Sunrise & Dawn Chorus

Sunday 17^th April : 4.50 a.m. and its cold -minus 2c - and as the darkness lightens I can still see a few stars in the clear sky above Foal Hurst Wood. I am waiting for the first bird to begin the woodland serenade, celebrating the beginning of another day; the dawn chorus.

The previous evening I was thrilled to see a buzzard lift itself from a branch in a nearby ash tree and fly into the sky above the wildflower meadow and drift lazily westwards over the allotments, heading towards the new Orchard Meadow area of the nature reserve. I made a mental note to search the treetops later this week to look for a possible nest.

Back to the cold, which is starting to creep into me, I hope this early rise is worth the discomfort. I hop from foot to foot to warm myself.

Blackbird singing (Zingende Merel)

4.56 a.m. & the light in the eastern skyline is filling and on queue a blackbird releases a few notes, soft and gentle, respecting the early hour. A second blackbird responds and together they serenade each other (& me), marking the end of the night and the approaching sun to lighten the woodland, although the sun’s eventual rise above the horizon will be about an hour away. Last to go to bed and first to rise the blackbirds melodies seem to be the right way to start the day, easy listening.

4.57 a.m. and to my left a collard dove joins the chorus with a gentle cooing, followed swiftly by a robin to my right and 50 metres in front on me, a song thrush, one of the mornings solo artists, begins his polished performance. Vocally strong and confident, he is a star and he knows it !

More birds join in and by 5.10 a.m. the dawn chorus is in full swing, diverting thoughts of my cold feet. A wren shouts is notes to the world, such a powerful performance from such a small bird. A blue tit's gentle ‘tsi tsi’ sound comes from a lower branch and then a crow loudly ‘caws’ from high in the canopy, not so gentle on the spirit !

5.30 a.m. and the performance has been going now for thirty five minutes, with new members of the orchestra joining in. Wood pigeon, great tit, blackcap and then a chiff chaff, the last two birds migrants from lands of southern latitudes, who arrived in the third week of March, although increasingly with mild winters blackcaps are overwintering in the UK more frequently now.

5.45 a.m. and a green woodpecker ‘laughs’ from the adjacent orchard. Although the dawn chorus is full and joyful  & has built to a crescendo, I pick out the gentle tinkling of a goldcrest close by; the merest tap on a triangle, among the full orchestral performance.

5.59 a.m. and the sun shows itself above the horizon. Shafts of light filter through the branches and my shadow casts is cast upon the oak tree behind me, whilst other trees bathe in the morning sun. 

I walk to the edge of the orchard, adjacent to the eastern edge of the wood and watch the sun rise further into the sky. 

Just to emphasis the cold, the grass in the orchard is crisp and white, covered with a sharp frost. I can’t recall many frosts this winter / early spring, so it’s a treat, a cold treat, to see it now, glistening in the sun.

6. 15 a.m and for the last 15 minutes I have just taken in the full majesty of the rising sun, against the background of the music of hundreds birds singing their hearts out. 

I pass through the gate to the wood and return to the wildflower meadow, where I stood the previous night, admiring the buzzard as it took off and glided across the sky. More frost.

6.30am : What a joy it has been to hear the dawn chorus and see the sun rise, something to treasure and to share. I could have listed every bird I heard, but then this would just a list, rather than a reflection of the day. Perhaps by reading this short piece more people will want to rise early, one spring morning and see the day begin, in a way that our ancestors have enjoyed for millennia. Try it, it will give you a new perspective on life.

The Dawn chorus 

by Angela Wybrow 

(on http://www.poemhunter.com ) 

Dawn is the time when darkness becomes light;
A time when darkness disappears from sight.
The ashen veil slowly fades away,
To reveal another brand new day.

Up in the trees, the little birds awake,
And a pretty chorus, they now do make.
There is no other music on earth, quite as sweet,
As their cheerful chorus of twitters and tweets.

To the birds' pretty chorus, I lend an ear,
And am filled inside with joy and cheer.
The little birds are so jolly when they sing;
I wonder if they know of the joy they bring?

It is a treat to hear the birds trilling in the trees;
The sound is carried to my ears, upon the breeze.
Their symphony is carried aloft to where I lay;
Such sweet music, no instrument can ever play.

I do not often wake that early in the morn;
To witness another new day being born.
It is a magical time of the day, I think,
But, I am often still having forty winks.

So, for me, to hear their music is very rare,
But, I consider it beautiful, beyond compare.
Maybe, I should make a date, and set my alarm,
So as, more often, by their songs, I am charmed.