Bird song (20) – Cuckoo

Surely you know what a Cuckoo sounds like? But how often do you hear them these days, I wonder? They are much rare now, particularly in southern England and I hear them less often than formerly. I’ve only once heard a Cuckoo from my garden and that was in May 2014. Maybe I’m in with…

Bird song (19) – Willow Warbler

The Willow Warbler looks very much like a Chiffchaff – they can be a bit tricky to tell apart at times, and are closely related species, but their songs are completely and utterly different. Whereas the Chiffchaff’s song is simple and cuts through the early Spring air like a knife, the Willow Warbler has a…

Prospects for the shooting season?

Despite the shooting industry trying to put on a confident front that it will be unaffected by a global pandemic touching, heavily touching, every other aspect of human life, it seems that the reality is very different. Pheasant and partridge shooting are currently particularly affected because of their dependence on massive imports of eggs and…

Birds on the Brink

Another new charity… Although some charities have an image problem this one will not, funded as it is by the competiton Bird Photographer of the Year.

Bird song (18) – the pictures

Here are three Great Tit songs (from the excellent xenocanto website). I’ve chosen Great Tit because I like Great Tits but also because their songs are quite simple. But these three songs not only sound different but, when displayed in the accompanying sonograms, they also look different. Have a listen and a look. The sonograms…