I went to bed early last night... feeling tired, depressed because a sharp frost had hit some 'hardy' fuchsias that I'd just uncovered in an effort to tidy up... and fed up with the weather that's hampering efforts to get on top of the meadow. You'll have spotted that we haven't put anything up here in the past three weeks because there has really been nothing much to say. We've made observations of various birds, however this isn't a "twitter" site...
But...
At Boeing-o-clock this morning [7:07] I was woken... not by hungry cats, but by the dawn chorus outside the bedroom window....
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| Male Blackcap singing outside the bedroom window |
We've seen this little fellow and his "other half" around since mid-March... and heard his song in the past few days... he seems to have taken a liking to my willow nursery area that has young trees in it 'that must be moved'... but now not until Autumn. I cannot now move the willows without major disturbance to a probably nesting bird... I'll nip in with a sharp spade and cut round the roots to make life easier later.... and to harm the trees less when I do move them.
However, that is a problem for later... back to an hour ago... this Blackcap [Sylvia atricapilla] Fauvette à tête noire was singing his heart out in the top of one of the willows 'that must be moved' and disturbed our slumbers in a beautiful fashion! I use a Nightingale song as my alarm on the 'phone and that usually wakes us up... but the Blackcap's song was so loud this morning that Pauline asked if I'd left my 'phone downstairs... it isn't set to go off on Sundays anyway.
As I went to make tea and feed the normal alarm clocks a Nightingale did start up from the Blackthorn [prunelle] by the river... that was then accompanied by a rhythm section [batterie]... the Greater-spotted Woodpecker started drumming in the dead willow that is in the middle of the Norway maples.... all that and the sunshine has "reet chaired me oop!"
Since posting this I spotted the male arrive at the middle front of the tree nursery... and the female immediately flew out, towards me as the male disappeared behind where she flew from. Possibly sitting, so I won't try cutting around the trees for at least three weeks. I'll wait until there is no regular activity.... or it is obvious that they are feeding young.
Just a note: The female Blackcap has a chestnut cap... and a bit more about them and the song can be found here [along with the a comparison of the Garden Warbler song and a nice picture of the female.]
5 comments:
We have a pair of black caps here and also I think since March. I was delighted to be woken up this morning by a hoopoe calling loudly. I am fed up with this weather the chilly nights are doing nothing for my veg garden!! Diane
It was sunny with averses here [one with hail] and the highest temperature was 12C... still very chilly!! We still haven't started planting the spuds, either.
Interesting you should post about the Blackcap today, as we've spotted a male Blackcap close to the house this morning, after quite an absence, so we're on the look out for further activity over the next few days.
Re Diane's comment: The hoopoe has been callling for a week now but we've not managed to spot it. However when out in the car this afternoon we disturbed one feeding on the verge.. As Diane says, it's delightful to hear.
No hoopoe here but a nightingale was in full flow a couple of days ago at dusk. Last year we had 3 duelling it out most nights.
We now have two Nightingales.... but they aren't dueling. Pauline thought yesterday that the one nearest the river was actually singing against the Blackcap.
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