Don’t be fooled by the quietness of our woodland valley in the heart of winter. There is lots of life and as spring nears, the woodland appears to ‘wake’as the birds become vocal again.
Even now, in snowy February, it is impossible not to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the woods. An early morning walk will see you transported into a concert.
Just the other morning I went for a stroll to Clough Meadow cottage to sit on my favourite bench. From that spot I closed my eyes and let the senses take hold. The rush of Coombes Valley brook in the background was an obvious initial sound. However, listening harder I could hear birdsong. At first all the birds seemed to sing as one mass ‘tweeet’ but by concentrating on one song at a time I began to recognise the unique voices of each bird.
The ‘see-sawing’ of at least three great tits caught my attention first. Their competitive voices taking clear centre stage at this theatre.
Crazy great tit with a yellow coat – Heather Watkin
Next a wave of long-tailed tits came swooping to land on a near-by bush. Their high pitched, fast notes mixed with explosive rippling calls - ‘interrupting’ each other as they grouped together on the bush. The boldest must have jumped to a near-by tree as one-by-one the long-tailed tits happy chirps faded further into the woods.
An echoey ‘piiyay’ came from way up high. I couldn’t resist opening one eye and peeking at the majestic buzzard gliding impressively across the early morning sky.
There was a quick rustle in the long rushes and grasses next to my bench. A grey squirrel revealed itself and hopped hurriedly across the path to disappear up a nearby tree.
There was quiet for a few seconds before a sad lonely call broke the silence. The bullfinches self-pitying, ‘pew pew’ call, rang mellow across the meadow. The little fellow, clutched hold of some on the meadow and I managed to grab a quick picture! An answering call of another bullfinch came from the entrance to the wood and off he flew to meet his mate.
Beautiful bullfinch – Heather Watkin
The rising chatter of a few blue tits started the chorus up once more. These were quickly followed by the song thrushes song phrases repeated again and again in the distance - easy to hear across the valley because they are so powerful.
A coal tit joined in with his bicycle-pump call, complementing the blackbird like a supporting instrument.
A little wren made an impressive attempt to control the floor with its hard ticking and harsh churring. However, it was quickly overrun with yet more great tit shuffling and see-saw calls.
The sun was now nearly up and all those birds created a cacophony of sound that rang out over the valley, drowning the buzz of the brook. The finale was so spectacular that I quickly forgot to try and recognise which birds were which.
As the noise began to die down, I opened my eyes. The sun shone down over the meadow, melting the winter chill of the night before. Grassy shadows dotted the meadow as the valley ‘sighed’ from the warmth. The valley knew the birds were awake now, the show had ended.
But what a beautiful morning adventure.
If you’d like to learn a little bit more about bird calls – I would personally recommend RSPB’s phone app. I honestly didn’t know what any calls at the start of the year and the app has really helped! However if you can remember the call long enough to get home on your computer try the RSPB’s website – www.rspb.org.uk
Why not pop down to Coombes Valley early one morning. You don’t have to be an expert to appreciate the beauty of bird song!
Heather Watkin
Jarrod Sneyd
Enjoying being the Site Manager of Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay - Saving Nature in a unique landscape