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| Reel 'em' in - A Grasshopper Warbler in full song. © Sean Browne |
Anyone who has been up at
the crack of dawn and made an early visit to the Nature Reserve over the last
couple of weeks would have no doubt noticed (or heard) that the delights of the
spring dawn chorus have well and truly begun. From the moment you arrive in the
car park and step out on to the Reserve you are immersed in one of the most
magnificent and beautiful natural events in the wildlife calendar. In fact, the
last two weeks of April and the first couple of weeks of May are arguably one
of the best times to witness what can best be described as ‘the biggest
open-air concert on earth’ – what’s more is it’s free to attend!
For many of the Reserve’s
resident bird species such as the robin, blackbird and song thrush, the dawn
chorus started back in late January and February when some individuals even
continue to sing throughout the night! However, by early May most of the
migrant warblers would have arrived back at Attenborough for the summer and
this is the time when birdsong is at its most intense and varied.
Despite numerous species
performing songs of differing complexity, the common goal of a bird’s song is
to attract a mate and secure a breeding territory. In almost all species found
on the Reserve, the singing is performed solely by male birds who attempt to
‘woo’ a female with their impressive repertoire of fluty and scratchy notes.
The earlier a bird starts to sing in the day is a good indication of the
individual’s fitness and therefore quality as a mate (singing requires a huge
input of energy). In the early morning, sound also travels further due to
calmer winds and there is less background noise -created by humans - for the
birds to compete with, meaning there is a greater likelihood of the song being
heard by a potential mate.
The best thing is you don’t
need to be an expert on birdsong to enjoy the sounds of the dawn chorus and
once you get over the initial shock of a 4am alarm call (usually by drinking a
jug of coffee), an early morning walk can be a most uplifting and exciting
experience.
One of the top spots on the
Reserve to compare different species in song during the dawn chorus is the
scrubby grassland adjacent to the River Trent and Clifton Pond. This species
rich habitat attracts a great many warblers including sedge warbler, common
whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, blackcap, and willow warbler, you might even
hear the strange ‘insect like’ reeling of the grasshopper warbler.
