There is nothing to rival the Dawn Chorus. On a walk along
a hedgerow or canal-bank, early on a Spring morning, a myriad
of sounds can be heard. Ireland has about a hundred really
common resident birds, ranging from the Goldcrest, the smallest,
to the Mute Swan, the largest. However, not all of these
birds sing. The commonest, and best known, resident as opposed
to migrant, songbirds are the Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin,
Wren, Skylark, various finches and the tits.
The Robin is perhaps our best known, and best loved, bird.
Although often associated with Christmas, Robins are very
conspicuous in Spring, singing loudly from vantage points.
In doing so, a Robin proclaims his territory to intruders,
thus saving him the job of patrolling his boundaries. Robins
occasionally sing at night, but most start singing at dawn.
But why do birds start singing so early? The species with
the largest eyes tend to sing earliest. Big eyes gather
more light and big-eyed creatures have better eyesight in
the early morning darkness.
The
Wren
The birds with the dullest plumage tend to have the most
complex songs. The Wren, for example, is a small skulking
bird of woodland and hedgerows. Ireland's second smallest
bird, it is difficult to see, but the Wren has a most powerful
song. The brightly coloured Great Tit, which can advertise
visually, has a simple two syllable 'teacher, teacher' song.
The Great tit's song is easy to recognise. So is the Yellowhammer's
'A little bit of bread and no CHEESE', or the Woodpigeon's
'Take two, do, take two'. The blackbird has a rich deep
song and he does not repeat himself. The Song Thrush, in
contrast, repeats each of his short phrases.
Skylark
Not all birds sing from a vantage point. The Skylark doesn't.
He sings while hovering from a stationary position high
in the air.
Birds which have not yet obtained mates tend to sing more
often and more vigorously than ones which are already paired.
If a partner is lost, then the male will start singing more
vigorously to attract another female.
Not all birdsong is harmonious to our ears. Herons squawk
and croak, owls hoot, crows caw and ducks quack. This doesn't
mean we can't enjoy them.
The birds form a natural orchestra, creating a great variety
of sound. Now is the time to enjoy it; in a few weeks the
birds will have moved on to the next stage of their lifecycle,
raising their families. As we all know, there is little
time for singing when there are hungry mouths to be fed.
Terry Flanagan is a biologist and science teacher.
A keen naturalist and broadcaster, he has been active in
major conservation organisations for many years. He is currently
the roving reporter for Mooney Goes Wild.
