Namesake sounds

It's that time of year when some birds very kindly tell you what they're called, without you having to look them up in your field guide. Some of these are, admittedly, easy to hear and recognise from their call than others.

The first of these that you'll probably hear as you walk around is the Chiffchaff, whose repeated disyllabic song can be heard throughout the woods and scrubby parts of the reserve. Better still, with few leaves on the trees you have a good chance of spotting this tiny olive-brown warbler. If you do see one, then you'd better hope it is singing to help you to separate it from the very similar Willow Warbler. The latter has been heard between Island Mere and the Rhododendron Tunnel this week.

On the Scrape, you easily see Lapwings, which are often known by their local name of Peewit, after the distinctive call of displaying birds. Sit for a few minutes in North Hide and you should be able to watch their tumbling display flight, or see them chasing away any potential predators, such as gulls or crows.

Another wader that calls its name is the Curlew. Although they don't nest here, several birds can still be seen on the Scrape, refuelling on the journey north or resting after feeding in nearby fields. Curlews are the UK's biggest wader, and can be easily confused with the smaller, closely-related Whimbrel. This is a passage migrant in Suffolk, breeding in northern Scotland and across the Arctic. Apart from being smaller, Whimbrels have a different head pattern and bill-shape from Curlews. Crucially, their call is also very different: it's often described as a "seven-note whinny."

Curlew by Jon Evans - on World Curlew Day

The most numerous wader on the Scrape is also known by the sound it makes - if you live in the Netherlands, where Avocets are called Kluuts. Although they don't call their name, the Oystercatchers and Redshanks will often alert to their presence through their loud calls. Other waders to look for include Black- and Bar-tailed Godwits, Ringed Plovers, Grey Plovers and Turnstones, while there have been sightings this week of Sanderling, Knot and Green Sandpiper, too.

The loudest calls on the Scrape are undoubtedly those of the gulls and terns, especially the hundreds of Black-headed Gulls and Sandwich Terns. They're joined by varying numbers of Mediterranean, Common, Herring, Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls and the first Common Terns of the year. Listen carefully and you may hear the distinctive call of a Kittiwake calling its name repeatedly. This most marine of gulls is often seen bathing and gathering nesting material for the colony along the coast at Sizewell. There was also a sighting of a Little Gull this week.

Black-headed Gulls on the Scrape - look carefully and you should spot a Mediterranean Gull in the picture, too

In the reedbed, too, there are birds that say their name - depending on how you interpret the sounds. The most obvious is the Cuckoo, the first of which was heard today. Arguably, Grasshopper Warblers say their name - or at least sound like the insects after which they are named. Two have been heard, intermittently, at either end of the North Wall this week, though they are typically difficult to see. Cetti's Warblers are also hard to spot, and while they are named after an Italian monk, Simon Barnes refers to the song as sounding like, "I'm a Cetti's, I'm a Cetti's Warbler." The other reedbed warblers have returned form Africa, too, so listen out for Sedge and Reed Warblers as you walk around the reserve.

A rare sighting of a Cetti's Warbler by Paul Lloyd

The stars of the reedbed, for most people, are the Bitterns and Marsh Harriers. Both have been putting on a good showing at both Island Mere and Bittern Hide. Many visitors have reported seeing Bearded Tits this week, despite the strong northerly wind, while Reed Buntings are also singing around the reedbed. Otters continue to be reported most days, and the first Hobby of the spring has finally returned. The latter may not prove popular with the Swallows and nesting Sand Martins, as it's likely to favour them for food until the dragonflies begin to emerge in a couple of weeks.

Sand Martins excavating nest holes

In the woodland, the star bird this week has been a Firecrest singing near Bittern Hide. Other highlights include Blackcaps, the first Whitethroat, and a Nightingale occasionally near North Hide, plus the more regular Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Long-tailed Tits and Coal Tits. A pair of Treecreepers nest-building near Bittern Hide are popular too.