Back in the pre-covid good old days, when you could take a countryside or woodland walk and chat to others on the highways and byways, the conversation would almost always turn to birds, especially if one of you were carrying a set of bins or a camera with a big lens.
If you reveal any sort of knowledge about which bird is which, people are even more surprised if you know which call or song you can here. I’ve not counted how many birds I recognise from their songs and calls but a few of the ones I know for definite would be: Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, Wren, Song and Mistle Thrush, Magpie, Jay, Rook, Raven, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Blue, Great, and Long-tailed Tit, Buzzard, Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Yellowhammer, White Throat, Black Cap, Chiff Chaff, Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting, Bearded Reedling, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker…I’ll stop now…
Anyway, there’s a crowdsourced website called Xeno-Canto where you can hear recordings of the calls and songs of birds from around the world.
But, as we’re all at home now, here’s a selection you might hear from an open window in your self-isolation.
Blackbird – song, alarm call
Song Thrush – song
Wren – song
Great Tit – song
Chiffchaff – song
You can find the complete tick list for our garden birding here.