Jump to content

Recommended Posts

OK, this makes a change from police sirens and the other common night time disturbances in East Dulwich.


For the last few nights I've become aware of birdsong at night. On Sunday it was around 11pm as I went to bed. Since then, it's started at around 3am, with two birds exchanging varied, mellifluous chirps for about 15 minutes (and then, intermittently for the next hour). One of the birds is very close, maybe on our roof.


Birdsong is generally a lovely sound to wake up to, but I have to say it isn't quite so appealing when it wakes you at 3am. I've lived in East Dulwich for years and can't remember this ever happening before.


A quick search on the Web suggests it might be robins, which are apparently easily triggered to wake by artificial light. But why's it just started happening? Nothing's changed in the lighting around here.


Can anyone shed any light (no pun intended) on this mystery?

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/138007-woken-by-birdsongat-3am/
Share on other sites

The street lights in ED are ridiculously bright. They were upgraded a few years back and now everywhere if floodlit. It's not great for birds. light pollution isn't taken that seriously unfortunately. If you walk around Dulwich Village and surrounding streets, it's lovely at night - their streets largely still have the old, yellow lamps... it actually feels like nighttime.

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Isn't it Robin mating season :)

>

> Edit: I mean - it's singing to attract a mate.


At this time of year, it's mainly territorial singing between males. Mating season is when it warms up a bit :-) You can also hear great tits singing and calling through the night ? and blackbirds start singing very early too.


It's likely to become a more widespread phenomenon according to the theory that a male bird who can sing when others are roosting is 'showing off' his stamina and strength and thus makes himself look like a more desirable mate. A bit like dancing for hours and hours at a Northern Soul night...

We used to have some very noisy (early) blackbirds in our gardens, some years ago now.


There was one that we nicknamed 'Joey' that had a great, loud tune that he had learnt somewhere or other - as they do.

Annoying in a way, but a very beautiful thing to experience.


Sadly, no blackbirds now, just the racket at 4.45am of the first batch of airliners grinding in before the daily 6am to 11.00pm roaring flypast.


Ho Hum.

The first pair of breeding London parakeets was actually spotted in 1855 and they've been notably increasing since the 1930s (which is kind of a shame as I wanted either the African Queen or Hendrix stories to be true). They used to be more on the outskirts - Richmond Park, Bushy Park (I can remember playing cricket in Bushy Park in the '90s where the groundsman had to brush the wicket clear of parakeet droppings before play, there were that many) but seem to be everywhere now.

Thanks for that rendal. Interesting. I wonder if they came here on a boat with goods from the empire? Many ships on the Thames at this time bringing exotic items from the four corners of the globe. Or perhaps an early sign of global warming? This was right at the end of the British Isles "little ice age", which saw severe winters for a good 300 years or so. The warming effects would easily attract wildlife from further out. Interesting they're only in the south east of England and not elsewhere. We are statistically the warmest region of England.


Louisa.

i*Rate Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> We used to have some very noisy (early) blackbirds

> in our gardens, some years ago now.

>

> There was one that we nicknamed 'Joey' that had a

> great, loud tune that he had learnt somewhere or

> other - as they do.

> Annoying in a way, but a very beautiful thing to

> experience.

>

> Sadly, no blackbirds now, just the racket at

> 4.45am of the first batch of airliners grinding in

> before the daily 6am to 11.00pm roaring flypast.

>

> Ho Hum.


Remember when they started copying the Nokia ring tones :(

adonirum Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's fabulous that there are so many species of

> birds in London now.

>

> Beats just having sparrows and pigeons, which is

> how it seemed to be years ago.


On Green Dale fields, I've counted 41 different bird species. Many parts of Greater London have a richer variety of wildlife than some of the more monoculture 'countryside' surrounding it.

I'd always understood that the original breeding pair of ring-necked parakeets escaped from a private aviary in Richmond but I didn't know it was that long ago, rendelharris, so it seems they're pretty much native now.


There are two pairs that visit my garden feeders every day - one pair an adult male (they have a pink ring round their necks > their other name, rose-ringed parakeet) with a female, I'm guessing (females and juveniles don't have rings), and the other pair an adult female (probably) accompanied by a smaller version without the long turquoise tail. I suspect they're mother and offspring as the bigger one seems quite solicitous of the smaller one - but I'm probably anthropomorphising?


They're surprisingly quiet, considering the racket they make in the parks. Probably don't want to alert the rest of the flock to their secret food supply. They love black sunflower seeds and fat balls but eat quite slowly and carefully, not what I would have expected, and spend a lot of time just perched on the washing line looking at what's going on around them or doing acrobatics, apparently to amuse themselves. The other birds in the garden don't seem to be affected by them, in fact I saw a great spotted woodpecker feeding just a couple of feet away from one of them a couple of weeks ago. I also saw two blue tits dive-bombing a parakeet on their favourite feeder, but none of them seemed too bothered and they all got what they wanted in the end.


The smallest parakeet likes to sit on a branch by the kitchen window and watch me doing the washing up, with its beady orange eyes and head cocked to one side.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • What was he doing on the stage at Glastonbury? Or on the stage at the other concert in Finsbury Park? Grinning like a Cheshire cat whilst pissed and stoned 20 somethings on the promise of free internet sung-- Oh Jeremy Corbyn---  What were his policies for Northern mining towns with no jobs or infrastructure? Free Internet and university places for youngsters. What were his other manifesto pledges? Why all the ambiguity over Brexit?  I didn't like Thatcher, Blair or May or Tony but I respected them as politicians because they stood by what they believed in. I respect all politicians across the board that stick to their principles. Corbyn didn't and its why he got  annihilated at the polls. A socialist, anti imperialist and anti capitalist that said he voted for an imperialist and pro capitalist cabal. He refused to say how he'd vote over and over again until the last knockings. He did so to appease the Islington elite and middle class students he was courting. The same people that were screaming that Brexit was racist. At the same time the EU were holding black and Asian immigrants in refugee camps overseas but not a word on that! Corbyn created and courted a student union protest movement that screamed at and shouted down anyone not on the left . They claimed Starmer and the centre right of labour were tories. He didn't get elected  because he, his movement and policies were unelectable, twice. He turned out not to have the convictions of his politics and died on his own sword.    Reform won't win an election. All the idiots that voted for them to keep out Labour actually enabled Labour. They'll be back voting tory next time.    Farage wouldn't be able to make his millions if he was in power. He's a very devious shyster but I very much doubt he'd actually want the responsibility that governance requires.
    • The purge of hard left members that were part of Corbyn's, Mcdonnel's and Lansmans momentum that purged the party of right wing and centrist members. That's politics. It's what Blair did to win, its what Starmer had to do to win. This country doesn't vote in extreme left or right governments. That's partly why Corbyn lost  We're pretty much a centrist bunch.  It doesn't make it false either. It's an opinion based on the voting patterns, demography and statistics. Can you explain then why former mining constituencies that despise the tories voted for them or abstained rather than vote for Corbyns Labour?  What is the truth then? But he never got elected!!! Why? He should have been binned off there and then. Why he was allowed to hang about is an outrage. I hold him party responsible for the shit show that we've had to endure since. 
    • Depends on what the Barista says doesnt it? There was no physical confrontation with the driver, OP thinks she is being targetted when she isnt. These guys work min wage under strict schedules so give them a break unless they damage your stuff
    • CPR Dave, attendance records are available on Southwark's website. Maggie Browning has attended 100% of meetings. Jon Hartley has attended 65%.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...