One of the best places to enjoy spring wildlife in Rye is the wonderful expanse of scrub along Cadborough Cliff, easily viewable from the 1066 Country Walk and cycleway that runs from Gibbet Marsh to Dumb Woman’s Lane.
The forest of blazing-yellow, coconut-scented gorse may be just past its best, but now is prime time to listen to birdsong at its early May zenith. The breeding season is in full swing, partnerships must be reaffirmed and territories defended from rivals, so the birds sing. In addition to our resident birds, most of the summer visitors have arrived. The international avian choir is fully assembled and ready to blow you away.
Common Whitethroats have just arrived from West Africa. They are long-tailed birds dressed in grey, warm chestnuts and with a bold white throat. Their scratchy song, delivered with gusto from conspicuous perches, mirrors their preferred habitat of thorny bushes and bramble. Just in case you miss his solo, the male will often take to the air and continue his gravelly tune in a jerky, bouncy ‘dance’, just for you.
The related Lesser Whitethroats are very different characters. They lurk bashfully deep within vegetation, almost literally hiding their lights under a bushel. With patience one might pop out to reveal a smaller, neater bird with its characteristic dark-grey ‘facemask’. But you’ll likely just hear the song – a simple, but memorable, ‘rattle’.
It’s a shame that almost no one notices one of our most numerous summer visitors, the Chiffchaff. It can be heard all along Cadborough Cliff and in most other open spaces where there are a few trees. It’s a sweet, green-brown warbler that calls its own name at a relaxed tempo. Look for it flicking through the vegetation, wagging its tail as it goes, begging for your attention.
It’s heartbreaking that Turtle Doves have not been recorded breeding in Rye for a couple of years (the UK population has crashed by 98% since 1994), but if one was to turn up – and now is the optimal arrival time – Cadborough Cliff is perhaps the most likely location. If you do hear their unmistakable ‘purrr-purrr-ing’ here or anywhere else locally please do let the British Trust for Ornithology or Sussex Wildlife Trust know. They’d love to hear about your good fortune.
It’s quite hard to describe birdsong with words, but never fear… these days there are all sorts of apps and websites that can help you learn them. Here’s two to start with:
https://xeno-canto.org
https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org
Image Credits: Barry Yates , David Bentley .
Pandemic/lockdown memory of listening to a Nightingale sing in a natural ‘amphitheatre’ of the cliff. Around same time we heard Turtle Doves purring, towards Rye end of this beautiful path. Sounds heard in the heart.