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Dawn of man song12/16/2023 ![]() ![]() RobinĪ contender for “most beautiful garden bird song”, Robins typically sing in very short verses that bring to mind terms like liquid, bubbling or rippling. Blue TitĪnother simple call to learn, and traditionally likened to the start pf Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony: “dee -dee -dee-diddly”. If there are conifers present you may hear the similar song of the Coal Tit, which is best described as a higher pitched, “thinner” and often more rapid version of the Great Tit, with the two notes slurring into each other. Usually described as a repeated “teacher-teacher” song, they are notoriously variable, sometimes adopting three or even four-note couplets. It’s almost impossible to learn bird song without hearing the sounds, but here are the main players to listen out for: Great Tit Obviously the lockdown restrictions limit our options this year, but for most of us there will an area with a mix of habitat with a ten-minute walk from home.Īs many people who are working from home for the first time have discovered, it’s also possible to participate during lockdown without the need to get dressed! If the idea of being up and about before 6:00 am is a bit much for you, just open the window and listen from the comfort of your bed. An oak wood is good, an oak wood on the edge of marsh and heath is even better as you can hear birds that specialise in each habitat type. The best place to experience the dawn chorus is in an area with several different habitat types. Which means the globe’s still working, the Creation’s It starts with the excitement of realising the Swifts have finally returned and includes the memorable lines ![]() If you’re not familiar with Ted Hughes’ ‘Swifts’ now is a great time to read it. Drought conditions and human influence from over-grazing can seriously reduce survival, so I always think “Welcome back, at least you made it through another winter”. A distant burst of scratchy Whitethroat song makes me think of the scrubby Sahel region on the other side of the Sahara. I find it comforting, like welcoming old friends from far away that I haven’t seen for a long time. I love the dawn chorus because it gives me a connection with the world beyond my own experience, in a way that remains hidden and out of reach to many. Great Tits are known to bring food to the nest site around 10,000 times before the brood fledges, which doesn’t leave much time for singing! Silence might suggest that the territory owner has been taken by an owl overnight and, despite the fact that the most common songsters are technically monogamous, many females will seek out discrete, early morning “extra pair copulations” to increase the genetic mix of their offspring.Īs the daylight strengthens it becomes easier to spot potential predators, invertebrate prey become more active, and the focus shifts to feeding, especially when there are nestlings to find food for. Why a dawn chorus? It’s thought that male birds sing as it’s starting to get light to let neighbours know that their territory is still being defended, and also to advertise their availability to females in the area. By early June you need to be ready by 4:20 am! The chorus is at its best for half an hour either side of sunrise from late April to early June, but early May is a particularly good time as the chorus is at its peak and starts from around 5:05 am. It’s a chance for people in the UK to and all around the temperate region of the northern hemisphere to celebrate one of nature’s greatest displays. The first Sunday in May is International Dawn Chorus Day, first established informally over 30 years ago by Chris Baines, the urban and wildlife gardening author, broadcaster and academic. ![]()
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