Spring birdsong

The weather has been noticeably a bit warmer in recent days. This has led to a lot more bird activity. It’s still too cold to open the windows, so I only hear birdsong when I’m out and about, but there’s definitely more of it to hear. 

At this time of year birdsong in the UK is at least in part about establishing territories and finding mates. The morning I saw a solitary male bullfinch, his red chest a dramatic contrast to the grey of the day. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a bullfinch calling like that before. I stopped to watch and listen. My guess is that he was trying to attract a mate. It’s usual to see bullfinches in pairs, they can pairbond for life so I’m guessing he was a young chap, maybe born last spring or summer.

I also saw a pair of jays, although they were entirely quiet – as jays tend to be. A lot of birds make check-in noises with each other when they’re out in pairs or family groups, but jays don’t tend to, and these two were entirely quiet.

I don’t have a total knowledge of birdsong – I often hear birds I don’t recognise. This is because a lot of birds make sounds in different ways depending on what they’re doing it for. Spring birdsong is different from family check-ins, which is different from what you get with singing the sun up, or down, which is also different from alarm calls. I can usually tell what sort of sound I’m hearing, but not who is making it and amongst trees it can be hard to spot the singers.