Greylake

Greylakehttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/default.aspxDo you love our Greylake nature reserve? Share your thoughts and photos with the community. Or if you're thinking about visiting and would like to find out more, ask away!enTelligent Community 5.6.583.19849 (Build: 5.6.583.19849)Blog post: UFO at Greylake!http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/b/greylake-blog/archive/2013/05/13/ufo-at-greylake.aspxMon, 13 May 2013 00:15:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:732709Becky T, Assistant Warden<p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/1106.DSCF2421.JPG"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/1106.DSCF2421.JPG"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/1106.DSCF2421.JPG"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/1106.DSCF2421.JPG"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/1106.DSCF2421.JPG"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/1106.DSCF2421.JPG"></a></p> <p>Yes, an Unidentified Floating Object has landed at Greylake.  It has been given a couple of 'names' so far, Aquatic Platform and Pond Dipping Platform.  It was given a test run this weekend, during our Spring Spectacular event, in very showery, cold and breezy weather conditions.  </p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/6763.DSCF2421.JPG"><img src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/6763.DSCF2421.JPG" border="0" alt=" " /></a></p> <p>A few visitors braved the unseasonal weather to join volunteers and staff at Greylake for some pond dipping to discover what lives in the water!  There were plenty of stickleback fish, fantastic looking caddis fly larvae, greater ramshorn snails, and freshwater leeches to name a few findings.</p> <p>So bring your own net and have a go at pond dipping yourself!</p> <p>Welcome to the Dipping Deck!  (Moorings for small boats also available.  Only joking!)</p>Blog post: Bluebells at Swell Woodhttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/b/greylake-blog/archive/2013/05/03/bluebells-at-swell-wood.aspxFri, 03 May 2013 09:44:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:725922Trish Harper<p>This Bank Holiday weekend visit one of Greylake's neighbouring RSPB reserves on the A378 at <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/swellwood">Swell Wood</a>.  There you can explore an enormous woodland carpet of bluebells.  Come along with the family to see woodlands in their full spring glory.  Join our wardens on <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-345298">Sunday for a walk</a> around the Scarp Trail to enjoy the spectacle.  The woodland birds are also in great voice.  Well behaved dogs on leads (and their owners) welcome too.</p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/0333.2000_5F00_1300_5F00_009.jpg"><img border="0" alt=" " src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/0333.2000_5F00_1300_5F00_009.jpg" width="336" height="393" /></a></p> <p>Great for photo opportunities too.  Send in your photos of our bluebell woods (low res please) or add to the gallery on our community pages, so that we can start a spring flower collection on our Community page. </p>Photo: Heading backhttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/716619.aspxMon, 22 Apr 2013 14:32:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:716619M-squared<p>Teal.</p> <p>Taken at Greylake on 6th April 2013.</p>Photo: Testing the waterhttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/716614.aspxMon, 22 Apr 2013 14:28:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:716614M-squared<p>Teal.</p> <p>Taken at Greylake on 6th April 2013.</p>Photo: Passing byhttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/716610.aspxMon, 22 Apr 2013 14:27:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:716610M-squared<p>Teal.</p> <p>Taken at Greylake on 6th April 2013.</p>Photo: Moving onhttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/716607.aspxMon, 22 Apr 2013 14:25:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:716607M-squared<p>Coot.</p> <p>Taken at Greylake on 6th April 2013.</p>Photo: Top Gunhttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/716605.aspxMon, 22 Apr 2013 14:22:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:716605M-squared<p>Reed Bunting.</p> <p>Taken at Greylake on 6th April 2013.</p>Photo: Sad to gohttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/716598.aspxMon, 22 Apr 2013 14:19:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:716598M-squared<p>Reed Bunting.</p> <p>Taken at Greylake on 6th April 2013.</p>Photo: Punkhttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/716595.aspxMon, 22 Apr 2013 14:18:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:716595M-squared<p>Reed Bunting.</p> <p>Taken at Greylake on 6th April 2013.</p>Blog post: Lost a Sandisk?http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/b/greylake-blog/archive/2013/04/10/lost-a-sandisk.aspxWed, 10 Apr 2013 12:53:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:703937Trish Harper<p>A kind visitor to Greylake found a SanDisk (Extreme HD Vido 30 MB) a short while ago and they've kindly sent it to me here at West Sedgemoor.  If you've lost one and think it may be yours, give me a call - 01458 252805 or email <a href="mailto:trish.harper@rspb.org.uk">trish.harper@rspb.org.uk</a>.</p> <p>Hope you're all enjoying your visits to Greylake, for photography or just to enjoy getting out in the fresh air and sunshine .... at last!  