We thought spring was on the horizon but now are faced with more freezing conditions. The recent milder spell had brought forth much needed useful food sources like emerging buds and insects. But the temperatures have plunged, it could be catastrophic for wildlife, which is why the RSPB is asking to us feed our local birds now in the leanest of leanest times. If you would like some guidance or ideas please see: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/feeding-birds/how-to-feed-birds
Ever resourceful black-headed gulls picking at tree-tops for either early buds or insects.
And all this, just as song is starting to permeate St Aidan’s with the arrival of at least three skylarks around the Ridge and Furrow. It is thought that birds are genetically pre-disposed to make their various calls but science has proved they have to learn song from their father and a poor or absent tutor creates a poor or less recognisable singer. Young birds practice by producing a ‘subsong’ - only parts of the full memorised version – i.e. they are “playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order (sunshine).” When competent, an audience makes a difference; a lone singer is less enthusiastic than one who knows females are nearby.
Singing while sitting skylark (taken last summer)
Birds use a unique organ called the syrinx, buried deep in their chest, to produce sound. Two membranes attached to each side of cartilage vibrate airflow really fast to create two independent sounds, varying high/low frequencies, volume and speed. The wren can produce 36 notes a second. Birds know sound needs to travel and higher tones need airspace so tend to sing from higher or more open perches. Ground level birds use lower tones that reach through denser foliage. Hence, the recent bittern booms heard from the reedbeds are so low. It is said a ‘boom’, which is like the sound made when you blow across a bottle top (glass or plastic - I’ve tested it), can be heard up to 5km. When heard, it goes right through you, which must be the vibrating air. Basically, it is a self-induced but glorious burp!
In flight bittern (taken last summer)
Apart from the aforementioned, you may hear other birds starting to use their voices more such as reed bunting on the reed edges, song thrush near the car park, a dunnock’s trilling warble, the “gloop, gloop” of a nuthatch, a bullfinch calling “pew, pew, pew” (as if stuck at the start of Trumpton’s fire brigade line-up) or the little owl calling from the dragline compound. But bear in mind singing/calling is exhausting so may be limited on sun-less colder days.
For strictly stars, see the displaying goldeneye flicking their heads back tango style, which is more likely if a group consists of more males than females, mute swans slow waltzing together as they mimic each other’s movements with ritualised preening, lifting and lowering their heads towards one another and the slow paso-doble of great crested grebes.
Synchronised great crested grebes head shaking
They build both a mating platform and a separate nest. A ritual starts with one approaching the other underwater, while the other raises their head plumes, rises up and spreads wings slightly (the cat posture); the diver rears up with back to the partner, bill pointing down, wings tight to the sides (the ghostly penguin) and slowly rotates round for the discovery ceremony. Both birds perform slow synchronised head movements, with the male usually slightly higher, followed by ritualised preening. Then, follows the retreat ceremony where one dashes over the water’s surface. Finally, for the weed ceremony, they each go off to dive for preferably weed or at a push a stick will do to. Last year I saw one bring a mud clump and that was dismissed as just not good enough. They come together to rise up again, shake their gifts at one another, sink, drop the gifts and end with a final headshake. But they are an equal opportunity bird; male or female may initiate and so both do get the chance to be a ghostly penguin.
Recent Sightings:
Bowers lake continues to host at various times of day pochard, tufted duck, teal, wigeon, great-crested grebe, 70 plus curlew around the edge for roosting nearby and the great white egret divides its’ time with Fairburn. In the field above the lake a kestrel has been hawking.
3 curlew arriving late afternoon at Bowers
At the dragline a little owl appears to have taken up residence. From dragline to hillside/pastures there are regular sightings of kestrel, buzzard, red kite, sparrowhawk, peregrine and marsh harrier, who also stalk the lakes and reedbeds. Also seen around here are meadow pipit, fieldfare, goldfinch, willow tit, stock dove and a hare.
In the Ridge & Furrow, along with the skylarks (3) are geese (canada and greylag with the odd interloping pink-foot) who also feed on the pastures with frequent comings and goings.
In and around the reedbeds are booming bittern, reed bunting, ringed plover, water pipit, linnet, goldfinch, stonechat and shelduck. A male kingfisher has returned to the causeway crossroads to use the predator fence and nearby are pied wagtail.
A pied wagtail on the causeway
Main, Lemonroyd and Astley lakes are host to goosander, pintail, shoveler, wigeon, teal, gadwall, shelduck, goldeneye, lapwing, golden plover, dunlin, redshank, oystercatcher (5) and 100 plus tufted duck. Plus occasional whooper swan with 25 one day.
Two and a fifth tufted ducks
Along the treeline opposite the main lake the smaller birds are about: bullfinch, reed bunting, dunnock, wren, green woodpecker and the tits; marsh, willow, great, blue and long-tailed. And more recently firecrest, brambling and siskin have been seen. At the warren there are 2 robins comfortable with one another in close proximity; suggesting one is female.
And finally:
At sunset; curlew over Bowers
Yours, K Sp-8 (18/02/26)