Viewing entries tagged
Sedge Warbler

Summer Catchup

Think it’s probably time I posted some more images! As always it’s been a very busy year. Working on multiple sights across Wales, bird surveys, raptor surveys, ontop of Dusk Bat surveys, so my Nightjar time this year has been limited. Currently trying to fight thru some health issues also, looking forward to getting some results back from the Doctors after bloods this week. I’ve been using the R5 extensively and recently swapped out my Canon 400 DO ii with the 300 2.8 ii, as despite the fact that the DO was a superb lens, it was missing contrast and most importantly, had some weird ‘bokeh’ which rendered the foreground and background pretty distracting in certain scenarios. It’s a shame, as the lens was super sharp and I will miss it. Once I got the 300 back I was instantly reminded about the contrast and the smooth bokeh. It put me right back to being inspired again, as there’s nothing worse than putting in all the effort, and not getting the results you envisioned. The 300 also has a very ‘collectable’ image, especially wide open, where the colours are some what muted and there is a slight vignette. You see this is some of my images below, like the Nightjar shots and the Fern. They appear dark, some would say even under exposed but this is something I couldn’t even do with the 400 as it didn’t have as good dynamic range. Odd to even use that phrase in a lens but it’s true, each lense renders shadows and highlights differently and with this 300 2.8 you get the best available to modern day optics. Talking about Optics, I’m going to write a review soon on the new Swarovski NL Pure 10x42’s in comparison to my older Gen 1 EL’s. Will explain all in the next post! For now, here’s a collection of my favourite images of the summer, mostly with the macro lens in the Garden! As i’ve been far too busy for proper photography shoots this year. One thing I hope you’ll notice is how vibrant the colours are from the R5, which overall I’m finding has a much more accurate white balance straight out of the camera than the R6 did, which always seemed to be on the warm side.

The Sound Continues

I’ve added some more birdsongs to my youtube collection. I’m hoping that once I’ve accumulated enough, they can become a reference for people to use to help ID species in the field. Learning birdsong is quite difficult for people who don’t know where to start. By far the best way to learn is to listen, a lot. So it helps to know what you’re listening to prior to going into the field. Take this Whitethroat, for instance, in this recording, you’ll hear their call at the start, their short and sharp song, followed by their longer sub-song which is also used during their flight display. It’s good to familiarise yourself with birds sub-song too as it’s usually these type of vocalisations that people can get caught up on, as they all share similar characteristics between species. A sub-song is often a longer, more complicated song, which could include mimicry in this species also. This is why it’s important to take your time and listen to multiple phrases before drawing any conclusions but if you’re unsure, record multiple phrases on your phone and if you can’t find out what it is yourself, feel free to ask me or somebody else for help.

I’ll do another blog on the Reed Warbler in comparison to a Sedge Warbler as this is another species that people get confused between. The differences are actually quite spectacular once you know what to look out for but for now, familiarise yourself with the slow pace of the Reed Warbler. It might be a complicated song, but it is structured.

Another song that you perhaps won’t hear so much now as they tend to sing early spring. It’s a delicate song, and just like their stone-like call, can easily be missed on a windy day on the moors.

One you won’t mistake in the woods is this iconic sound of a Wood Warbler. It’s described to sound like a penny dropping onto a marble floor, as it a very metallic sound that increases in speed and loudness towards the end.

Nocmig Update

So much to share from the last two days alone, with Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Dunlin and last night my first Spotted Flycatcher.

I appreciate there’s a lot of content here to look thru but you have to listen to this one. It was a special moment recording a Cuckoo at work that literally sang for 30+ Minutes. No females just yet on this patch but two males either end of the woods.

I know we’re still struggling to get thru this lockdown and are eager for things to go back to ‘normality’ but I really do hope that we change our ways before jumping straight back into the fire. The lack of air traffic has had a massive impact on my mental health. My recordings are the best they’ve ever been due to this one fact alone and I’m positive that this period has had a hugely positive effect on our wildlife. I hope that more and more people realise the value of working from home and I hope companies will start to trust their employee’s todo so. Yes, it’s important to have social contact with people, but I do feel that much of this contact is unnecessary at a time where global emissions are at breaking point. Just look at our wonderful verges full of wildflowers and the increase of insects this year alone due to less traffic on the road. We have such an impact on the planet, but this as proven to me that we CAN make big differences with simple life changes.

Gwent Naturalists

If you’re on Facebook and live in Gwent, you might be interested to join a new group called Gwent Naturalists.

It’s an extension of the Gwent Birders group that has over 600 members so far and every now and again we get questions about butterflies, moths, dragonflies and flowers, which is fine, but it made me realise that we could do with a group that covers more taxonomic groups.

We’re very lucky in gwent to have dedicated naturalists that have spent a life-time studying nature in their respective field. Whether it’s spiders, slime moulds, mosses, micro moths, birds, bats, reptiles, flowers, bees, beetles, you name it, there is somebody out there with the knowledge.
This isn’t to take away from the existing - South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre group - which I still highly recommend you join.