We've renewed another stretch of the path so do pop in and have a stroll. </p>Blog post: Why the big fence all around the reserve? and Why are the willow trees cut down?http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/b/greylake-blog/archive/2013/03/28/why-the-big-fence-all-around-the-reserve-and-why-are-the-willow-trees-cut-down.aspxThu, 28 Mar 2013 13:12:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:690492Trish Harper<p>If you're a little concerned about all the coppicing and clearing on Greylake at the moment, here's a quick update.  This information is also in the hide for all our visitors.  If only we could improve on the weather too!</p> <p>So ...Why the big fence all around the reserve?</p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/5822.IMGP7496-resized.jpg"><img border="0" alt=" " src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/5822.IMGP7496-resized.jpg" width="372" height="228" /></a></p> <p>• We’ve had a fence around half of the reserve for the last four years at the far end of the area, which couldn’t be seen from the hide  but stops foxes getting in.  <br />• It makes for safe nesting areas for lapwing, redshank and snipe, all species in decline.  <br />• All these birds nest on the ground in open fields.  <br />• Breeding pairs of lapwing in 2008 – none.<br />• Attempts were made but all failed due to lapwing chicks and eggs being eaten.<br />• We have spent the last five years doing intensive monitoring of lapwing nests with miniature cameras on the nests to provide  evidence of what is affecting their nests. <br />•  And at Greylake, foxes are the number one predator of lapwings.  <br />• Several pairs attempted to nest outside the fence last year and were at high risk of attack from foxes.<br />• Breeding pairs of lapwing in 2012 - 47 pairs raising 50 chicks – all thanks to this fence. <br />• This site is now the most important site on the Somerset Levels, and probably in the South West of England, for breeding  lapwing.<br />• Over the last few weeks, a major project has begun to expand the fence to encompass 90% of the reserve, providing a large,  safe area for ground nesting birds, including lapwings.<br />• Our vision is to provide a safe place for lots of breeding lapwing at Greylake without the need for a fence, and the surrounding  Levels and Moors.</p> <p>Why are the willow trees cut down????</p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/5282.Lapwing--_2800_1_2900_--20.1.2011.jpg"><img border="0" alt=" " src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/5282.Lapwing--_2800_1_2900_--20.1.2011.jpg" width="289" height="200" /></a></p> <p>• Lapwings find it safer to nest away from trees and willow withies.<br />• Trees provide perching and nesting places for birds that eat lapwing eggs and chicks. <br />• Carrion crows are the number one bird predator of lapwings at Greylake.<br />• This has formed our decision to coppice the willows along sections of the reedbed loop trail.<br />• The willows have been coppiced (cut down to the ground) but will grow back in summer providing thinner ‘screens’ of willow.<br />• We can then coppice the willows every 2-3 years, to stop them getting too big.<br />• In turn, this will be great for birds like chiffchaffs, and other small birds that feed on insects and caterpillars that are attracted to  willows. <br />• The construction of the fence has obviously caused some areas to look a bit muddy!<br />• We have noticed though in our work at Greylake, that the numbers of snipe and jack snipe are much higher this winter than in a  normal year.</p> <p>We hope this helps you to understand and continue to enjoy visiting Greylake, discovering the wonderful wildlife.<br />Please feel free to fill in our visitor questionnaire in the Greylake hide.</p> <p>Thanks for your patience - From all the team at West Sedgemoor, Swell Wood and Greylake reserves.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>Blog post: Biodiversity at Greylakehttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/b/greylake-blog/archive/2013/03/22/biodiversity-at-greylake.aspxFri, 22 Mar 2013 14:53:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:684905Trish Harper<p>During my morning stroll around the reed bed at Greylake this morning, I started to think about the biodiversity an environment like reeds provide and why they are so popular at reserves like Greylake.</p> <p>During my induction as an RSPB volunteer, it was explained to me that the fields at Greylake used to be arable farmland when the drive from European policy makers to produce more food led to widespread use of fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and artificial fertiliser. This damaged the land and infected water systems that insects, birds and plants relied upon. Arable farming has changed dramatically since then, with many farmers now actively encouraging wildlife onto their land. However, many management plans had to be implemented to make the land suitable for wildlife once again. Thus reed beds have been used. This is because once the reeds are well established they can provide a well balanced safe waste water treatment solution as they have an astonishing capability to purify the effluent in the environment, leaving the soil free of nitrates, phosphates, toxic substances and turbidity. This is achieved both directly by the reeds themselves, which utilize the nitrogenous biological content as their nutrient source as well as directly extracting large volumes of water by transpiration. On a hot summer day a mature reed bed will transpire one centimetre of water. In addition reed beds are also good for carbon dioxide emission capture and sequestration, and add considerably to the local biodiversity due to their suitability as an important habitat for birds such as <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/reedwarbler/index.aspx">reed warblers</a> and <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/reedbunting/index.aspx">reed buntings</a>. Several rare species of birds such as the bittern and <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/beardedtit/index.aspx">bearded tit</a> are also dependent on reed beds for their survival. It’s not just the birdlife that benefits from these remarkable tall grass habitats but many insects such as moths, beetles and snails also depend on them.