Bird (feathered variety) expert(s) wanted.

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

Hello,

Now as I'm sure most of you are aware, we in the UK are having a lot of hot weather, so much so that I for one end up having the bedroom window open overnight. Which is ok, except for the bird which starts up somewhere between 3.30 am & 4.00 am. Now this bird has a rather loud call, so much so that one could be forgiven for thinking it is perched on my windsill, but see below. In general terms, I do not mind birdsong, but not in the early hours, and especially not from a bird going full chat.

Lunchtime, and we are sat outside, (not for long – it was too hot) and this bird started up again, but where was it? Could not determine where it was.

And then late afternoon, I am in the back room, doors wide open, and it starts up again, only even louder which suggests that in the morning it is in the trees. I went to have a look and saw a brown or dun coloured bird with about a 4inch/100mm long body perched on my hut ridge about 11 feet/3 m away. And of course, it kept quiet, until it saw me whereupon it flew away.

Thoughts are that it might be a female blackbird but can blackbirds create such a loud noise? Otherwise, we do not have a clue. So any ideas?

Peter G. Shaw

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Hi Peter

I have a something similar, got a recording a few weeks ago, pretty sure it's a thrush making the song in the video, never sighted it yet though, too much leaf on the tree.

https://youtu.be/staDbJFnB9s

Emgee

Edited By Emgee on 29/05/2020 21:41:42

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Certainly sounds like a thrush – they tend to say everything twice, they tend to say everything twice.

Stay well,

Rod

[JAParticipant @ja]

Blackbirds are very vocal, musical and loud. They can sing all day and when street lights are on.

No wonder they are a part of our culture.

I would put a lot of money on a Blackbird (probably a male).

JA

ps. The Blackbird is a Thrush.

Edited By JA on 29/05/2020 22:43:30

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Definitly a Balckbird, here we are surrounded by Oak trees and the Blackbird sits atop the tree and sings his heart out all day. If you listen carefully you will hear another one answering and maybe more around all about 200 mtrs distance. They maybe setting up their territory which is the only thing I can think of for them to sing so stridently. One bird here that calls is a Green wood Pecker and it flights between the Oaks and clings to the trunk and calls. No wonder it is called a Yaffle with its call.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

The RSPB have a good birdsong identifier here.

RSPB

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Peter, didn't want to hi-jack your thread but wondered if it was the same as your bird song ?

Emgee

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

At this time of year it’s most likely to be a male of the species and since Peter says it was a brown colour , assuming it is the bird he’s heard, I would go for Thrush, either a Song Thrush or the larger Missile Thrush, both sing loudly but have sweater song than Blackbird.

However the bird Peter saw could have been a hen Blackbird attracted by the male singing ?

John

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

Sorry to veer off a bit but a bird of prey (a bird with a sharp beak) landed on the neighbours fence a few weeks ago and just sat there as if he or she owned the place. It was about 1 foot tall, dark brown wings and a dark brown breast. I am sure it wasn't a buzzard.

Was it a sparrow hawk?

I live in the middle of a typical housing estate with fields about 200m away.

Phil H

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

Blackbirds apparently have larger eyes than other species & can start to forage in lower light levels. They are the first to start singing as dawn breaks.

We have a resident pair nesting in a conifer at the bottom of the garden.

Nigel B.

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

Well, we haven't heard it since sometime yesterday so maybe it's found someone else to wake up! And yes, this morning, 03:30, the morning chorus started, but nowhere as loud as the previous day.

I mentioned the possibility of thrushes to my wife – she's much more of a bird fancier than I am, and she immediately said that she had indeed seen thrushes around.

Emgee,

I've had a listen, and I do think that parts of the sounds were similar if not the same, however, my wife thinks it's not as strident – unless it's a lack of audio power from the silly little laptop speakers.

So, possibly a thrush.

John F,

I did wonder if it was a female, but not seeing it making a noise makes it a bit difficult.

Nigel B,

As I said, 3:30 am this thing started up! From my bedroom window it's perhaps 3.5 meters to a privet hedge where we have had nests in the past, a bit less to a conifer type hedge, and about 5 meters to some overgrown hedges/trees. So if, as is most likely, it's roosting there, then I'm going to get it both barrels aren't I.

