Viewing entries tagged
Spring

Spring Buildup

Just when I thought spring was arriving, we get hit with yet more rain and another cold weather front. It’s been such an odd spring so far, no doubt April has a lot of making up todo as March had to have been one of the coldest we’ve had for a long time. Reminds me of our last ‘beast from the east’ though, thankfully not near as much snow. Either way, birds are still very much gearing up for spring, some sitting on eggs already despite the cold and many migrants turning up. Below is selection of my spring so far, everything from spawning frogs, to late winter migrants, still holding onto that bitter end of winter.

I’ve been lucky to have a few trips this season (before the busy Bat season begins), one trip to Slimbridge which is always a pleasure, another to the Forest of Dean which is another experience I enjoy during the spring. Lastly more recent local trips to see some of our last Waxwing of the winter season and a wintering Black Redstart in Cardiff, which was epic.

Above you’ll also see some weirdly colourful creatures which is a story unto itself, as I discovered these Fairy Shrimp a few years ago now on the Gwent Levels, and as if that wasn’t awesome enough, I discovered more last night under the cover of darkness, which also revealed their incredible colours!! Something you do not get to see by daylight very well at all, but the direct light from my head torch revealed what looks like a bioluminescent-like colouration, with everything from electric blue to pink in the tips of their tails. What fantastic creatures. Fascinating lifestyle too.

Whilst on a nocturnal survey last night I couldn’t resist to record a snippet of the Displaying Lapwing and Wildfowl. One thing that many landowners forget, is that it's not what they see by day that really counts, as at night the levels come alive! Not just your typical Owl activity but many waders and wildfowl function throughout the night, whether it’s feeding, displaying, mating, you name it, they do it all under the cover of darkness. With birds also migrating at night, there’s a whole world of data that we are not truly picking up on. Right now, there isn’t a major requirement todo extensive nocturnal surveys for birds, but I would argue, especially for wildfowl, that nocturnal data should make up more than 50% of the survey effort. Nocturnal displays during the spring paint a far bigger picture for waders than any daytime survey possibly could, which is where static audio data could pave a way forward for ornithological studies. Not to mention, we’re not taking any nocturnal migratory species into account.

Take note of this displaying Lapwing. If you’ve heard one before, you’ll notice that this guy has what I can only describe as a ‘sneeze’ in the middle of its display. It’s quite adorable.

Will end with two landscapes shots of two lovely locations in Gwent, Cefn Ila Nature Reserve and The Blorenge.

Llandegfedd Rewards

Just when you’re having a bad day, struggling to get out the house and motivated due to health reasons, by which time the day is almost gone but I arrived at the north end of Llandegfedd at 3:30pm, to be rewarded with a fishing Osprey right in front of the car park. I didn’t even need to leave the car park as the bird patrolled the perimeter, giving me several hover flights as he hunted the shallows. Moments later a Red Kite flew into the same air space, and it was nice to see the size comparison between the two species. Kites certainly have the bulk but there didn’t look like there was much in the wing length between the two.

I’ve started to turn my attention to our spring bug life, of which there were plenty on the wing during this short lived heatwave. I clocked 24c in my car! and by next week we’ll be experiencing another cold snap with -1 night-time temps. This weather is truly crazy. If that’s not a sign of global warming in April I don’t know what is.

Good to see my local population of Violet Oil-beetles out in good numbers with over 20 adults and plenty of larvae on the lesser celandines. Andrenna Sp. present but not sure what species, not sure if the picture will show enough of it’s features to identify it to Sp.

Sound

I always make the effort to record Yellowhammer when able, not just because they sound amazing but because I’m hoping I one day record a different dialect. The predominant dialect in Wales is XIB but there are small isolated populations that sing different dialect, which might suggest that those birds originate from a different area, possibly even a different country.

It was nice to see a Female out in the open for a change too, as they usually stay hidden, tucked up in the middle of a Gorse bush. You can see how well her rustic colours blend into the twig colours: making them much harder to spot when they’re sitting on the nest.

