blackcap / Neil Fletcher
Blackcaps have a beautiful, melodic fluting song, a little like the sound of a babbling brook. In some ways parts of its song are a little like those of a blackbird, but higher pitched, with shorter individual notes which don’t slur together so much, and there are occasional more rasping notes too.
They may sing at any time of the day, but more usually in the morning, and often from within thick vegetation within a large hedgerow or close to woodland, usually at about head-height but sometimes high up in a tree.
It’s very difficult to tell the song apart from that of a garden warbler, but blackcap phrases are usually shorter [not always!] and are more likely to end on flute-like notes [though not always!]. If I get a chance I’ll record a garden warbler, but numbers have declined somewhat recently [they tend to migrate further and may have suffered from poor weather or feeding conditions in Africa] and there were none at Woods Mill, but perhaps this year we’ll fare better.
sonogram of blackcap song
Many thanks for your recording – it is much better than the brief one on the RSPB website and confirms my identification. There seem to be more blackcaps singing this year than I can recall hearing in previous years, but I might just be more aware of the song. I just wish they were a bit easier to spot!
Hi ,I too have found this recording brilliant It has enabled me to connect the distinctive song that I hear to the Black Cap. I now can attribute the cheerfull and melodic song to it’s right full owner. Thanks.
Ari Shapiro has presented a radio broadcast on the illegal procuring of blackcaps in Cyprus. In 2010 over 2 million blackcaps were trapped and executed. They use nets and lime sticks. They lure the birds with loudspeakers, recordings of bird songs. Acacia trees are planted, just to attract the blackcaps. Over 100 types of birds , some of which are endangered species, are also caught. in the nets.
http://www.theworld.org/2011/12/bird-poaching-cyprus/
These are migratory birds. You may see the effects of the killing of blackcaps in Cyprus, elsewhere in Europe.
The program you can listen to is from Dec. 26, 2011
Lovely sound clip. Was lucky to have a male Blackcap visit my bird feeder Sunday morning through the sprinkle of snow that covered South east England. I live in Hove, East Sussex. This little bird was a treat for me, only managed to get a rubbish photo on my phone before it flitted away. Like to think that it will return, fingers crossed.