As a matter of interest, I don't sleep very well these days so anything that wakes me up is most unwelcome. I know they have a right to sing etc, but 03:30? It's nearly as bad as the dustbin men at 07:00! At least the birds don't throw the bins around.

Peter G. Shaw

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Aparrently birds are singing more quietly because the background traffic noise has dropped to mid-20th century levels (bearing in mind vehicles are quieter now), but for the same reason we are perceiving them as louder.

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

It's almost certainly a thrush of some sort, if it isn't speckled on front then a female Blackbird (which is a type of thrush).

[JAParticipant @ja]

Posted by Phil H1 on 30/05/2020 10:12:54:

Sorry to veer off a bit but a bird of prey (a bird with a sharp beak) landed on the neighbours fence a few weeks ago and just sat there as if he or she owned the place. It was about 1 foot tall, dark brown wings and a dark brown breast. I am sure it wasn't a buzzard.

Was it a sparrow hawk?

I live in the middle of a typical housing estate with fields about 200m away.

Phil H

Probably a Sparrow Hawk. A good reason to put up a bird feeder. I have a pair local me but only once has one used my bird feeder. It left the evidence on the snow below (a pile of feathers).

JA

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

I love the birdsong and not troubled by it in the morning. If I get up early enough for the dawn chorus It's only 'cos I'm rushing to work.

At the beginning of the dry weather I was collecting up sticks blown down by the storms and putting them in the woodshed to keep dry and bagging them during the spells of cold wind. About 10 days ago I was working through the pile after a week or so of pause when I picked up a lump of moss and twigs wondering why I had put that in there. Of course it was a fresh nest complete with egg. I got out immediately and pleased to say the blackbird is back on the nest so not put off by my visit. At least it is warm enough at last not to need a fire.

[Gerard O’TooleParticipant @gerardotoole60348]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 30/05/2020 11:18:10:

It's almost certainly a thrush of some sort, if it isn't speckled on front then a female Blackbird (which is a type of thrush).

Do female blackbirds sing?

I have never heard one

[PlasmaParticipant @plasma]

I'm just happy to wake up every day, no matter what the time lol.

The blackbirds are supposed to be the first to start singing and the last to finish.

They are a species of thrush, just different colouration.

They dont usyally sing from prominent perches like some birds do so that's why they are hard to spot. We have a blackbird that includes a really good impression of a house alarm in his songs.

Just enjoy their song, you would miss it if it were not there.

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

Having seen the, or a, bird answering the description on next doors ridge, and seen it making a sound, I can say that it appears to have a white breast. Possibly with a little bit oc olour therin.

Would I miss it if it was not there? Don't know. As I've already said, I don't usually bother about them other than the fact that this one was singing its heart out at 3.30 am and my bedroom window was open.

Like you Plasma, as someone with lung cancer, I'm also happy to keep waking up each morning.

Cheers to all, and thanks,

Peter G. Shaw

[oldveloParticipant @oldvelo]

Hi

Last summer New Zealand we had Two hatchings of a Blackbirds family in a Hoya that grows on our front porch.

Both male and female feed the nestlings as long as it is daylight.

[Lee RogersParticipant @leerogers95060]

Best advice I can give you .Oh ! Feathered variety ? Sorry old chap not my thing at all.

[Martin Dilly 2Participant @martindilly2]

This sparrowhawk turned up last year for a light lunch of woodpigeon

[Eric LucasParticipant @ericlucas71410]

Let’s hope the pigeons babies where not waiting for mummy to bring home tea then.

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Could do with one of those sparrowhawks round here, those pigeons keep perching on a branch above my car and using it as a toilet.

Looks like it made short work of it.

[Henry BrownParticipant @henrybrown95529]

After the thread that turned into a red kite story a while back we now have song birds to contemplate! Quite a few closet twitchers here then…

No problem for me as I've always been interested in British birds and having been lucky enough to spend my formative years growing up in a rural part of Worcestershire I guess I take them for grated. We have just had two newly hatched robins arrive on the patio, the first we've seen this year.

Other parents are busy collecting all sorts to feed chicks and the wrens, song thrushes and blackbirds are in full song…

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