NIGHT SONGS

Everyone knows and loves the dawn chorus. But there is also a dusk chorus, when birds sing to proclaim their territory before going to sleep. At this time of year, bird song doesn’t necessarily finish with the coming of night. It is not just owls, nightjars and Nightingales which keep the party going through the hours of darkness. Many other species can keep singing regardless of the lack of light. Warblers are often the main players in this night singing concert. Sedge Warblers can keep up their rambling, chaotic extravagant shambles of a song seemingly all night. Grasshopper Warblers sing more frequently after dark than during the day. And some species subtly alter their singing patterns. The Cetti’s Warbler, for instance, can adjust from infrequent bursts of songs from different hidden bush sites to more regular repeated bursts often from the same area, for hours on end. Even birds such as Cuckoos can sing late into a May night. Don’t forget to listen for the more famous night sounds, though. Depending on where you are, these may include drumming Snipe, the croaking and squeaking of roding Woodcock, the booming of Bittern, the squealing of Water Rail, or ‘whipping’ of Spotted Crake, and the ‘craking’ of Corn Crake. Many birds are vocal in the dark and a May night spent just listening is a wonderful experience.