| The
Dawn Chorus
Welcome to the Mooney Dawn Chorus web page. Here you will find all sorts of information about the birds of the Dawn Chorus and audio from our archive of previous broadcasts about the Dawn Chorus.
Derek Mooney welcomes you to the Dawn Chorus
The dawn chorus never ceases. It moves, with the early morning
light, like a great wave on the face of the Earth. At this moment,
somewhere in the world, the birds are waking up and bursting into
song. Our ancestors, from time immemorial, awoke to this sound.
Bird songs were, for countless millennia, part of everyday life.
Nowadays, however, locked away in our concrete houses, few of
us ever hear them.
Exotic eco-holidays are all the rage; people, who can't drag
themselves from the bed in the morning, endure long tedious flights,
and jetlag, to encounter nature in far-off lands. Yet the wildlife
on our doorsteps is as exciting as anything other countries have
to offer. So, set the alarm clock, not for the airport taxi, but
for an encounter with the birds. 'See Ireland first' as the slogan
goes and 'hear Ireland's birds first'!
What
is the Dawn Chorus?
It is collective sound of all the birds that sing at dawn. It
usually refers to those sounds made by birds that sing during
the breeding season, which for most birds in Ireland is between
late March and the beginning of July. The dawn chorus is usually
associated with woodland birds but it can be heard everywhere.
Each habitat has its own distinctive "chorus members".
Ireland
Ireland is a small island on the western edges of the continent
of Europe. Originally covered with broad-leaved woodlands the
first settlers began to change the landscape forever.
Large areas were cleared and advances in agriculture eventually
lead to a landscape of patchwork fields surrounded by stonewalls
in the west and hedgerows in the east. Because of this patchwork
of habitats we are fortunate here in Ireland to be able to hear
a wide range of species in relatively small areas. These changes
have had a great effect on the birds of Ireland. Some species
have lost out by these changes while others have taken full advantage.
Relatively recent changes, such as the advent of mechanisation
in Irish farming, has led to a dramatic decline in birds of hay
meadows.
Mooney Goes Wild: The Dawn Chorus CD
01 Dawn Chorus, With Introduction By Derek Mooney
Recorded at Cuskinny Marsh Nature Reserve, Cobh, Co. Cork
02 What Is The Dawn Chorus?
Derek Mooney, Dr. Richard Collins, Eric Dempsey & Jim Wilson
03 Where Birds Sing
Terry Flanagan & Eanna ni Lamhna on location in the Phoenix Park, Dublin
04 How Birds Sing
Derek Mooney, Dr. Richard Collins, Eric Dempsey & Jim Wilson
05 The Birds Of The Dawn Chorus
Derek Mooney, Dr. Richard Collins, Eric Dempsey & Jim Wilson on the subtleties of bird song. Featuring: Great tit, Yellowhammer, Song thrush, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Pheasant, Chiffchaff, Willow warbler, Sedge warbler, Cuckoo, Chaffinch, Greenfinch.
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