The Art Of Noise - birdsong style

 What a truly wonderful morning, filled with bird song and a warming sun.

It started just a few hundred yards from home as I was walking through Freeport and I heard a Chiffchaff singing. It's not the first of the year - that was a couple of days ago - but it set the tone for the whole morning.

Opening act - one of 5 Chiffchaff heard on my walk

9 Yellowhammer near Weatherhill Farm, flitting from the trees onto the stubble field and back. Shouting for a side order of bread (hold the cheese).

Also at Weatherhill the Rook colony were in full voice, caw-ling to each other.

The Rookery at Weatherhill

About 60 Redwing were feeding on the wood floor in the leaf litter and flew up as I was about 200 yards away. How did they know?!? This was the most impressive sound of the morning as they really filled the air with their calls.

Wrens, Robins, Blue Tits and Great Tits were a constant throughout the morning, filling any gaps in other, dare I say, more interesting songs. Lots of Great Tits - enough to fill several classrooms.

One of many Great Tits seen and heard today

A Common Buzzard was mewing above the wood, but as I was in the wood itself I couldn't get a clear shot with the camera.

3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming. I still look for for Lesser 'peckers as Wassand wood has good habitat for them, but more in hope than expectation.

Just 3 Cetti's Warblers today and a single Song Thrush. Blackbird numbers have dropped off from their winter high.

A few Goldcrests were joining in the songfest too, descant don't you know 😂

Goldcrest stayed still for a long time singing away

Goldcrest with its high pitched song

5 Lapwings were noisily busy over the fields along the south side.

Lapwing belting out its lovely song

The king of the singers, Skylark, out performing everything else.

Skylark - still number one

Even Linnets got in on the act towards the end of the walk.

Linnet near second field