Earlier this month I discovered a warbler in full song, perched in a leafing ash tree. I was unsure what species it was because although I’m not bad at the visual identification of birds, I’m not so good at identifying them by their song. I thought it was a blackcap from its song but this confused me because when I spotted it, the tell-tale black head cap of the male was absent. Surely this wasn’t a female (they have a brown cap just to confuse) blackcap singing? My thanks to ornithologist Mike Rogers who later confirmed from this recording that it was indeed a blackcap 1.
Listen carefully and you will also hear a chifchaff with its distinctive chiff-chaff, chaff-chaff,chiff-chaff,chiff-chiff,chiff-chaff …. and the melodious tones of a robin in the background.
Gabriel Hemery
1 Ornithologist Mike Rogers, the Earth Trust.
