During a pre-dawn bat survey among a rural village on the edge of Chew Stoke, North Somerset this morning i was treated to a spectacular dawn chorus in it's full orchestral flow.
Starting with a lone Robin wistfully announcing it's presence around 4:00am, other red breasted garden inhabitants were soon to respond. One by one the unique sounds of other early risers began to join the ensemble with the chorus slowly building up, bird by bird, from the depth of the night into the approaching dawn.
The rising light levels conducted the songsters out from their night time roosts, it was the Blackbird however the stole the show with it's varied and melodious low-pitched fluted warble, delivered from trees, bushes, fence-lines and rooftops out across the surrounding landscape.
The rhythmical and almost meditative song at one point filled the air from every conceivable direction, for as far as the ear could perceive.
Unsurprisingly the Blackbird has inspired much folklore, from the ancient Greeks to modern day music and although the name 'black-bird' may seem a little drab for such a fantastic and familiar songster, it's ease of recognition with a simple name allows children, such as my four year old son, to become familiar and curious about one of our favorite garden residents.
