As May dawns, London’s skies and parks erupt in a symphony of birdsong—from the haunting woodlark to the electric chatter of goldfinches. Did you know the pre-dawn chorus peaks at 4 a.m., only to fade by sunrise? Where can you hear nightingales after dark, or catch the rare ripple of a whimbrel on the Thames? Return on 02 May to discover the city’s hidden avian concert—where robins sing like sopranos, swifts scream overhead, and every garden becomes a stage.
Article
Birdsong
May is the best month for wildlife sounds as birdsong now reaches its peak. Gardens, parks and woodlands ring with their calls and early May is the best time to rise pre-dawn and hear the succession of songs as they gradually reach their crescendo at dawn itself. This cacophony in woodland is arguably the most memorable soundscape of the entire year. The chorus generally starts around 3.30 a.m., is at its greatest at 4 a.m. and is often largely over by 4.30 a.m. Lapwings, skylarks, pheasants and cuckoos are all generally regarded as early risers and warblers as late ones. Woodlands are probably the best place to enjoy this concert as many of the top songsters can be found there e.g. blackbird, blackcap, robin, garden warbler and, with luck and perseverance, perhaps even a wood warbler or nightingale.
Where there is a mosaic of different habitats such as at Dagenham Chase, perhaps up to sixty different birds may be seen in a single day. Many of these can now be heard singing, if only in the early morning. In reed beds, the stuttering song of sedge warblers as well as the repetitive song of reed warblers has started, as both birds have now arrived back from Africa. Even the sky is a good place to listen to birdsong with skylark, blackbird, swallow, greenfinch, goldfinch and meadow pipit all singing as they fly by. The night is equally as busy with robins, song thrushes and nightingales all very vocal. Young nurseries such as rookeries and heronries are especially noisy but even families of great tits can now be heard ‘tinkling’ in nest boxes. On the estuary it is the busiest time for waders with plovers, sandpipers, turnstones and godwits all to be heard and perhaps even the rippling call of a passing whimbrel. Although so early in the year, the missel thrush is coming to the end of his song period, although his football rattle call can still be heard when he is protecting his young. The blue tit is often second to stop, with most other birds finishing in three or four weeks’ time.
On commons with woodland and sizeable clearings, the celebrated song of the woodlark should be sought out. Although he may have started tuning up in March and can be heard until mid July, now is the best time to listen out for him. The song has been compared with a song thrush but more leisured and peaceful. The birds are said to sing ‘as if suspended in air’. This beautiful song can be continuous for as long as thirty minutes, with only short breaks and may be delivered from either the top of a tree or possibly in a short song flight. As it can also be heard at night and carry for up to a quarter of a mile, it has an unforgettable haunting quality. It is still worth taking a trip to the more neglected sections of Surrey Commons such as Witley and Hankley where they can still be heard.
Birdsong in Gardens
Gardens are still the easiest place to hear a rich medley of songs this month. Robins, blackbirds and song thrushes are the stalwarts, with a backdrop of wrens, greenfinches, tits and hedge sparrows. After the wren, the hedge sparrow has the second fastest song. It is said to have one of the smallest ranges, a mere quarter of an octave. In the garden the song thrush has been called the soprano, the blackbird the contralto and the missel thrush the mezzo soprano. Other common sounds in gardens include chattering magpies, cooing wood pigeons and argumentative starlings. In larger gardens goldfinches may now be singing at full tilt.
With such bright colours and a habit of singing from the top of a large tree their rushed, constantly changing song can be one of the most enjoyable of the month. They also tend to burst into song if their mate is close by. In large gardens with orchards it is worth listening for the creaky song of the bullfinch. Spotted flycatchers prefer large gardens, but their song is now rarely heard. It is one of the faintest of all songs consequently carrying the least. This short, sweet warble also tends to fade away quickly. Luckily these birds have the habit of flying up in circles to catch insects then returning to the same post. Once noticed doing this, their faint song can then be much more easily identified. By the end of the month the first screaming swifts will have been heard overhead.
