Birds twittering in the dark

[MtB]

Ok I thought there was a 'wildlife and nature' section but it seems to have gone so posting here.

 

Tonight at approaching 1.00am there is a bird (or birds) furiously twittering on the other side of the cut here in rural Wiltshire. Its  pretty dark here with little light pollution and no moon. Same twittering was present here last night. 

 

Anyone have any idea what bird(s) twitter in the dark?

 

Most puzzling. 

[rusty69]

It's the Trumptit

[Jen-in-Wellies]

280 characters per tweet now instead of 140, so they can twitter longer in to the night?

Jen, who doesn't do any of the twitface stuff, bit wastes time on CWDF instead.

[rusty69]

All the millions of new birdies are learning to talk too. They're saying "I'm sh@t scared about these flying lessons next week" 

[Jerra]

7 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Anyone have any idea what bird(s) twitter in the dark?

A Robin is to me the most likely culprit.  They sing all year round and are often the last to stop at night and the first to start again.  They are heard at all hours.

 

In Wiltshire there is also the outside chance it was a Nightingale although they are becoming increasingly rare.

[WotEver]

Was it a really pretty song? If so, could be blackbirds - they’re going all night here at the moment. We had 5 sparrows fledge two days ago from a nest in a bush in the back garden and they tweeted for 24 hours asking mum & dad for food. 

[Dr Bob]

2 hours ago, rusty69 said:

It's the Trumptit

I've not got a photo of a Trump tit.

[hovrin]

You really wouldn't want one. believe me!

[Horace42]

Nightjar comes to mind.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, WotEver said:

Was it a really pretty song? If so, could be blackbirds - they’re going all night here at the moment. We had 5 sparrows fledge two days ago from a nest in a bush in the back garden and they tweeted for 24 hours asking mum & dad for food. 

 

No not a pretty or attractive ‘song’, more like random and continuous shouting but not patticularly loud or powrful, and not any sort of birdsong I hear in the daytime. 

 

I think you may be right, freshly hatched chicks yelling for food. 

 

1 hour ago, Jerra said:

A Robin is to me the most likely culprit.  They sing all year round and are often the last to stop at night and the first to start again.  They are heard at all hours.

 

In Wiltshire there is also the outside chance it was a Nightingale although they are becoming increasingly rare.

 

I’ve never knowingly heard a nightingale, but this twittering was not pretty, and not song. Twittering is a more accurate word. Nightingale song is prized for its beauty ISTR. 

 

And where has the nature board gone?!

[carlt]

51 minutes ago, Horace42 said:

Nightjar comes to mind.

 

Doubtful but, as it's my favourite bird, any excuse for a listen...

 

 

[Peter X]

I sometimes hear birds singing at night in my garden, and I sometimes see a robin so maybe it's them. But it's fairly loud and not very musical, so I think it could well be the ring necked parakeets. They're common in SW London and Surrey and I suppose some might have spread as far as Wiltshire?

[MtB]

28 minutes ago, carlt said:

 

Doubtful but, as it's my favourite bird, any excuse for a listen...

 

 

 

Nice vid!

 

I heard what I thought must be a nightjar at dusk by a lock here last summer. Your vid confirms it was a nightjar, thanks!

3 minutes ago, Peter X said:

I sometimes hear birds singing at night in my garden, and I sometimes see a robin so maybe it's them. But it's fairly loud and not very musical, so I think it could well be the ring necked parakeets. They're common in SW London and Surrey and I suppose some might have spread as far as Wiltshire?

 

Never seen a ring necked parakeet here, but yes loads of them along the Thames now. Dreadful screeching racket they make. Do they have a quieter twittering call too then? 

[cuthound]

This site provides several theories as to how they came to be in Surrey.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/surrey/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8286000/8286707.stm

 

My favourite theory is that they are descendents of those that escaped from Shepperton Film Studios whilst they were filming "The African Queen in 1951.

[carlt]

20 minutes ago, cuthound said:

.... "The African Queen in 1951.

 

Ah Charlie Allnut....For some reason he always brings to mind Mike the Boilerman.

[BruceinSanity]

Girl Guide camp through the hedge?

[Jerra]

4 hours ago, Peter X said:

 I think it could well be the ring necked parakeets. They're common in SW London and Surrey and I suppose some might have spread as far as Wiltshire?

Unless they have spread extremely quickly that is unlikely during the 2007 - 2011 surveys for the current bird atlas there were few if any records as far out as Wiltshire.

5 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

I’ve never knowingly heard a nightingale, but this twittering was not pretty, and not song. Twittering is a more accurate word. Nightingale song is prized for its beauty ISTR. 

 

And where has the nature board gone?!

The Robin can be heard here. 

 

[Jerra]

And Nightingale  

 

[MtB]

40 minutes ago, Jerra said:

Unless they have spread extremely quickly that is unlikely during the 2007 - 2011 surveys for the current bird atlas there were few if any records as far out as Wiltshire.

The Robin can be heard here. 

 

 

 

That's the song. A robin!!!

 

Thanks!

[Jerra]

7 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

That's the song. A robin!!!

 

Thanks!

My original suspect! 

 

I agree there was a section specifically for wildlife perhaps some mod could explain what happened to it.

[mark99]