Yellowhammer F - SR1A1767.jpg

A few other showy songsters came in the form of a Nuthatch, which is another personal favourite of mine. They have such a rich quality to all of their calls, and they have quite a variety of different song types. This shows two types you’ll likely hear in the spring but it also shows their high pitch squeal call which can catch some people out when heard on its own.

Common species non-the-less, but it’s cool hearing the subtle differences between the Robin’s winter and spring song. Here’s a good example of a spring song, which tends to have more heft behind the lower notes, and less scratchy higher notes.

By far my favourite recording though was of this blackbird, which was at quite the distance away, 20m or so, but thanks to the Schoeps CCM 4 inside the dish, it makes it sound like the microphone is right in-front of it’s bill. I’ve never experienced this level of quality inside a dish before, it honestly sounds like a shotgun recording. Very pleased.

Nocmig

It’s been a mixed bag so far but really please with some of the birds that I’ve got already. Waders are just starting to pour in, with Golden Plover flocks, Curlew, Grey Heron and Little Ringed Plovers, but for me, hearing migrating Blackcap, singing their migratory song, is pretty epic. How on earth these birds navigate the darkness I do not know.

I’m still waiting on confirmation from a few mysteries too, which a probable Bittern and White-front Goose flock, but they’re a bit distant so might have to let those go.

What's your Soundtrack?

I can’t imagine when the last time the earth experienced such a mass global silence before. It’s a sound recordists dream! but also a total nightmare all at the same time, as we’re unable to get out and enjoy this beautiful ambience. That said, I hope that the millions of people finding themselves in isolation are noticing the silence around their homes, gardens or during their daily walk. Silence is a powerful healer as we give our ears time to rest and reset. We’ve tried to mitigate the sounds of the city by designing noise-cancelling headphones, but the issue with that is, you replace the silence with something that’s usually just as loud, and potentially damaging to our ears. Chose your soundtrack wisely. If I had the choice between spending the morning listening to my favourite songs or to listen to a dawn chorus, I’d pick the dawn chorus every time.

On that note, If you have headphones, please put them on and listen to this beautiful display I recorded at work. You’ll hear several species in the background, from Snipe, Teal, Swans, Water Rail, Little Owl and throughout the recording are Bat’s overhead. Most people won’t be able to hear the Bats so I’ve lowered the pitched in another recording so you can hear what they sound like. This recording is one of the most memorable moments of my life. This location is usually washed with the sounds of road/air traffic noise, so you very rarely get to hear the acoustics of the land.

Over the top of this same moment was plenty of Pipistrelles enjoying the warm night and what you’re mostly hearing in the recording below is their social call. My microphone cannot capture full spectrum but I’m looking into ways that I can record the sounds of bats as they do make some incredible sounds that most people would not have experienced before.

The recording below only exists thanks to the ‘pre-record’ function on my Mixpre 6 ii. The function allows you to record a few seconds before you actually press the record button, which means it’s always recording and just keeps those seconds prior to you pressing the button. It’s not something I rely upon as I’m often walking so it usually just captures me fumbling around trying to get the subject in focus, but in this case, it did help me document my first ever drumming Snipe. You wouldn’t believe this sound was created by their outer tail feathers and not their mouth.

Everyone is experiencing this lockdown differently and my thoughts go out to those who have very little at this time to enjoy, or are having to isolate themselves in an abusive home. Remember that in the event of social abuse you ARE aloud to leave your home and if you believe you are a victim, please call the police and seek advice. Your home should be a safe place, not a prison sentence.

My street is about as diverse as a chemical plant and as the council have closed the canal, (rightly so) I’m not able to get out and have my nature fix. If you read my last blog you’ll see I’ve found a way of getting my fix and I can’t believe I’ve never done this before! Last week I had Curlew, Oystercatchers, Water Rail, Moorhen and since then I’ve managed to get my first Common Scoter Flock!

