes towards the annual Bird Report so it's also good data for conservation as it maps out what birds are thriving in our gardens at the moment. More information can be found here: https://www.cbwps.org.uk/cbwpsword/garden-lockdown-listing/. 

A Jay probably eating something it shouldn't be!

The St Columb Major area has a thriving population of House Sparrows but sadly it is red listed as a bird of conservation concern within the UK. 

Goldfinch

Woodland birds and resident breeders are busily getting ready to breed and as spring gathers pace birds are singing more and more to attract a mate or defend their territory.I've even heard the first young in the nest of Blackbird's and Blue Tit's whilst the local Rookery is very busy and noisy. Some early migrant birds have also returned with a few Swallow already settling around the local farm and singing Blackcap and Chiffchaff numbers increasing by the day. There were some nice surprises too with some passing Willow Warblers brightening up the morning on Friday and two migrant Teal at the local pond (the first I have seen in the area in twenty years). Whilst today a single House Martin buzzed across the garden. 

We have found 6 breeding pairs of Treecreeper on our local walks

Jackdaw preparing it's nest in it's favourite home, the chimney!

 For the next week I have dug out some sound recording equipment and will be trying to record the nocturnal migrants that pass overhead without us ever knowing. Pete is also giving this a go and he has got the ball rolling already with a flyover Grey Heron calling. 'Noc Migging' is a whole new hobby on it's own and is getting very popular amongst birders across the country. The following website has a lot of information for anybody interested in this ground breaking style of birding (https://nocmig.com/) and I'm sure we will be doing a blog post about our findings at the end of the migration season. 

Common Scurvy Grass is traditionally a coastal plant but has spread inland being easiest to find along roadside verges. The salting and gritting of roads has caused it's abundance.

Freshly emerged Speckled Wood Butterfly contrasting with:

A very worn Comma which has survived the winter. We've now seen seven species of Butterfly