We went for a walk at Holme Fen yesterday and there was a sound coming from a reed bed I’d not heard before. Loud, bright and ecstatic – a bit like a female cuckoo, but they won’t arrive for another month or so.
Turns out it was a Little Grebe. The thought of recording it got me out of bed to drive there at 4.30 this morning. Here’s a rough edit, with the video picture showing my parabolic microphone balanced on a fallen birch tree.
There are a couple of grey heron calls early on, Canada geese and whooper swans, then the grebe itself calls at 18 and 54 seconds, and again at 1.12. What an amazing sound for such a tiny, shy bird!
Archives for March 2025
Cetti’s warbler at Otmoor
The sound of a Cetti’s warbler at Otmoor reserve. They have a sweet and gentle tone at the start of the breeding season, but later it becomes an explosive quack that can make you jump.
I saw a grey heron sitting on a nest in the reeds, and there were bittern booms nearby. Curlews and lapwings too. It’s a quiet place a long way from traffic. I hope to return to make some early morning recordings when spring gets properly going.
Snettisham – oystercatchers
Snettisham yesterday evening – high tide and oystercatchers