For this reason, the cuckoo is a good biodiversity indicator, as it relies on a richness of host species to survive.Īudio: James Lidster / Common Tern The male sings to attract the females.Ĭuckoo numbers appear to be falling due to changes in agricultural use that may be affecting the numbers of their ‘host’ birds like reed warblers, dunnock and meadow pipit. As well as their iconic call they also make a cough and the female a trill. But despite having such a familiar call, few people ever see this secretive bird, as it hides out in reed beds, moorlands and woodland edges. The call of the cuckoo is probably one of the most instantly recognisable sounds you can hear in a wetland, and is a sure sign that spring is on its way. Hiding out of sight on wetlands, its noises can often make you wonder what lurks out on the marshes! You’re more likely to hear them during their breeding season between April and June.Īudio: Marco Dragonetti / Common Cuckoo It also whinnies, cackles and yelps and its call often ends with what sounds like a laugh. Rather than singing, it makes loud, abrupt, chicken like clucks, which give a sense of it being surprised. The moorhen has quite a wide repertoire of calls and tends to mix and match sounds. Its numbers are declining, putting it on the red list of birds of conservation concern.Īudio: Christophe Mercier / Moorhen When singing from a perch, its song is interspersed with more warbling notes. It gives a thin far carrying call in flight and a loud persistent call when disturbed. The yellow wagtail likes to hang out in low-lying damp marshes and meadows where it runs about on the ground chasing insects disturbed by the feet of livestock. In recent years their population has declined by as much as 50% because of agricultural intensification. One is slow and hesitant and sung by males who have found a partner, the other is faster with more notes and is sung by unpaired males. But if you listen carefully you might hear two different songs, each giving us clues about the fortunes of the individual male. But its song doesn’t get rave reviews, being variously described as “brief and simple’ ‘monotonously repeated’ and with an “unremarkable flourish’. Never found far from a wetland, the male can usually be found perched on top of a bush or reed when singing. The song of the reed bunting is one of the first and most easily recognisable sounds of spring. And although shy around humans, creating a pond full of life might be enough to entice this beautiful bird to come hunting in your back garden.Īudio: Patrik Åberg/ Reed Bunting Although it remains an amber listed species of conservation concern, the kingfisher is now returning to many once polluted rivers in our towns and cities. It flies very fast, normally in a fairly straight line, just a few feet above the surface of the water and as it flies it often lets out a high pitched call, a bit like the squeak of a mouse, but louder. The kingfisher is one of our flashiest wetland inhabitants and who can resist their iridescent electric blue back and tail and striking orange red cheeks and underparts? But even though its colours are so dazzling, you can usually hear it before you see it. And to tempt you on your way, here are some of the more common birds and their calls you might hear across our wetlands. So make the most of the longer days to get outside and enjoy the sounds of an alternative dawn chorus. Not all can be considered virtuosos with their odd sounding clucks and squeaks, some can barely described as tuneful, but without doubt they all deserve a place in nature and in our hearts. Across the UK our wetland birds are tuning up for their traditional spring sing off.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |