A magical morning for a Dawn Chorus Walk

What a magical morning for our annual Dawn Chorus Walk! 

With many people having seen the Northern Lights the night before, the morning was spectacular with clear skies and a feeling of spring in the air. 

As a group of early risers made their way across Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset under the guidance of birding expert John Lockwood, the collective twittering and chirps of the birds was captivating, bringing everyone together for a unique experience. 

The morning began with a stunning ‘too-wit too-woo’ call from a nearby tawny owl – almost as if it were welcoming everyone to nature’s orchestra.

The group then went on to identify 20 more distinct species of birds. 

These included: pheasant, woodpigeon, carrion crow, rook, a jackdaw, blackbird, song thrush, mistle thrush, robin, wren, dunnock, blue and great tit, chiffchaff, black cap, a reed warbler, a very vocal garden warbler, chaffinch, and house sparrow. 

John said: “The total number of birds in song was wonderful on Saturday morning. 

“The number of species recorded was slightly down on last year. I think the main reason is that migration of birds from Africa this spring has been erratic and slow. 

“Highlights for me were a garden warbler in full song in a bush just in front of the group, and the particularly good numbers of song thrushes all over the area. 

“The atmosphere was excellent and some of the group had come quite a distance, such as from Weymouth.” 

The CRT’s Community Engagement Manager Nick Dobbs said: “This was a beautiful morning and one most of us will not forget. 

“The dawn chorus is usually carried out by the male birds as they demonstrate to the females that they are fit and healthy by producing the loudest songs. They sing early because it’s too dark to look for food and there’s not enough light for most predators to spot them. 

“It was wonderful to see so many species on the walk. I can’t wait to see what we discover at marvellous moths and beautiful butterflies event on Saturday June 22.” 

We’ve already making plans for next year’s Dawn Chorus Walk but in the meantime did you know you can also book a private walk for your group or organisation to discover the delights of Bere Marsh Farm? We can arrange for the Buzz Café to be open for you to enjoy too.  

Please contact our Community Engagement Manager - Nick Dobbs at [email protected] 

To book your place at our marvellous moths and beautiful butterflies event, go to: www.thecrt.co.uk/Event/marvellous-moths-and-beautiful-butterflies for more information.