The only thing positive about setting my alarm for 4am on Sunday morning was the fact it didn't need to be 30 minutes earlier. As due to the current situation I wasn't going to be able to join Richard leading the dawn chorus walk at the reserve, I just had to step outside my back door. Hopefully some of our regular visitors who missed out on this event did the same.
So at 415am on a cold, early May morning I joined others across the country to take part in the International Dawn Chorus Day, something that was started about 30 years ago and has been carried out across the world since. Singing at this time, even before it was light was a robin, in the background a tawny owl was calling. With mug of tea in hand, I picked my spot, moved the chair, rearranged the blankets and settled down to listen. Soon a blackbird joined the robin, a mallard called as it flew overhead and the bark of a pheasant indicated its presence in the field behind. For the next ten minutes, two robins and the blackbird filled the air with their fluty songs, occasionally a woodpigeon uttered a couple of notes and a distant skylark could be heard but it was no competition for top spot. Gradually more birds could be heard, a chaffinch, goldfinch, blue tits and jackdaws in the garden, Canada geese and herring gulls calling overhead.
I decided to venture from the garden, across our paddock to listen to the songs in the hedgerow. My favourite, the yellowhammer was in full flow with a whitethroat for accompaniment. A magpie and carrion crows uttered their raucous calls as they dispersed into the fields, where a skylark was beginning its ascent against the lightening sky. But above all this was a song thrush, perched on the tallest tree blasting out its series of shrills and notes in repetition, the loudest song around. Walking back down the lane I noted the lovely melodic song of a blackcap and the two note call of a great tit.
Back in the garden house and tree sparrows were now active but a wren had replaced the robins and blackbird, singing the loudest despite its size. A swallow twittered overhead and for the first time I saw one of the regular dunnocks we have in the garden but it was not singing, neither was the pied wagtail ion the roof.
In the hour and a half I was outside I had heard 28 species of bird make up the dawn chorus but their identification is not important as it is the experience that makes a dawn chorus so special. If you can only do it once then DO IT as, like me it'll be worth that very early alarm call. And next year when we can resume our events programme it will be even earlier!
