The excited 'swee-wee-wee' flight calls of three Common Sandpipers (with Gadwall and Herring Gulls in the background) - a regular long-distance migrant in spring and autumn
It's already been fascinating, in various ways. For example, after the dusk chorus dies down, it's surpisingly tranquil - there's much less 'chit-chat' than I expected from the louder avian residents, and much less sound pollution from human-made sources, which makes picking out interesting calls a lot easier. It's also been encouraging from a migration perspective - while water levels and conditions were far from productive for migratory waders, they're still dropped in overnight in small numbers, and better still, have announced their presence with calls in the darkness.
All of which bodes well for the 'autumn', which - from a wader perspective - starts soon....
The eery screech of a local Barn Owl on a hunting circuit
The excited bark of a Grey Heron, a non-breeding regular at the Dams
The subtle utterings of a Wood Sandpiper - a scarce migrant wader locally, and good to pick up on the recorder at night!
The pinging of sleepless Jackdaws roosting in the woodland, with the high-pitched squeak of a freshly-emerged Tawny Owl chick nearby
The distinctive peu of a Little Ringed Plover. These long-distance migrants stop off at the Dams on their way back from Africa every spring
One of the more vocal species at night at the Dams, two pairs of Oystercatchers have attempted to breed in the area this spring.
(Part Two to follow soon)
