***Feedback on this challenge gratefully received as a comment on this post.***

Part 3 of the ‘garden frequenters challenge’ covers the calls of the common thrushes. Like the tits in part 2, these are birds which are usually easy to identify by sight but their calls may be harder to remember.

Step 1 – Describe – Listen to each of these recordings and describe the call in each case, thinking in particular about features which would help you distinguish between them.

I’d suggest doing this both phonetically – ie. twee-doowee – and, where you can, with words/phrases with a similar intonation to the call – ie. ‘Eat, the cheese’. It’s worth checking your phonetic descriptions against those in a good field guide, for example the Collins Bird Guide.

Blackbird call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/blackbird/?type1785, Blackbird flight call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/blackbird/?type1473 and a Blackbird alarm call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/blackbird/?type1789. It’s worth getting really confident with Blackbird calls, so you’ll know immediately if something isn’t a Blackbird.

Song Thrush call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/song-thrush/?type1484 and Song Thrush alarm call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/song-thrush/?type1485.

Mistle Thrush call recorded by Chris Batty https://xeno-canto.org/701382.

Redwing call recorded by David M. https://xeno-canto.org/822370

Step 2 – Mimic – Attempt to make the sound in each case thinking about pitch, pattern, sound quality and ‘voice’.

Step 3 – Revise and test. Ask a kind person to test you on the above recordings. I’d suggest doing this in two ways: a) Ask them to shuffle the recordings, for you to name the bird and call type; b) Ask them to say a bird and call type, for you to mimic the sound.