More Birdsong

Despite the persistent midwinter gloom, I've noticed several more birds singing since my first post on this topic.

At dusk on New Year's Eve, Liz and I heard a song thrush in full song near Devonshire Green in the centre of Sheffield. The following morning a coal tit and a robin were both singing their hearts out in our small back garden. Meanwhile, down in the Rivelin Valley, several great tits were competing in a repetitive sing-off.

Today, as I cut through Sheffield Botanical Gardens I heard a bird singing in the depths of a bushy conifer. Even though the song was relatively quiet and subdued, it was peppered with impressions of other birds. I recognised the calls of blue tit, robin, chaffinch and long-tailed tit. I came to the conclusion that the songster was probably a goldcrest, although I don't recall ever hearing one mimicking other species before.