Rye Harbour Soundscapes

Sedge warblers

Now is the time to learn sedge warbler song because lots have just arrived and there are very few reed warblers. Sedge are grating and erratic and usually sing from brambles, whereas reed is more tuneful and rhythmic and sing more from reedbeds.

Yodeling redshank

It is the start of their breeding season and displaying male redshank go through a series of calls before reaching the full yodelling in flight with quivering bowed wings. Starting with the "Tu-Tu" then building up to  "Tudululululu........." the yodeling!

Dotted bee-fly

These large furry flies look like bees (or perhaps hummingbirds) and hover around early spring flowers, inserting their long straight mouthparts to sip the nectar to fuel their high energy lifestyle.

Chiffchaff v great tit

In the Wood today there seemed to be a duel between a newly arrived chiffchaff (singing its name) and a resident great tit (singing "teacher - teacher").

Sandwich terns

Just Sandwich terns calling over the waves falling on the shingle beach.

The sound level increases

A big increase in Sandwich tern numbers today with about 500 at Ternery Pool bringing the sound level up with some raucous black-headed gulls in the foreground.

Skylarks and gulls ascending

Ternery Pool, 13th March 2012 This track starts with skylark singing, then there is the mewing cat-like call of Mediterranean gull with the louder crawing of black-headed gulls.