</p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/3364.Reed-Bunting--_2800_3_2900_--14.3.2013.jpg"><img border="0" alt=" " src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/3364.Reed-Bunting--_2800_3_2900_--14.3.2013.jpg" width="361" height="229" /></a></p> <p>                      Reed bunting - Photo: Nick Stacey</p> <p>So why not pop along to Greylake and come and see biodiversity in action for yourself.  Sorry about the weather though.  That's the one thing just beyond our control.  Thankfully Greylake has a lovely hide so do come and read our information boards in the hide and find out more.  And still quite a few snipe, wigeon, and teal on Greylake, good numbers of lapwing, and the kestrel is a regular visitor too.</p> <p>By Bev Phillips - Volunteer Information Warden</p>Photo: Rathttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/678701.aspxWed, 13 Mar 2013 11:16:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:678701Engoulevent<p>At dusk, hoping to see a barn owl,  I realised I was not alone..</p>Blog post: Another busy day at the reserve!http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/b/greylake-blog/archive/2013/03/07/another-busy-day-at-the-reserve.aspxThu, 07 Mar 2013 15:18:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:676051Trish Harper<p>Approaching south Somerset from my Bristol commute this morning (Monday 4 March)  and the weather wasn’t looking promising. As I arrived at Greylake grey sky enclosed around me. At that moment I didn’t think I would find much bird activity around the reserve. A quick walk around the reed bed proved me wrong, one grey heron, two buzzards and numerous mute swans. Once nestled at the hide I was immediately drawn to a snipe feeding not two metres from me, using its long, slender bill to extract invertebrates from the mud. Three more Buzzards including a spectacularly pale one, little grebes dancing and an array of wigeon convinced me it was in fact another busy day at the reserve.</p> <p>Once satisfied I headed off to Swell Wood Nature Reserve to spy on those noisy herons. From the car park I could hear their mating calls, loud and eccentric squawks bellowing from their nests. I always feel so relaxed at Swell Wood, surrounded by those ancient Oaks and woodland. There is always something to see, even from the car park coal tits, blue tits, great tits, a nut hatch feeding and even a cheeky grey squirrel making the most of the peanuts in the bird feeders.  Do be sure to call and see us over Easter at Swell Wood.  You can meet the wardens on Good Friday to Easter Monday and also the following two weekends (10am-4pm)  to find out more about the heronry.</p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/3652.Herons-resized.jpg"><img border="0" alt=" " src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/3652.Herons-resized.jpg" width="241" height="366" /></a></p> <p>                    Photo: Pete Woodgate</p> <p>By Bev Phillips - Volunteer Information Warden<a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/4341.Herons-resized.jpg"></a></p>Forum post: Re: Take carehttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/f/12425/p/69215/663417.aspx#663417Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:17:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:663417Trish Harper<p>Thanks for all your messages in this regard.  We are monitoring the situation, and have been in touch with the local Police who assure us they call in to Greylake on a regular basis through the year on their rounds and will keep up a presence on our patch.</p> Blog post: A warmly welcomed weekend (Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd February)http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/b/greylake-blog/archive/2013/02/05/a-warmly-welcomed-weekend-saturday-2nd-and-sunday-3rd-febuary.aspxTue, 05 Feb 2013 14:50:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:662880Dave L, People Engagement Volunteer<p>I think the evenings of Saturday and Sunday were the warmest I’ve felt for a long time after leaving the Greylake hide at the end of the day- Saturday especially had some incredible lighting, although its slightly stronger and colder wind seemed quite determined to get in through the open viewing windows. Over the two days the usual birds were showing from the hide- mainly teal, with some wigeon, mallard, little egret, swan, and the occasional <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/coot/index.aspx">coot</a>. There was also the large numbers of <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/snipe/index.aspx">snipe</a> that weren’t so easy to spot but were amazingly close (some just the other side of the water hiding on the muddy bulge), and once you got your eye in they just kept appearing! The best time for seeing them was definitely later on in the day as they started feeding along the grass strip leading away from the hide, also when and where they were joined by numerous lapwing coming in for their evening feed and roost. A particularly nice addition for me was several <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/curlew/index.aspx">curlew</a> which flew over the reserve calling several times on the Sunday, landing at the more distant water body where throughout the day I could also spot a few shoveler. Unfortunately this time though no pintail decided to make an appearance.