singers in the dark

stabu

I've been a way for a while (came back a few months ago) and may be they did it before and I've forgotten, but there are quite a few energetic singing birds around south dublin ... at night.

what are they singing at night for? I It's quite varied birdsong, and it's quite high volume, especially if nearby buildings aid it accoustically.

Last night I managed to get close to one on a low tree, and could see it wasn't a blackbird, but maybe a chaffinch or blue tit (but blue tits don't sing, right?)

anyhow, for this returning son, this phenomème is very noticeable and not a little weird.

Anybody know a bit more?

boneless

Possibly a robin staking out his territory.

abbafan40

I heard a bird too , singing his heart out at 3am . So I watched for him and Yes , it was a robin , high in tree and singing to his hearts delight .

gerky

Birds have had to change and adapt to humans being almost everywhere.
In general most birds sleep and roost when its dark and sing and move around when its bright so in modern society where house and street lights are on at night their instincts are to sing and do what they do during the day.
Although there are some birds that will sing at night anyway but its normally due to streetlights.

stabu

Thanks for answers.

A robin good at singing? I'm sure I was told when I was a kid that they were bad singers. I kind of got the idea that attractive birds were bad singers and boring birds were good, with the blackbird being one of the best singers around.
Suppose that's all an urban legend.

The night light theory is a good one, but I can't say I'm totally convinced by it. I mean, they've got to get tired at some stage and also many of them are high in trees, a good bit over the lamplights. I guess I have to out to a rural area at night I see if it's true.

God I hope I dont collide with a banshee ... mind you with things as they are nowadays they've probably taken to wailing during the day ... :-D

gerky

The light doesn't have to be above them for it to affect them.
They do still roost and sleep just not as much as normal, its not fully known how this may affect the birds.
Some ornithologists think it may shorten their lives others that they maybe eat a lot more to keep themselves going as their using more energy than normal.
As far as I know there has been some studies done on it and theres some going on at the moment.
But as I said some birds sing at night anyway.

Kess73

stabu wrote: »

Thanks for answers.

A robin good at singing? I'm sure I was told when I was a kid that they were bad singers. I kind of got the idea that attractive birds were bad singers and boring birds were good, with the blackbird being one of the best singers around.
Suppose that's all an urban legend.

The night light theory is a good one, but I can't say I'm totally convinced by it. I mean, they've got to get tired at some stage and also many of them are high in trees, a good bit over the lamplights. I guess I have to out to a rural area at night I see if it's true.

God I hope I dont collide with a banshee ... mind you with things as they are nowadays they've probably taken to wailing during the day ... :-D

It is most likely a robin. Artificial lights were being blamed for causing robins to sing for as long as an area is lit. But it is now being accepted that robins in urban areas have changed their singing habits due to the level of noise during the day. They sing at night as they can be heard more easily by a potential mate during the spring and summer and for marking their feeding areas. It is a very common thing now in urban areas with the poor old robin singing his heart out for hours at night.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6591649.stm

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Depending on the time of year all birds will now sing at night, due to the introduction of Public Lighting. There has been some research that tends to suggest that this additional activity will shorten the lives of the birds affected.

dogmatix

stabu wrote: »

Thanks for answers.

A robin good at singing? I'm sure I was told when I was a kid that they were bad singers. I kind of got the idea that attractive birds were bad singers and boring birds were good, with the blackbird being one of the best singers around.
Suppose that's all an urban legend.

I happen to think blackbirds are very attractive! The jet black body, yellow beak and yellow eye-ringlets are quite striking. Beautiful singers too.

We used to have an insomnia-prone robin in my folks back garden who loved to sing a tune at 2am. Beats being awoken at 6am by bloody magpies.

stabu

Thanks for the comments, very interesting.

Yes, the noise-by-day reason settles the matter for me. But also the realisation that they have their own personal reasons for doing it. I consider myself a bit more informed now.

I might just take my sound recorder out, and try to capture some of it. I came across an incredible recital the other day, this time it was only about 17:30 ... but it was really breakneck melodic creation, I have to say .. must have been one of those song thrushes, I couldn't see very well. I would have liked to stay longer, but it DOES look so odd, just standing there, listening to a bird.

OF course blackbirds are fine birds, I was referring to their plumage, that it could be seen as monotonous. Anyway I was referring to a chidhood preconception of mine, which you can now consider erased!

Cheers!