Gaggle, deceit, exaltation, murder, plump, covey, murmuration, wisp, sedge, skein, herd, spring, train and parliament – a wonderful array of collective nouns to describe flocks of birds – enjoy the richness of the English language.
Winter is a good time to see flocks of birds and many are present in the Trent and Tame River Valleys Futurescape. Water birds are present on the wetlands with herds of mute swans often joined by whooper swans and sometimes Bewick’s swans, especially in the Idle Valley where we are working with partners to ensure the washlands are suitable habitat.
In marshy areas at Middleton Lakes, wisps of teal take flight with their whistling calls and a spring of snipe flies up, up and away with a squelchy call (like wellies being pulled out of mud). At gloaming murder is afoot where trains and parliament meet – stand in the car park at Langford Lowfields and watch as flocks of carrion crows (murder) fly into roost in the small woodland at dusk with rooks (parliament) and jackdaws (train). A cacophony of caws, croaks and ‘jacks’ create an eerie soundtrack to the last light of the day.
On farmland there are coveys of grey partridge and Beckingham Marshes is a good place to see this Red List bird. The fate of the grey partridge and many of the other farmland birds of conservation concern that can seen at and around Beckingham Marshes – a deceit of lapwings, an exaltation of skylarks and flocks of tree sparrows – will depend on the success of the future environmental schemes for farmers. In the north of the Futurescape, the Farmland Advice Focus Area had its first year of monitoring breeding birds on farms in 2013 and volunteers recorded grey partridges, lapwings, linnets, yellowhammers and corn buntings, all of which are flocking in the area. More about that in another post.
And my favourite collective bird noun is a sedge for a flock of bitterns or grey herons. I’ve never seen a flock of bitterns, but with more reedbeds being created in the Futurescape perhaps I won’t have to wait too long.
Whooper swans with a mute swan and wigeons © Carl Cornish