At this time of year, the first few hours of morning provide an excellent time to really listen to the sounds filling the air and carry out your identification, just by listening. Everyone can get a bit rusty and sometimes it may be last Spring, or the year before, since you last heard a particular call or song. A few days ago, I was at Tophill Low and the woods there were alive with the song of Blackcaps, Willow Warblers, Wrens, Goldcrests and the drumming of woodpeckers. This morning, I walked a favourite part of the upper reaches of the Humber with an ulterior motive for being near reedbeds!! Once on the riverbank, a group of Shelduck flew noisily overhead. I reached an area of reeds and soon heard the 'ping-ping' call of Bearded Tits. It's good to find these birds on the North bank of the Humber as they don't seem to reach much further North than here at all. I came across three pairs today, including a fine male feeding close to the water. Sedge Warblers were plentiful here, some in song flight but none were sitting up on the reeds, perhaps it wasn't warm enough yet! A Common Whitethroat was the next call I heard and found it on a near hawthorn. The very top of the same hawthorn was a favourite perch for this male Reed Bunting to sing its song . There was more and more birdsong coming from a small group of hawthorns and this Wren shattered any silence, with its extraordinarily loud song. A Reed Warbler was next to show, not in the reedbed I was watching but again, back in the hawthorns. ........showing really well out in the open. The ulterior motive I mentioned earlier, suddenly came to light - or 'sound' to be more precise. The 'reeling' of a Grasshopper Warbler, not too far away. In the miles of reedbeds along the Humber, I enjoy the challenge of locating this scarce migrant. If nothing else, it is a very cheap test of one's hearing abilities and, since the Grasshopper Warbler rotates its head as it sings, the bird may not be quite where you think it is! This Grasshopper Warbler turned out not to be in the reeds at all, but was skulking in dense bramble and nettles. It wasn't in full song yet, as many warblers aren't when they first arrive. Just brief 'reels' but enough to keep me on track. I was really pleased to find this warbler and, having dug-out this skulker I turned my attention to one of three Cetti's Warblers calling in various parts of the surrounding area - nothing skulks quite like a Cetti's!! I almost managed a photo of it too!! My final find in what was becoming a 'warbler' morning, was this beautiful Lesser Whitethroat. Given away by its short rattling call, it perched for a considerable time giving excellent views. Several Marsh Harriers were passing through and I was overflown by this Common Buzzard.
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