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Sharming - wetland soundscapes
Marsh, reedbed, pond, saltmarsh and estuary scenes feature bittern, various warblers, crakes and rails, ducks and geese. Tracks range in length from focused sequences of a couple of minutes to longer, more spacious atmospheres. Sharming is an old name for the strange grunting and squealing display of water rails - occasionally heard but rarely seen. All the recordings were made in the British Isles between 1994 and 2001.
| 73m 54s |
19 tracks |
CD Only |
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 | in the reedbeds: before daybreak 1 (6:17)
Leighton Moss. 25 May 1998, 3.30am
The extensive reed-beds of Leighton Moss, an RSPB reserve, are one of very few places left in Britain where you can hear male bitterns sounding off against each other. In the last decade there are thought to have been less than 20 singing males each year in the country (identified by voice, incidently) at a scattering of sites, mostly in East Anglia. Leighton Moss usually has 3 boomers.
I chose a Bank Holiday weekend in the hope that the traffic on the M6 a few miles west would be at a low level during the night. And on the second night, balmy and fairly calm, these 2 males were singing unusually close together; I estimated the male with the slightly broken voice to be closer, at about 30m from the mics, yet the deeper voiced bird maybe 80-100m. The black-headed gulls and reed warblers are active even though it's still dark. The hollow clicking near the beginning is from a coot and the deep bass of a moth’s wings passing close punctuates one interval between bittern booms.
| | in the reedbeds: before daybreak 2 (3:18)
Stodmarsh, Kent. 16 June 1994, 2.40am & 3.30am.
Most of the wetland warbler species are prone to singing at night during the breeding season - not the whole chorus, but a scattering of individuals, maybe slightly more desperate than the rest. The dawn chorus usually builds at the tail end of night. These 2 scenes have a mix of voices as several sedge warblers with their buzzing staccato rants off-set the more steady grating pulse of a reed warbler.
| | in the reedbeds: dawn chorus (4:09)
Stodmarsh, Kent. 1 June 1994, 4 to 5am
As dawn breaks individual voices are lost in the unified texture of a mass chorus. Here are several sequences recorded over the first hour of daylight, including reed and sedge warblers, reed bunting, cuckoo, blackbird, song thrush (living in the drier, scrubby patches) and turtle dove.
| | a border loch: evening chorus (11:26)
Alemoor Loch, Borders. 24 April 1998, 7.30pm
The voices of various waterfowl ring out across the loch echoing off the surrounding woodland. Territorial squabbles of coots are intermittent and their calls diverse. The softer sharp calls and distant braying of several great crested grebes marks their courtship. The growling calls of female tufted ducks and the soft whinnying display calls of the males can just be heard occassionally. At the end the scolding shrieks of a grey heron as darkness falls. Throughout the track willow warblers, robins, chaffinches and other songbirds are singing in the woods around the shores.
| | marsh interludes 1 (1:45)
Vale of Whittingham, Northumberland. 11 March 1999, 11am
The overgrown remnant of a pond surrounded by a small wood provides some habitat for common frogs to breed. And each year for a few days, this small woodland clearing resonates gently to the rolling croaks of the gathered males. With the local band of rooks and jackdaws in the background.
| | marsh interludes 2 (1:57)
Stodmarsh, Kent. 16 June 1994, 5.00am
A lively sedge warbler singing, perched and in flight, at this rather late date suggests he may be lacking a mate or is between broods. With a turtle dove close by.
| | marsh interludes 3 (1:27)
Howick, Northumberland. 17 March 1998, 11am
Toads gathered in the edge of a pond courting.
| | lurking in the sedges: residents (2:58)
Vale of Whittingham, Northumberland. 29 May 1995, 5.30am
The size of this marsh and small pool, and unobtrusive setting, completely disguises its charm. A last tiny remnant of once extensive river haugh marshlands interspersed with ox-bow pools, it now survives as a duck shoot, surrounded by agricultural land (and an electric fence). As well as the more usual species, this marsh is also home to a variable number of water rails and occasional rarer visitors calling in at the oasis.
This first sequence is from a slightly blustery May morning when the water rails’ various outbursts are interspersed with snipe drumming and yikkering; several sedge warblers and a grasshopper warbler sing away in the background, with the voices of the local rookery in the distance.
| | lurking in the sedges: a visitor (3:23)
23 April 2000, 5.30am
The second sequence is from 5 years on when a much rarer, but closely related, species visited the marsh. The song of a male spotted crake is in long sessions (sometimes all night), repeating this distinctive whip-lash sound; it carries well, especially in the relative quiet of the darkness. This bird only stayed a few days before moving on. As before, the snipe are also active and a lapwing displays nearby.
