Nightingales now arrived in numbers
Nightingales have now arrived in good numbers at Alton Water. Over the last week the nightingales have arrived at Alton along with the willow warblers and black caps. I also heard my first cuckoo on 12th April. Whilst putting out a new tern raft a common tern was also seen to show a keen interest, as happened when we first installed them over ten years ago.
No doubt the nightingales will shift around as they establish their own territories but I heard at least three separate birds at The Wonder. This location is always a good starting point but over the years they have spread across most of the site. I haven’t yet heard the two that were around the Visitors Centre last year.
This species is incredibly difficult to actually see at the best of times but your best opportunity is probably over the first couple of weeks after arriving in this country. I managed to capture this individual as it was singing at the top of a willow rather than the centre of a dense bush that they prefer later in the season. Alas I didn’t quite managed to capture it whilst in full song.
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