Me and Mark H went out prospecting for Crakes on a beautiful still evening out on the Nene Washes. Over the winter Ade Long had been talking to me quite a bit about continuous recording when out birding. I had an WAV recorder and mic with me and had been recording Godwit "song" only half an hour prior to the events that Mark reported to Cambirds below.
I have just returned from a few hours birding on the Washes with Duncan Poyser.
Birds included;
Wood Sandpiper one over low wash calling at dusk
Garganey 3 drks
Greenshank 3+
Cattle Egret
Barn Owl
Hobby
Barnacle Goose 2
However, the highlight came at c.10.15pm when we both independently heard a distant wader call once (we both thought Dunlin), but then it called again much closer, and almost directly overhead, and which point we realised it wasn't a Dunlin! There then followed 3 more clear calls (spaced 1-2 seconds apart) as the bird headed east down the low wash. The call was structured like a Dunlin, but deeper toned (not so dry or shrill) and more vibrant. A drawn-out and buzzing 'bree-et' call, slightly rising at the end (and unlike any call that either of us have heard before). I went to record the call on my telephone, but by the time it called again it was to far away.
We suspected a wader immediately, and checked Curlew Sandpiper and the then Broad-billed Sandpiper recordings. This call on Xeno-canto is a near perfect match for what we heard.
The same type of calls can be heard here too (although these birds are calling more frequently, perhaps because of the weather conditions).
Of course we will never know for sure, but we thought it best to report it, just in-case. How I wish we had got a sound-recording! An exciting nocturnal experience for both Duncan and I, and another reminder that there is magic in birding even after the sun has set.
Regards,
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for reading and commenting on Ely10 Birding.