Apparently there are places named Crakemarsh in Somerset, Crakehall and Crakehill in Yorkshire. The bird-minded wonder straight-away what species.
| | iris beds (2:29)
Tiree, Hebrides. 4 July 1995, 11.30pm - 12.30am
Like their close relatives in the previous tracks, corncrakes are small birds more often heard than seen. They live at ground level in dense vegetation, often in damp areas: in Tiree, usually lush with Iris. This is from the area thought to have the densest population in the country, on a fairly calm evening that grew into a storm overnight. There are 3 sequences here: the community starting up at nightfall, recorded from the edge of the fields; then further into a well-populated area with the males going at it in earnest; then a little later with a sedge warbler singing nearby.
| | congregations: dune pond - teal music (6:07)
Newton Pool, Northumberland. 12 March 1997, 7.00am
On fine days through mid-winter to the beginning of spring, the congregations of duck on the coastal pools are drawn into courtship display. Teal males provide the flutey whistling with ratchety display calls from male goldeneye. Occasional explosive monosyllables from several moorhen, a water rail and the whinnying duet of a pair of little grebes.
| | congregations: solway 1 (4:08)
Caerlaverock, Solway. 20 march 1998, 1.00pm
By the side of a sheltered pool on the solway sward, whooper swans are voicing their building excitement (and maybe nervousness) in the days leading up to their departure for more northern latitudes. With mute swan, wigeon (a small flock take to the air at one point), shoveler and oystercatcher.
| | congregations: solway 2 (4:35)
Nith Estuary, Solway. 19 March 2000, 6.00am
A grey blustery dawn on the border of saltmarsh and mudflats with a light moist breeze coming in from the Irish Sea. A mallard passes in flight. Then several large flocks of barnacle geese flying low over the flats from their roost make for the estuary to feed. The whistle of shelduck wings and male calls can also be heard. Later a small flock of white-fronted geese passes over, probably to feed inland.
| | congregations: waders 1 (2:34)
Lindisfarne, Northumberland. 1 October 2000, 7.30am
Intruder. At high tide a scattering of curlews was feeding along the upper edge of the saltmarsh, when a goshawk appeared flying low, less than a metre above the ground, harried by a couple of carrion crows.
| | congregations: waders 2 (0:56)
Lindisfarne, Northumberland. 1 October 2000, 8.30am
Soon after the turn of the tide flocks of different species begin to move from their high water roosts to feeding areas: at a steady pace in the case of brent geese, at high speed in the case of waders. With the calls of brent geese, grey plover, occasional soft golden plover calls.
| | congregations: waders 3 (1:23)
Lindisfarne, Northumberland. 14 January 2001, 9.00am
With the tide fallen back to reveal the first areas of wet sand and mud, groups of waders feed vigorously, with occasional confrontations over space. Bar-tailed godwits more to the left and mainly dunlin to the right.
| | congregations: waders 4 (2:40)
Kyle of Tongue. 6 May 1995, 1.00pm
Dunlin and ringed plovers are courting on an estuary as high tide bunches them up and a squall comes in. These two sequences are from before and after the peak of the shower and the display activity.
| | northern loch 1 (3:18)
Loch na Clais Fearna, Sutherland. 16 June 1998, 5.30am
One of many sessions by Sutherland lochs with one or a pair of black-throated divers floating silently, waiting for the male's song. At this point a sheep has passed near the mics and disturbed one of several common sandpipers, breeding and displaying along the lochside. Later the young in a buzzard’s nest on a crag nearby begin calling as they see one of the adults coming on a visit. The adult calls gruffly in return.
| | northern loch 2 (8:47)
Lochside, Inverness-shire. 16 June 1998, 8.30-9.30pm
That evening by the side of a moorland loch, where a pair of black-throats were swimming with their recently-hatched chick. The afternoon's cloud cover disappeared and the breeze dropped for a glorious evening spell of calm sunshine. A moment of peacefulness for an individual human, but also a tense time at the crux of the breeding season for most birds. The loud yelping song of the male black-throat, with calls and song from redshank, the fast aerial chase of some oystercatchers, reed bunting and meadow pipit singing.
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Recorded & produced by Geoff Sample
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