In celebration of the RSPB’s birdsong takeover, Hayley talks about the amazing world of birdsong and how we can use it to connect with nature.

In our job as Bird Wise rangers, we are often out at times when the birds are difficult to see as the tide is low and they are way out in the distance. People associate the marshes with peace and quiet, but if you listen closely they are actually quite noisy places.

Take the Redshank for example, known as the ‘Sentinel of the Marshes’ as it is often the first bird to raise the alarm with its loud peeping call to warn others that something is amiss.

Then there is the Curlew, as our largest wader it is fairly easy to identify with its long down curved beak but also unmistakable with its haunting ‘Courlee’ call that has inspired artists and musicians through history.

One of the sounds that we really look forward to hearing each year is the busy chattering of the Brent Geese as they arrive back for winter and feed on our shoreline, we wonder if they are catching up on all the gossip from the summer breeding grounds!

The Lapwing is rather noisy and gets its name from the lapping sound its large wings make in flight, but did you know it is also known as the ‘Peewit’ thanks to the sound of its display calls.

Oystercatchers have a loud ‘peep peep’ alarm call that we sometimes hear if they feel we have got too close.

There is no mistaking the noisy Gulls as they argue over food, territory and just about everything, and on more than one occasion they have been known to stand and shout at us rangers.

Then we have the ducks, not a lot is heard from our largest, the Shelduck, but the Teal and Wigeon make up for this with their gentle whistling calls and Mallards have the distinctive quack.

Once you ‘tune in’ to birdsong it is impossible to switch off. On my daily walk with my dog Jasper I am amazed at the range of different sounds I encounter in a very urban environment. Today I decided to note down everything I heard during the 30 minute walk:

• The coo of the Wood Pigeons
• Melodic trills from Robins and Blackbirds singing away and others with a ticking alarm call
• Magpies and crows squawking
• The laughing yaffle of Green Woodpeckers
• Great Spotted Woodpeckers peep peeping
• Some very high pitched whistling from Goldcrests
• The in-flight ‘tweedle-ip’ from the colourful Goldfinches 
• A shrieking noise from two Jays 
• Lots of Mistle Thrushes making the aggressive ‘churrrrr’ sound to defend their territories.

And then I arrived home to the noisy chatter of Sparrows in the garden shrubs, the argumentative noises from Starlings fighting over the fat balls on the feeder and the whistles from Blue Tits and Great Tits feeding on the sunflower hearts.

Birds, like us, use sound to communicate a wide range of messages, from attracting a mate, raising an alarm, calling their chicks or defending territory. The variety of sounds they are able to make is astonishing and once we learn what they mean they are really useful to know.

By recognising the calls that indicate we are getting too close, we can be #BirdWise and move away to avoid disturbing them and give them space to rest and feed.

It is all too easy to take birdsong for granted as we are used to hearing it every day, but the countryside and coastline is getting quieter as bird populations decrease. Silence will be a tragedy so we need to act now.  We all have a part to play in providing birds with food and habitat, and avoiding disturbing then whenever we can. 

If you would like to learn more about how, why and what birds sing, the RSPB have a really good guide that you can read on their website here  https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-songs/ and don’t forget to download their Birdsong Radio App and #LetNatureSing