Do you have favourite sounds?

I know this up is completely unoriginal - but definitely birdsong, and the sound of the breeze in the trees. I particularly love the sound of an owl calling near my house at night, and a curlew call. But all birdsong sounds like heaven to me. Also water - the sound of a gentle bubbling brook or gentle rain on the window. 

All of this (including the owls near us too!) Curlew song is gorgeous, it's like a dream. Whimbrel is close but not quite.

Blackbirds and song thrush in the evening, chiffchaff in the woods, yellowhammer and even stone chat in the hedges.

Oyster Catchers are a little more shrill when they are making their breeding call rounds late in the summer over the house (we aren't even near the sea but they have come inland).

Spotting the buzzard or the skylark if your are lucky after hearing their call.

The rustling of a thousand wings as starlings murmerate above you.

Bliss.

I had to google ‘whimbrel’ - I’ve never heard of that before - it sounds wonderful, thank you. I’d like to be better at identifying all the different bird calls - I think I’ll spend some time researching them online tomorrow. We have a lot of skylarks in the fields near us and I love them too. The sound is so idyllic and transporting. The other day I was looking out my bedroom window and there was a little group of long tailed *** (the cutest little things!) in the small apple trees, and blue ***, and our regular Robin who seems to love our small garden. I had dreadful toothache at the time but seeing these gorgeous little birds really warmed my heart. They’re little miracles. Sadly we had to stop feeding the birds because we live next to a farm and the bird food kept attracting rats off the farm. But the birds still come, and they always lift my spirits even on days when I’m really struggling. And a blackbird singing in the late afternoon/early evening - just beautiful.

I had to google ‘whimbrel’ - I’ve never heard of that before - it sounds wonderful, thank you. I’d like to be better at identifying all the different bird calls - I think I’ll spend some time researching them online tomorrow. We have a lot of skylarks in the fields near us and I love them too. The sound is so idyllic and transporting. The other day I was looking out my bedroom window and there was a little group of long tailed *** (the cutest little things!) in the small apple trees, and blue ***, and our regular Robin who seems to love our small garden. I had dreadful toothache at the time but seeing these gorgeous little birds really warmed my heart. They’re little miracles. Sadly we had to stop feeding the birds because we live next to a farm and the bird food kept attracting rats off the farm. But the birds still come, and they always lift my spirits even on days when I’m really struggling. And a blackbird singing in the late afternoon/early evening - just beautiful.

Oh, check out the BTO videos, they are fantastic for comparing very similar birds, and go through everything from plumage, size, flight, as well as calls. Nothing more delightful than being able to identify birds by their song, adds a whole other level to the listening.