Thanks to the European Broadcasting Union, we were absolutely delighted to be joined for our 22nd Dawn Chorus by broadcasters and listeners right across Europe and India, as we followed the wave of light sweeping from East to West as Dawn broke. We were able to listen in to the birdsong from twenty locations in twelve countries, from the searing heat of India through to the chilly climes of Iceland, as we followed this ornithological opera breaking across six time zones!
LOCATIONS OF BIRDSONG IN DAWN CHORUS 2017
Country: IRELAND
Broadcaster: RTÉ Radio 1
Location: DUBLIN - St. Anne's Park, Raheny & North Bull Island
Presenter: Derek Mooney
Bird Experts & Guests: Niall Hatch, Richard Collins, Eric Dempsey, Niamh ni Cholmain (Dublin City
Key Species: Blackbirds; Robins; Chaffinches; Treecreepers; Little Egret; Grey Heron; Skylark (Bull Island)
The Skylark is one of the species that we are hoping to hear on the North Bull Island (photo: Stephen McAvoy, BirdWatch Ireland)
***FREE EVENT ON MAY 18th*** St. Anne's Park - Red Stables Free Guided Walk and Talk on Birdsong and Dusk Chorus
From 7.30 pm to 9.30 pm join Ricky Whelan, BirdWatch Ireland and DCC Parks staff on a Dusk Chorus to hear the birds singing. You will hear a wide range of garden and parkland songbirds from Blackbirds and Robins to Chaffinches and Tree creepers. Walk starts at the Red Stables, and goes through the woods and down through chestnut meadow to the duck pond. Visit the locations of the RTÉ Radio 1 Dawn Chorus broadcasts within the park. You will need sturdy footwear and rain gear. As you walk, listen to the story of the Park’s past history as a home for the Guinness family. Hear about the celebrated Follies, and learn about St Anne’s contribution today to the prestigious UNESCO Dublin Bay Biosphere, whose purpose is to inspire a positive future by connecting people and nature today.
Location: CORK - Curragheen River
Reporter: John O'Halloran
Bird Expert: Pat Smiddy
Key Species: Dipper (Europe’s only aquatic songbird)
Dipper (photo: Shay Connolly / BirdWatch Ireland)
Location: DONEGAL - Carrickfinn
Reporter & Bird Expert: Marie Duffy
Key Species: Corncrake
Corncrake - Photo: Colum Clarke / BirdWatch Ireland
Location: WESTMEATH - Lough Ennell
Reporter: Terry Flanagan
Bird Experts & Guests: Eugene Dunbar
Key Species: Dabchicks; Moorhens
Dabchick (photo: Michael Finn / BirdWatch Ireland)
Location: CLARE - The Burren
Reporter: Eanna ni Lamhna
Bird Experts & Guests: Gordon D'Arcy
Key Species: Cuckoo
Cuckoo (photo: Marcin Karetta/BirdWatch Ireland)
Country: NORTHERN IRELAND
Broadcaster: BBC Radio Ulster & BBC Radio Foyle
Location: Castle Espie Wetlands Centre, Strangford Lough, Co. Down
Reporter: Darryl Grimason
Bird Expert: Dr. Bob Brown
Key Species: Black Tailed Godwits & Black Headed Gulls, Song thrush, and linnet
Black-Headed Gull (Ronnie Martin; BirdWatch Ireland)
Country: GREAT BRITAIN
Broadcaster: BBC Radio 4
Location: Ham Wall Nature Reserve, Somerset
Presenters: Brett Westwood & Will Young
Key Species: Bittern
Bittern
Country: INDIA
Broadcaster: All-India Radio
Location: Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Agra
Reporter: Sunit Tandon
Bird Expert: Ambassador Sudhir Vyas & Zoologist Dr. Surya Prakash
Key Species: Indian Peafowl, Jungle Bush Quail & Asian Koel
Asian Koel
Country: FINLAND
Broadcaster: YLE - Radio Suomi & Areena
Location: Lohja
Reporter: Minna Pyykkö
Bird Expert: Jan Södersved
Key Species: Willow warbler, blackbird
Willow Warbler (photo: Michael Finn / BirdWatch Ireland)
Country: LITHUANIA
Broadcaster: LRT
Location: Zuvintas Lake (BIOSPHERE)
Reporter: Vaida Pilibaitytė
Bird Expert: Arūnas Pranaitis, director of Zuvintas Biosphere Reserve
Key Species: Eurasian Bittern and Common Crane
Common Crane (photo: Minozig/Wikipedia)
Country: AUSTRIA
BirdLife International Partner: BirdLife Österreich
Location: Lake Neusiedl (a UNESCO world heritage site)
Reporter & Bird Expert: Leander Khil
Key Species: Great Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Savi's Warbler, Rare Moustached Warbler, Nightingale, Great Bittern
Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus). Photo: Leander Khil
Country: NETHERLANDS
Broadcaster: Radio VARA
Location: De Biesbosch National Park near Rotterdam
Reporter: Rob Buiter
Bird Expert: Theo Muusse (Ornithologist/forester from the company ‘Staatsbosbeheer’)
Key Species: Nightingales, bluethroats, bitterns, Cetti’s warblers
Bluethroat (Shay Connolly / BirdWatch Ireland)
Country: NORWAY
Broadcaster: NRK
Location: Tjeldstø Nature Reserve in the far west of Hordaland
Reporter: Helge Søfteland
Bird Expert: Julian Bell
Key Species: Greylag Geese, Whooper Swans
Greglag Goose (photo: Cormac Byrne / BirdWatch Ireland)
Country: POLAND
BirdLife International Partner: OTOP
Location: Polesie National Park
Reporter: Dr. Jarek Krogulec
Bird Expert: Joanna Wołoszkiewicz, PhD student of Poznań, University of Life Sciences
Key Species: Aquatic warbler, Sedge warbler, Curlew, Thrush nightingale
Curlew (John Curlew / BirdWatch Ireland)
Country: SPAIN
Broadcaster: RTVE - Radio Clásica
Location: Odiel Marshes Nature Reserve, Huelva
Reporter: Arístides Carra
Bird Expert: Sergio Pagán
Key Species: Spoonbill, Flamingo
Flamingoes (photo: Kaniri/ Pixabay)
Country: ICELAND
BirdLife International Partner: RSPB NI & Fuglavernd
Location: Flói, a coastal Wetlands Reserve
Reporter: Kendrew Colhoun
Bird Expert: Assoc Prof Gunnar Thor Hallgrimsson
Key Species: Brent geese, whimbrel, black tailed godwits and oystercatchers
Oystercatcher (photo: Babs Müller/ Pixabay)
In addition to all these countries, we will also chat to reporters across the UK (Wolverhampton, Suffolk, Exeter and the Isle of Man) and Ireland (Drogheda and Monkstown in Dublin).