Garreg Ddu woodland, Elan Valley, Wales.
A fortuitous encounter
Although I had been recording in my usual spot in the Garreg Ddu woodland since around 3:30am, the early bird chorus was quite subdued & lacking the frenetic activity of earlier in the season. But, as I was walking back around 0800 & passed under a tall stand of Beech to the edge of the woodland, I heard a Wood Warbler flitting between the branches high above me. Hoping that I wouldn't disturb it I quickly set up a pair of microphones, hit "record" and crept away quietly to a secluded spot nearby. By chance, the Wood Warbler remained in virtually the same spot for 30 minutes or more & from my partially hidden location I could see it repeatedly flying from tree to tree, singing its characteristic "coin-spinning" warble as it went.
The recording opens with the loud repeated call of a Nuthatch. Thereafter the Wood Warbler occupies pretty much centre stage throughout, and the height information seems to have been well preserved here, too. Also present but more distant are: Song Thrush, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Wood Pigeon, Chaffinch, Blackcap... Gradually, as the sun warms the woodland understorey, bees begin to forage on the bilberry flowers which are just coming into bloom.
Recorded: 2018-05-31 0810
Location: 52.2664 -3.6025
Download full recording:
30min, 39MB, .ogg format
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