NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND BIRD CLUB

Dawn Chorus at Ford & Etal - 2010

Every once in a while the Gods are kind to the NNBC. Saturday 15th May was the perfect day for a Dawn Chorus, the chill of the early morning breeze outweighed by the warmth of the sun – though best appreciated when in a sunny sheltered spot.

Starting from the small settlement of Slainsfield, just east of Etal, and following a route that circuited Etal Moor, it provided the opportunity to study the character of distinct yet complimentary habitats. We stopped to listen at thick gorse patches, in open sheep meadows, on moorland, in conifer woodland, by tall and ancient ash trees around a large field, at the edge of mature deciduous woods, by ‘exotic’ rhododendrons, beside a small reed-fringed lake, in a birch plantation and at a sunny glade full of wild shrub species.

Each stop revealed different yet often predictable birds, showing how much species and habitat are interdependent. The birch plantation produced Lesser Redpoll, the conifer woodland revealed the high-pitched call and song of the Goldcrest, and on the open moorland a Snipe was drumming and Meadow Pipits danced. A pair of Tufted Duck were swimming on the small lake, while Reed Buntings dived into the … yes, the reeds!

Like many other Dawn Choruses, this one provided some distinctly memorable moments. Seldom does one hear the beautiful cock Redstart singing almost in isolation, but the large old ash trees around a sizeable field were exactly the spot to find him. The stereophonic effect of two Willow Warblers, right and left of us, showed how males defend their territories vocally. The sheltered and sunny open glade gave us all our first sight of one of the very last migrants of summer, the Spotted Flycatcher. A Chiffchaff offered us the opportunity to hear the intermittent churr-churr between the main notes.

Like many other Dawn Choruses too, there were some notable absentees. No Great-Spotted Woodpecker, no Curlew, no Cuckoo – all seen or heard in this very spot only a few days earlier. Their absence was surely more than compensated by the stupendous views of the Cheviots, the Eildons, the Lammermuirs and the coast that we enjoyed from a little-known corner of Ford & Etal.

Amidst mouthfuls of huge fresh rolls stuffed with bacon, sausage, egg and mushroom, and almost unending mugs of tea and coffee kindly laid on by Richard & Victoria Baker at the Lavender Tea Rooms in Etal in aid of the village hall, we concluded we had recorded 46 species:

Greylag Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pheasant, Buzzard, Kestrel, Oystercatcher, Common Snipe, Woodpigeon, Swift, Skylark, Swallow, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Redstart, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting.

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