Inland records are always important to record as they would otherwise spend their lives at sea, so to get one over the house in Sebastopol is a big deal. I have recorded them at Llandegfedd Reservoir, usually after a bad storm where the sea gets a little too rough but they can be recorded inland on lakes during migration.
Learn more here - https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/common-scoter/

Common Scoter

Common Scoter

I’ll leave you with the sound of early spring, the only recording I could get prior to lockdown of spring arrivals.

Chiffchaff

Nocturnal Migration

For years I’ve been nagged by my good friend Craig Constance to start recording ‘Noc-mig’ which essentially means recording nocturnal migration by putting a recording device on record all night. I’ve never been a fan of the idea, as it’s taken me a long time to save up for all of my equipment and the last thing I wanted to do was to leave it outside where it could either get stolen or damaged by typical British weather. Sound recording gear tends not to handle water very well. So what made me change my mind? Well, Craig pointed out a few people that have uploaded information about Nocmig online which revealed a trade secret to ensure 100% waterproof coverage over the gear, whilst unaltering the overall sound quality. I didn’t think such a thing existed, especially after being told that the answer to the problem was, clingfilm! Turns out that clingfilm is thin enough to almost be transparent to soundwaves but thick enough that no water can penetrate. If sound quality was important then I don’t recommend this, but if you’re desperate, try it! I think you’ll be as surprised as I was.

So now is the time, peak spring migration season and on our first night of leaving the recording gear out, we have both had some really interesting passerines, with Oystercatcher, Teal, Redwing, Black Headed Gull, Mallard, Moorhen, Song Thrush and Pied Wagtail so far. I’ve had Oystercatcher following the canal before, but getting these again so soon makes me realise that they probably use the canal system annually as a way of navigating during the dark.

They might not sound great, but they appear really obvious on when looking at the spectrograph.

Oystercatcher Spectograph

Oystercatcher Spectograph

My setup will likely change over time once I convince myself that it’s worth putting the more expensive gear out, but for now I’ve stuck my Zoom H6 recorder inside a plastic box, hit record, put a layer of clingfilm over the top and then just put one of my Rycote fur covers over it to eliminate raindrop sounds on the clingfilm and take off a bit of the wind noise. Any material would work so long as it’s not too thick that it muffles the sound.

Noc-mig Setup

Every now and again you get something that you’re unfamiliar with, as nocturnal sounds are vastly unrecorded, especially migration calls, but this recording below still has me a little unsettled as it doesn’t sound like your typical Tawny Owl to me. It goes to show what you can learn when leaving recording gear out like this and It’s exciting as you really don’t know what the night might bring. If you are self-isolating, this could be a fun little project for you to give a go, if you have children I’m sure they would enjoy listening back to the recordings to see what they might have captured. All the while, you are contributing to a little citizen science, as it’s always valuable to know migration routes.

Spring Warmth

Everybody has their own cue’s for spring, something they look out for each year, whether it’s the first arriving Swallows, the sound of the dawn chorus, the smell of wild Garlic, or a pond full of Frogspawn. I haven’t got any specific thing I love seeing the most as I love it all! but if I had to choose, it has to be the singing birds. I get so much joy listening to birdsong, whether it’s the complex song of the Skylark on the hills or the repetitive song of a Dunnock in the Garden. With heat, comes energy, and that energy is contagious, so lap every moment up.

One sign for sure is emerging Reptiles and this week I found my first Adder in a known hotspot. I’m tasking myself to find more local ones this year as I’ve walked for miles in pristine habitat on my local moorland and I’m still yet to find one.

In the same spot as the Adder were 7 Common Lizard, all basking in the warm sun. Hard to believe that same day started with ground frost and snow forecast! March has become a very unpredictable month which has the potential to make or break it for some species that time things wrongly.

Adding to the Bird song list is this Chaffinch on a rather windy day and a beautiful Dunnock which continued to sing in the tree I just parked my car under, even after making a racket shutting doors and getting all my recording gear out of the boot. It’s a nice feeling when wildlife choses to trust you, or most likely pretending you don’t exist lol.

