The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Email from Darren Matthews

Nightingale in full song along the Woodhall Spa trail near the corner of Highhall Wood and the white cottage in a dense Blackthorn hedge. Bird singing very loudly at 4.30PM 8/5/2012. Very familiar with the species and song. Owner of the white house says the bird has been singing for a few days and nights.

Nightingale also singing in Snipe Dales Country Park on Sunday's dawn chorus. This I think is now the third year that there has been one at this site. I hope these are being registered by the national survey.

Mike

After a brief visit to Kirkby Moor this afternoon (Wed).. curtailed by rain...., I thought I would check out Darren Matthews' report of a singing Nightingale at Woodhall Spa on the way home.

During a ( more or less ) break in the rain, I walked past the White Cottage/House on the Spa Trail.....plus another 100 yards or so and the Nightingale was (nearly) in full flow in a thicket to the right of the track. I stood transfixed listening to its special song (as I do every year) with its amazing repertoire including that marvellous crescendo on a single note which no other bird attempts. The 'pew pew' was ever present.

The bird was performing in quite an idyllic spot with late Primroses still in flower at the trackside and a glimpse of a pond through the thicket. Nearby birds were also in song after the rain.....a Song Thrush and Chiffchaff were behind me, a Blackcap to my left and the the twittering of a Robin and the song of a Wren to my right.... thank heavens for good hearing aids (NHS) .....while a Willow Warbler was hopping from branch to branch straight ahead. But, of course, the Nightingale reigned supreme.

I was there from c. 5.15 to 5.45pm, when the rain became somewhat 'heavier' again.

Another record for the Nightingale Survey, perhaps a new one for that tetrad.

Thanks to Darren M. for the original info.

Freddy

I had one singing at exactly the same location last year on a single occasion but failed to hear it on subsequent visits. This is frustratingly close to one of my nightingale survey tetrads.

Regards,

John

At the risk of Moaning,Stevie??It Baffles me why we dont get them at Msq anymore?any reasons why???we dont??
Regards,
Rog,by the way like GPc"S Osprey piccy!!!

The Spa trail Nightingale sang lustily this morning for a solid 30 mins that I was there from 8.45 to 9.15. My other 4 survey tetrads revealed no Nightingales at all. If anyone can establish the exact date this bird was first heard and post it here that would be helpful in terms of the Nightingale Survey.

Just to improve on the directions, park on the parking area at the side of the road where the Spa Trail joins Sandy Lane on the eastern outskirts of Woodhall Spa. Walk down the trail (the old railway line) until you come to the white house previously mentioned. The bird was singing from the Blackthorn scrub on the left, which appears to be an overgrown old orchard about, 5m from the house across the track. This is at an intersection with a birdleway that goes NE along Highnall Wood.

Also called in at Snipe Dales and listened to a singing bird there too c. 10.30 am.

Further to Phil's post and his 'improved directions', be aware that this bird obviously moves around its territory and although his record was more or less OPPOSITE the White Cottage/House, my record was certainly some 100 yards PAST on the right.........unless, of course, there are TWO birds.

Freddy

Hi Freddy, the reason for the improved directions was that I had not been to this site before and i was confused by the white cottage at the junction of Sandy Lane and Spa Trail so headed off down the road in the wrong direction. Then I assumed your 100 yards down the trail was from that same cottage and nearly gave up without hearing the bird. So having turned back I walked back down the trail a lot further. It was a bit windy this morning and I could only hear the bird from 150m.

So didn't want anybody else new to the site to be in the same position. I checked out where you had the bird too and there was nothing singing there but as you said, the primroses were nice. Clearly the bird moves about a bit.

As a matter of interest does anyone local know of similar scrubby habitat in the immediate area?