Bird Song and a Frosty Dawn

Sometimes I set the trail camera in the Nature Area as darkness falls and then collect it as the sun rises the next morning. Partly the timing is a wish to see what wildlife is using the place at night, and partly because there is less possibility that the camera will be stolen or vandalised than setting it up in daylight.

I am not always successful in capturing any interesting footage. Sometimes the camera lens and sensors get covered with obscuring dew or ice. Sometimes the camera does not fire the infra red flash if the batteries are getting low. But regardless of the potential satisfaction of seeing some of our delightful nocturnal visitors, there is always something special about actually being in this space when everything is quiet, the traffic noise has abated, and the creatures can safely come out to forage and drink.

Yesterday was a disappointment as far as getting film of the animals. I had hoped to video the male deer in action as he regularly marks out the site as his territory. No luck. On the other hand, just after 5am, it was a glorious place to be. A clear sky was reddening on the horizon and glowing through the trees. Frost covered the ground and gently began to evaporate into thin clouds of steam as the sun slowly raised the temperature. Leaf buds swelling on the trees added a touch of green haze to the scene. Within a few weeks the place will be transformed as the grasses, cow parsley, hogweed, nettles and celandines quickly cover last year’s dead and dormant vegetation where small mammals and invertebrates have been sheltering over winter. More than this, the beautiful sound of birdsong filled the air.

I used the BirdNet app on my phone to try and identify which bird species contributed to this dawn chorus. I think wood pigeon, chiff-chaff, wren, song thrush, and great spotted woodpecker were among those making themselves heard. Turn the volume up on the video above and see if you can tell what birds were there.