British Birdsong Essentials

Course structure

Week 1 - Orientation & first birds

In week 1, we explore the different types of bird sound, and how we can interpret them. We’ll go through how the learning process works, introduce the key ways of getting to know bird sounds, and meet the first key species that we can ‘tune our ears’ to: Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Wren and Chaffinch.

Week 2 -3 - Know your neighbourhood pt 1

We will put names to more of the commonest sounds in our gardens, parks and streets, including the common crows, Blue & Great Tits, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Dunnock. We’ll consider how these widespread resident birds use sound at different times of the year and in different contexts.

Week 4 - 5 - Know your neighbourhood pt 2

More building blocks. We’ll explore more familiar garden residents, including Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Starling, and two of our earliest summer arrivals - Chiffchaff & Blackcap.

Week 6 - 7 - Woodland birds

Into the trees. We will discover a wider selection of woodland birds, including residents such as Goldcrest, Green Woodpecker and Nuthatch and newly arriving Nightingales and Willow Warblers.

Week 8 - 9 - Farm and open country birds

Out among the hedgerows and field edges. We’ll pick out Yellowhammer, Skylark, Linnet, Swallow and Common Whitethroat.

Week 10 - Summer birds

We will finish with some sounds of high summer, including the Swifts over our heads, the Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers of the waterside and the Nightjar on the heath.