How to identify bird song

Now that the trees and hedges are thick with leaves, it’s much harder to identify birds by seeing them – so experienced bird spotters listen out for birds’ songs and calls to tell them what’s around.

You can do it too – and the trick is to learn one or two birds at a time.

You probably know more bird songs than you realise – the Cuckoo call its own name, for example, and the Blackbird chinks from our rooftops every night. Robins are often the first to call in spring, tuneful and lively. Great Tits call ‘Teach-er’ over and over, and Chiff-Chaffs shout their own names.

Here are three handy ways to learn the songs and calls of the birds around us:

Merlin

Merlin is a free app for your phone that listens to birdsong and – amazingly accurately – tells you what you’re probably hearing. Ashdown Forest ecologist Tom Forward recommended it to Sarah, and that’s a pretty good recommendation! Here’s a screen grab of what Sarah heard in spring by the wooded stream below Burrswood.

Lev Parikian

Lev is a musician and bird nerd. His guide to identifying birdsong has some of the best (and most musical) descriptions of birdsongs we’ve come across. He includes recordings, and great tips for telling the difference between birds it’s easy to confuse.

Sussex Wildlife Trust course

SWT is offering a free course to help you identify seven common birds in Sussex by their song. It’s an email course that lasts a week.