I took the harp to the far end of Southwick wood to try and get an image for my next CD cover – this could well be it….
Harp and birdsong
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Southwick Wood
What a beautiful spring this is turning out to be!
First nightingale
He can’t be seen in the video as he’s well hidden, but this is the sound of the first nightingale I’ve heard this spring.
He’s just arrived at this nesting site in a thicket after migrating all the way from West Africa to Glapthorn Cow Pasture in Northamptonshire UK.
Every year the the nightingales arrive around the 18th of April, even though this year spring is about a month late.
I seem to have heard a new and different African arrival for the first time on each successive day during the last week, though no cuckoo yet. What an extraordinary spring!
Amazing starling sounds
I heard these amazing sounds coming from my roof space. At first I thought that an old battery-powered toy fire engine had somehow started up on its own, but then realised it was two starlings sitting right on top of the hatch. I reached up with a handheld recorder to record the sounds of cars starting, alarms, fire-engines…..an extraordinary display of mimicry.
First Blackbird
At 5pm I set out for a walk towards the river – it was mild and the evening light seemed suddenly to have come back. From a rooftop near Snipe Meadows there was a blackbird in full song! What a glorious sound….
Snow on snow
The birds have fallen into a deep winter hush. Only a few fieldfares were clacking as I tramped through the snow towards Biggin Hall. The ruined barn where a barnowI buzzed me back in 2008 has been done up as a shooting lodge, and the owls will have to find a new place to roost in spring. It has a lovely view looking across to Glapthorn and Short Wood on the other side of the valley, and I was very taken by the door bell.
Early spring signs
A mild and foggy morning by the river, with lots of birdsong for the time of year. 
Yesterday I saw two robins fighting in the garden, dunnocks scrapping in the bottom of a hedgerow near Snipe meadow, and some very excitable greattits near the recreation ground. This morning at 9am a songthrush was singing in a nearby garden, as he has done for a week now. On a trip to North London in the afternoon I heard a few notes of a blackbird in full song – spring seems to be coming very early….
Wheeling on the wind
The first gales in a long time came roaring from the south. Geese flew in a great circle over Snipe meadow, and a single lapwing called as it rose against the wind. A songthrush took off from a tree near the boathouse and wheeled round and round the flooded meadow as if glorying in its own energy and strength.
Muntjac calls
A few weeks ago I was surprised to see two muntjac deer at the edge of Snipe Meadow and managed to get a photo of one before they both melted into the hedgerow. At 6pm today I was passing Glapthorn Cow Pasture and popped in for a few moments to listen for tawny owls. A muntjacdeer started barking as soon as I opened the gate. Hard to reconcile the sound with its small size and timidity, especially on your own in the dark!
Christmas Geese
A mild and wet Christmas day. Poked my head out of the back door early this morning and thought I heard a few blackbird calls, but they turned out to be a distant mistle thrush. Walked down to the river Nene and took this image of some geese on the flooded meadow