The Gwent Naturalists group isn’t just a place to share photos and ask for ID’s, I hope that we can use it to discuss conservation topics in our area, organise field events, and generally work together to help encapsulate our knowledge and work together towards a common goal.


My second pair of Nightjars were victim of an egg thief just two days from hatching, so I’m giving them plenty of space as they choose their second location for clutch 2, which is so far looking to be a much wiser choice, in a clear-fell that has much more cover, making the nest less exposed. I did wonder if their first choice was a good one, as it wasn’t far from a major dog walking route, and they did get quite a few close fly-bys from Jays and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, but the list of predators for ground nesting birds is huge, so it’s lucky they’ve adapted to this by not putting all their eggs in one basket, having a second clutch as a backup plan should the first choice go wrong. With the hot weather though, I’ve turned my attention to the vast amount of insects that are now at peak.

I did note 3 Silver-washed Fritillaries on the wing this week at a local woodland which could be a good sign that this species is spreading out. I usually go to the Forest of Dean to get my Silver-washed fix but instead of doing that I’m going to make more of an effort this year to find them on my doorstep. I’ll leave you with this incredibly out of focus, cropped image :D

Mimicking Continues

Last week I introduced a Firecrest mimicking a Goldcrest song and this week I wanted to show you another example of a classic mimicking species, the Sedge Warbler! Now the recording isn’t very good with high winds and noisy planes that have been filtered out, that and the fact that the bird was only singing at quarter volume which is often called ‘sub-song’ but you can still make out the pitch perfect attempt at a Blue Tit song, eventually weaving back into it’s typical chattery mixture of notes. It also attempted to fit in a few phrases of Blackcap and Wren but the Blue Tit was by far the best I’ve heard for a while.

This Sedge Warbler was spotted at a new location along the Gwent Levels.

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

I also spotted a Water Vole in a rhyne. Testament to the hard work of the Wildlife Trust at Magor Marsh and NRW. It’s great that they’ve spread this far across the levels. Unfortunately this spot is directly threatened by the proposed M4 ‘Black Route’ so all this hard work could be lost. If you haven’t already, check out ‘CALM’ https://savethelevels.org.uk/ to learn more about what you can do to help protect the Gwent Levels from development.

Water Vole

Water Vole

Sedge Warbler and something extra special!

The 5th of May last week was a busy evening... I had so much planned and went way past my expectations with perfect weather conditions for both photography and sound recording. I have about 3 days maximum like that a year.. it was really that good!. 

Anyway, listening back to this recording below of a Sedge Warbler, I found something I did not expect, and I only wished I had noticed it in the field! 

This recording includes the low rumble of a distant shipping going down the severn estuary about a mile away but what was most interesting about this recording was what happened after. 

In the recording below, if you haven't read the title already is a distant Golden Oriole! You have to listen hard for it though.. its just after the distracting passing Shelduck. 

This isn't a first for Newport Wetlands, in-fact, there was another recorded last year in the same spot! So it is very likely that it could be the same bird or just a hotspot for passing migrants as it is the first and only large woodland for miles along the estuary. 

Lets not take too much away from that beautiful Sedge Warbler song though! Got to love a bit of Sedge Warbler.. Not quite a Golden Oriole though uh? I only wished I had noticed this recording sooner. It's not like me to miss something as important as this. 

Gwent Levels #lovethelevels #notoblackroute

Please take the time to listen with a decent pair of headphones if you have a pair. Or better still, a surround sound system? lol. Apple iPods will do... With all the troubles that our Gwent Levels are having at the moment, I thought I'd put together a short Soundscape that was taken yesterday in just 3 hours after work. It was a glorious evening and I wanted to try and capture every aspect of what makes our levels special. You'll hear the iconic Sedge Warbler at the start of the recording with several species in the background like Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaff, Cuckoo and also people talking in the background (which I wanted to include to show that people regularly use the levels as an escape). The middle part is hard to take in at once but believe me, all this was happening at the same time! The sound of the waves with Whimbrel in the background, a Bittern Booming and a ship about a mile out giving a drone undertone to the hole soundscape. It ends with the tranquil bubbling song of the Cuckoo and many other species singing their evening chorus as the sun went down. 

Sound is so important, and a factor that many of us overlook due to our often loud, industrial busy lives. That ship in the distance was over a mile away, yet due to the flat levels, sound carries for miles. Development in itself, especially in areas like the levels that are designated by the Government as protected for its rich biodiversity, will have massive implications both nationally and natively in a world where nature comes second behind man. We also have to think about the impacts that sound will have on our environment. The story of the Blackbird having to physically raise their volume and pitch to overcome traffic noise is a good example of the strain that industrial life can give to our wildlife. I can't imagine what it must be like for wildlife that require their ears to hunt for their prey. It's no wonder all of our species of Owl aren't doing so well anymore. 

With all this in mind, I'm strongly against the route chosen by the Welsh Government for the new M4 relief road. There were much more convenient and cheaper options to take and the outcome of this stupid decision goes to show where our Governments priorities lie. 

Below are some photographs from the day of a Whimbrel, Sedge Warbler and Common Whitethroat.