Below is one of my favourite recordings to date on what ended up being a beautiful walk in the Forest of Dean. A pair of Ravens were building a couple of nests, probably undecided on where to settle, but the morning mist was condensing on the trees, creating a background of crisp water drops falling on dead leaves. My recording doesn’t do it justice really but if you listen with a good pair of headphones you will hear it. One thing I couldn’t help but hear also though is the passing planes!! There literally is no escaping the sound of man anymore.

Take a look at this time-lapse video of all the plane activity in Europe. It’s getting ridiculous! A total money pit and all at the expense of the earth. It’s important we find areas to escape man made sounds and I highly recommend finding an area to escape this constant drone. The Canyon in Pantegaseg can be a great place to escape plane noise, but it’s also a hotspot for off-road vehicles on the weekends, so pick your times carefully. The best way to get away from these sounds are to find natural sounds that drown it out, this is why we’re drawn to the sounds of streams and rivers.

Spring has already arrived!

Frankly, signs of spring are long behind us. Spring is here! Insects that usually hatch in April and May are already on the wing and plenty of leaves and flowers are spouting in what ended up being a very mild day today. I haven’t ventured to any ponds yet but I’m sure frogs are spawning all over the country already and that for me, is the beginning of spring. Below’s selection of ferns, mosses and lichens came from a single spot in Llanover which I return to regularly throughout the year as it’s a beautiful place to lose one’s thoughts.
Plenty of spring hatching Caddisfly Larvae and Stoneflies on the wing which I’m sure the bird population are already making the most of. Below you’ll notice a Hart’s-tongue Fern that splits into two! I’ve never seen this before but despite it not being common, it has been noted by other naturalists. Some have called it a ‘Forked Hart’s-tongue Fern or a Split Crested Hart’s Tongue Fern. Whatever this is called, it looks cool!!
I have some other mosses and lichens that I need to look. I could do with a better book! Nice to see some flowers blooming in the form of Snow Drops, Wild Crocus’ and Red Campions.

My last blog was all about sound recording and I know many people don’t like to listen to things without some visual stimulant. We need to learn how to shut our eyes though, so feel free to put your headphones on and close your eyes on this one, it’s only an iPhone video to set the atmosphere.

Finally Found Frogs!

When is the last time you saw a pond full of Frogs? not just a little bit of Frogspawn in the corner? Well for me, it’s been a long time. Torfaen just doesn’t seem to have as many as we used to. Not sure why. It could be predation, climate, or we’re just going thru a couple bad years in general for amphibians.
Maybe it’s because they’re getting earlier each year and I’m just missing the activity?
The latter certainly would make sense as you could have swore it was spring today in Blaenserchan. 20+ Frogs with a substantial amount of Frogspawn already. I’ve been after a good close up shot of a Frog in the water for a while and it was a bonus to get them with the spawn in-shot. The first pic is now one of my all-time personal favourites, partly because it took a lot of patience to get it. My back is certainly feeling it after being on the floor for so long. The issue with this particular pond is, it’s located in the upper altitude of Blaenserchan, so they just weren’t used to people. All it would take is for me to scratch my nose and they would all disappear in the depths for 20 minutes at a time. Either way it was worth it.

I assume the fungi above is Candle-snuff Fungi that’s gone over but i’m not entirely sure. They didn’t seem rounded enough to be Dead Moll’s Finger’.

It was only the other day that I set out to the Forest of Dean to witness the iconic Goshawk display that happens this time of year. Even with the breath taking view of Symonds Yat that overlooks the forest, you’d be lucky to come across a Goshawk perched up. So you can imagine my excitement to stumbled across one today on my way home from Blaenserchan. A bit distant even at 600mm and I didn’t have my scope with me to enjoy it but I was happy to spot it. I was looking for Great Grey Shrike at this point and the white belly of this Goshawk just stood out to me from a mile.

Goshawk