The joys of the Dawn Chorus

There was a blackbird sitting outside my bedroom window this morning welcoming the day by singing "I'm a Barbie Girl" on repeat. I wouldn't have minded too much but that was the only line of the song that he knew. Sometimes it was "I'm a Barbie", sometimes the whole line. Then he got stuck on "I'm a...", "I'm a...." until I wanted to throttle the writer of the song that annoyed me so much in the '90's and was now disturbing my sleep. Finally he remembered his words and joyfully announced to the waking world that "I'm a Barbie Girl" once more.

Living in a town I am blessed to see, and hear, so much wildlife. To the horror of my neighbours I refuse to cut down the three fruit trees that lurk at the bottom of my garden. One is festooned with ivy and although I've trimmed back to take away some of the weight I'm loath to remove it all as the blackbirds nest in it each year and the other birds love to eat the berries during the Winter months. For us it's a win, win; the birds get a safe place to nest and feed and I get fresh fruit and the joy of birds. However it does also mean that from March onward I get woken, increasingly early, by the natural orchestra that enjoys my garden.

The first to arise is the Robin. Normally the last singer before bed the robin awakens before the dawn has actually shown it's face. Whilst he sings so eloquently and brightly what he is basically saying is "My tree", "My food", or "My mate." Next in line are the blackbirds and thrushes who, when not in the throes of Barbie Girl sing quite sweetly.

Then the singing really begins in earnest. The collard doves have an almost whirring sound to their call; the pigeons make an owl like hoo hoo sound; the jackdaws waste no time or effort in song - their harsh Chuck Chuck sound informs others to stay away from their chimney pots; the blue tits have a sweet and gentle song that penetrates after a while; the sparrows cheep and chirp in the leaves; the goldfinch likes to sit on the telephone wire and repeat his few notes again, and again, and again! Not to be left out the starlings gather en mass and fill my garden with a wealth of strange sounds: pheasants, buzzards, car alarms and mobile phone ringtones to name but a few.

However the king of the wake up call has to be the herring gull. Luckily they've not managed to oust the jackdaws from their chimney pots yet but when they decide to make their presence felt you cannot ignore them. They're like that uncle at a wedding who insists on singing the hymns out of tune, out of time and at the loudest range possible. Their raucous squawking could wake the dead, though not my husband from his snoring, and the haunting cries of greeting as reminiscent of a babies cries and just as piercing. When they start it almost makes me wish I lived in a land locked county.

I know the next few months will be a mixed blessing; whilst it's good to bring in the lighter, warmer weather my sleep will definitely take a bashing. From May until August the swifts will screech their way down the road and the chattering of the swallows as they try to find a nest just adds to the symphony. However the joys of watching, and hearing, the wildlife on my doorstep does outweigh the grumpiness of sleep deprivation.

Anyway, if I'm not woken by the birds then it's my cats telling me to let them out so they can go bird watching!