Wildlife doesn’t wallow in the post-Christmas doldrums. It’s already pushing forward optimistically with spring very much in mind.
A few of our resident birds are already singing well and now is a good time to learn their different songs before the dawn chorus “wall of sound” becomes hard to decipher in just a few weeks’ time.
Your target species in late January should be Robin, Great Tit and Song Thrush, all now in good voice.
The Robin’s song combines fast warbled notes and elongated slurs, demonstrating a wide range of pitch. It’s bitter-sweet, tinged in melancholy. Imagine the Robin as a talented but broken-hearted songster, lacking the spirit to perform to its full potential. The Robin is often heard at night, being readily stimulated by the artificial lights of towns.
Great Tits can be frustrating, as they make over 40 distinguishable sounds. These included territorial calls, alarm calls, a call when injured, some calls warning of predators, copulation calls and many more… and there can be shades of mood and subtlety in their vocabulary! But, don’t despair. The basic song of the great tit is exceptionally easy to pick out. Listen for an optimistic, chiming “tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher”.
The Song Thrush’s song is loud with a rhythmic repetition of phrases. Its notes are clear, sweet and of intense quality. In Home-thoughts, from Abroad, Robert Browning noted:
“That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, lest you should think he never could recapture the first fine careless rapture!”
Now, Mr Browning was unquestionably a whizz at reading and writing but maybe neglected his arithmetic, as the phrases of the song are, in fact, usually repeated three to five times.
The Song Thrush is often “there or thereabouts” towards the top of lists of favourite bird songs, but for me it’s knocked into a cocked hat by its cousin the Blackbird who’s not really started singing this early in the year. But, hold tight, because when he does, he’ll really knock your socks off.
The Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and Sussex Wildlife Trust run programmes of walks, talks and events with lots of opportunities to learn about birds and other wildlife.
Image Credits: Barry Yates , Alan Martin .