Table Of ContentRSPB GUIDE TO
BIRDSONG
Adrian Thomas
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RSPB GUIDE TO
BIRDSONG
Adrian Thomas
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BLOOMSBURY WILDLIFE
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK
BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY WILDLIFE and the Diana logo are trademarks of
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in the United Kingdom, 2019
This electronic edition published in 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Copyright © Adrian Thomas, 2019
Adrian Thomas has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work
For legal purposes the Acknowledgements on pp. 248–249
constitute an extension of this copyright page
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ISBN: PB: 978-1-4729-5587-6; ePDF: 978-1-4729-5589-0; Enhanced ePub: 978-1-4729-5588-3
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Contents
Part 1: An Introduction to Bird Songs and Calls 6
Introduction 8
How to use this guide 9
What is sound? 10
How do birds make noises? 11
Types of bird sound 12
How to describe bird sounds 17
Reading sonograms 34
What sounds to expect: Where and when? 35
What to expect: Habitats 38
Putting it all together 54
Turning it into learning 55
Part 2: Guide to Common Bird Songs and Calls 56
Towns and villages 60
Woods and copses 88
Upland woodland 108
Farmland 112
Reedbeds and marshes 125
Part 3: Reference Guide 130
How to Record Bird Sounds 242
Glossary 247
References 248
Acknowledgements 248
Sound Credits 248
Photo Credits 249
Track List 250
Index 252
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PART 1
An Introduction to
Bird Songs and Calls
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Introduction
When I was a child, my dad was the volunteer However, actually getting to grips with birdsong
warden of a woodland nature reserve in and recognising which bird is making which
Worcestershire. Each year in early May, he would sound can be seen as something of a dark art:
lead guided walks in the evening. As each gathering impenetrable, unfathomable, a foreign language
of strangers made their way along the darkening beyond our comprehension. Unable to make
paths, listening to the Robins and Song Thrushes sense of it, too many people let birdsong wash
sing their final refrains of the day, we all shared a over them.
palpable sense of anticipation. But having spent more than 40 years of my life
When we reached our destination – a secluded engrossed in the world of birds, I felt that there
glade – we would stand as though on hallowed was more that could be done to help people tune
ground, waiting, holding our breaths. At last, the in to their sounds and decode their secrets. The
main act would begin, cutting through the darkness: rewards for the effort are enormous. Those who
the song of the Nightingales (above). If luck were take the time to learn will notice many more birds.
with us, they would perform with such power, By hearing more, you see more and understand
control and creativity that people would … well, I more. Learning these sounds can give you insight
don’t use this word often: they’d swoon. into how each bird is feeling, and what it is trying
Such experiences remind me how lucky we are. to tell other birds around it. Bird sounds enliven
It seems little short of a miracle that one group your day and are a pleasant distraction from the
of wildlife – the birds – have evolved to make daily grind.
such elaborate, musical sounds that, to our ears, More than anything, as with those evening
are so fascinating, so entrancing and at times so Nightingale walks, birdsong can bring you joy,
exquisitely beautiful. Frogs croak, bees hum and and that is what I really wanted to share.
grasshoppers chirrup but none of them pour forth So I got out my old tent from the loft, picked
their soul in such an ecstasy (as Keats extolled in up my rather large microphone, headed out
his ‘Ode to a Nightingale’). Birdsong is the natural into beautiful, wild places across the UK, and
soundtrack to our lives; it can evoke a sense of this book and the accompanying recordings are
place, a moment, a time of day, a year or a season. the results.
8
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