</p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/5187.Curlew--_2800_1_2900_--17.3.2011.jpg"><img border="0" alt=" " src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/5187.Curlew--_2800_1_2900_--17.3.2011.jpg" width="280" height="185" /></a></p> <p>                                <a>Curlew</a> (by Nick Stacey)</p> <p>Alongside the hide I saw the brambling feeding on the ground both to the right and the left, mainly on the Saturday. In comparison the water rails only made a brief appearance on the Sunday in the willow bed to the left, otherwise just making a lot of noise!</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>We sadly saw relatively little raptor activity on the Saturday, and the activity we did see tended to be at a further distance from the hide. On top of the numerous <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/buzzard/index.aspx">buzzards</a> perched on the various gate and fence posts (or foraging for worms on the ground) the highlight was a marsh harrier hunting in the earlier afternoon followed by a barn owl hunting (but a long distance away) later in the evening. There was also a very brief sparrowhawk appearance, but both peregrine and hen harrier stayed hidden. I was surprised as Sunday again started quite quietly, although to my delight activity had picked up later on in the afternoon, and we became split between watching both a sub adult male <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/marshharrier/index.aspx">marsh harrier</a> and a peregrine hunting- occasionally they had a go at each other in the process.</p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/5047.IMG_5F00_8537_2D00_001-shrunk.jpg"><img border="0" alt=" " src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/5047.IMG_5F00_8537_2D00_001-shrunk.jpg" width="382" height="245" /></a></p> <p>                                  Male <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/marshwarbler/index.aspx">marsh harrier</a> (by John Crispin)</p> <p>Whilst I was only there for brief periods the usual birds were making themselves known in the car park including the brambling and <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/reedbunting/index.aspx">reed bunting</a>. However, on top of these regulars feeding from the tables I could also see numerous lapwing, fieldfare, and redwing feeding in the field looking out north from the car park.</p> <p>Lastly, there was also apparently a little pinging from some <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/beardedtit/index.aspx">bearded tits</a> around the Reedbed Loop on the Saturday. Sadly though, I do think that out of everything it’s going to be these I’m least likely to get a glimpse of next time I head to Greylake.</p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/4718.IMG_5F00_0890_2D00_003-shrunk.jpg"><img border="0" alt=" " src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/4718.IMG_5F00_0890_2D00_003-shrunk.jpg" width="238" height="275" /></a></p> <p>                                <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/beardedtit/index.aspx">Bearded tit</a> (by John Crispin)</p>Blog post: The songs of birds - now is the time to start learninghttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/b/greylake-blog/archive/2013/02/01/the-songs-of-birds-now-is-the-time-to-start-learning.aspxFri, 01 Feb 2013 09:57:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:660280Dave L, People Engagement Volunteer<p>Looking out of the window as I write this blog post I can see the snowdrops in flower, and over the last few weeks I’ve also noticed more birds singing- spring is on the way! For any interested in learning birdsongs and calls (myself included) then now is the best time to try and start learning. At the moment it’s easier to pick out the fewer species that have started to sing- and, as more birds start to join in with nature’s orchestra I hope that I can slowly add their sounds too alongside those I can recognise. The other benefit of starting now is there are fewer leaves on the trees, making it easier to see and identify the bird you’re listening to.</p> <p><a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/4276.Young-Sedge-warbler_2C00_-Greylake-resized.jpg"><img border="0" alt=" " src="http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-24-24/4276.Young-Sedge-warbler_2C00_-Greylake-resized.jpg" /></a></p> <p>                                                Photo by Lynne Newton - young <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/sedgewarbler/index.aspx">sedge warbler</a></p> <p>I have an audio CD to try and help with learning bird songs and calls, which first gives me something to listen for when I’m next out, and second gives me a reference to come back to after having heard a bird initially outside. However, nothing can truly beat the field experience for matching sight and sound of each bird species first hand, and it’s this experience and knowledge which becomes most relevant too!!! But if you're still not sure do visit the <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/a/">RSPB Bird Guide</a> where you can listen to songs and calls online.</p>Photo: Male Reed Buntinghttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/655007.aspxThu, 24 Jan 2013 20:17:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:655007Yogi BearPhoto: Female Bramblinghttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/655003.aspxThu, 24 Jan 2013 20:13:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:655003Yogi BearPhoto: Female Reed Buntinghttp://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/greylake/m/greylake-mediagallery/655002.aspxThu, 24 Jan 2013 20:11:00 GMT6174fb62-ac55-4f5d-840d-caedeb3eebf5:655002Yogi Bear