Bird Sounds

As some of you are aware I've had an interest in recording bird song for quite a few years now. In recent years along with a few other local Poole Harbour birders we have been recording over night to see what species are moving over the harbour whilst we are asleep.

Over the years I as well as others have recorded a few scarcer species or have captured regular migrants flying over the area on migration.  I even record local breeding species and the returning  breeding species singing at night when starting to sing in the early morning.  

So as this page was just siting idle on the blog I thought it might be good to put some of the best recordings I've made and upload them from my archive and share them with you here on this page.

Here are few from the past and a few recent recording and I will add more as and when I sort out the better recordings.

1. You might benefit by listening using a headset.

2. If you click on the spectogram/sonogram it should enlarge.

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Eurasian Coot

This next three recording is of Coot on nocturnal migration passing over or near my recording station on the edge of Lytchett Bay. This first one is you might say is the classic call a bit like a child's plactic trumpet. 

Two Owls · Coot flight call

The following two recording of Coot are totally different sounds and often catch people starting NocMig out indeed it fooled me when I started as it sound more sandpiper like than it does Coot I think. This first one is a single note call.

This second high pitched call has two syllables which sounds more sandpiper like.

Barn Owl

Is a bit of a strange one for me as when I started NocMig (Nocturnal Migration recording) Here at Lytchett Bay there was a single Barn Owl at French's Farm but a few years ago one was found dead and we assumed it was this bird and we never really see Barn Owl over the fields.  Though saying this I have had a series of recording over recent years in spring and autumn of Barn Owl at various times of night often just a single call. Rarely the owl isn't close but recently it has been so this is two calls both recording made in 2023 as it calls over or near to the recording station. You will note the two calls differ a little in sound.

Nightjar

It's odd over the years that we have liver here in Upton we have listened to Nightjar from the front door on a still night and using the parabol you can hear them pretty well.  Though I've never recorded one at night flying over the house even though they are so close around 600m in a straight line from our front door.  So in was very nice to at long last to record one near to the house.

Hawfinch

This is a second Hawfinch I've managed to record from my listening station. Recorded in spring 2023 which was a bit of a surprise when I was going through the recordings the morning after.

A nighttime recording of a Hawfinch passing over the listening station was a very nice recording to get two years ago.  This recording was made in the autumn which perhaps wasn't to unusual as they have been seen at time on early visual migration watches around the harbour mouth and from Ballard.  The sonogram/spectogram only shows the second, third and fourth calls.

Little Stint

This recording had me beat initially until I realised it was a wader and found a similar call on Xano Canto database.  I was still not a 100% but I sent a copy of the recording to Magnus Robb at the Sound Approach who very kindly took a look well a listen and analysed the sound and came back to me identifying it as a Little Stint. Perhaps not so oddly the next day Ian Ballam found a Little Stint on Lytchett Fields I liked to think it was the one I recorded flying in over night.

Ortolan Bunting

The Paul Morton of Birds of Poole Harbour used to record from the top of a building not far from Poole Quay and recorded a series of flyover Ortolan Bunting in the autumn migration period and it seemed that there flight line was very narrow as at the time I didn't get any.  After a couple of years in 2021I recorded this sound going over Lytchett Bay and I sent a copy to Paul and he was able to confirm it was indeed an Ortolan call.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

A recording of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker found drumming in Slough Lane 2 years ago. We believe is was a male trying to attract a female as when it left the area it turned up across the bay at Holton Lee and drummed there for a week or so before disappearing.

Lapwing

This recording was from 3 years ago of a flight of Lapwing moving over north presuming on their migration back to their breeding grounds either on the continent ot further north in the UK.

Barnacle Goose

This is a recording of a flight of Barnacle Geese that flew through the harbour mouth in just after dawn and continued over Lytchett Bay and because I had not changed the recording time limit on my recorder to stop at dawn they were captured just before the recorder switched off.