• Question: Where are the places you go to listen and record birds singing?

    Asked by Martina to Rupert on 7 Mar 2017. This question was also asked by Joan Saba.
    • Photo: Rupert Marshall

      Rupert Marshall answered on 7 Mar 2017:

      I choose the right bird to help me answer each question I have.

      Corn buntings sing very different dialects so I go to where they live on a Scottish island to record them and see how dialects change over time and whether we can identify individual birds from their song even though they sing the same song – if that makes sense!

      Great tits have a very simple song often made of just two notes. I study them in noisy areas like big towns, and quiet areas in the country to find out how the songs differ (they sing at a higher pitch in noisy towns). We have been to towns all over Great Britain.

      I also listen in my garden at home at the weekend. Sometimes you get new ideas when you’re thinking of something completely different. And it’s important to relax sometimes

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