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BREAKING THE SILENCE

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APRIL HOROSCOPES

APRIL HOROSCOPES

BY ROY NEWNHAM

As spring’s sunshine warms the air, the rush for life to reproduce and grow kicks up a gear. Buds are bursting, leaves unfurling and insects emerging. Many of our resident birds are setting up territories, looking for a mate, and starting to nest, while our summer visitors are arriving and eager to do the same. At this time of year the males exercise their vocal chords to their full potential to attract a partner and now is the best time to experience the phenomenon of the dawn chorus.

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It starts in the pitch black, when all is still and quiet. A single voice cuts through the dark, breaking the silence. Often the first to sing are the robin and the song thrush, one joining the opening soloist to duet in the last of the night. The robins’ song is a strong and varied melody, fast and vigorous, while the song thrushes consists of a series of short, far-carrying phrases, repeated three or four times.

As the light starts to infiltrate the gloom, the beautiful unhurried flute-like voice of the blackbird joins in, mixed with the faster, sweet warble of dunnock and explosive burst of wren. Despite its diminutive size, the wren delivers a powerful cascade of notes ending in a distinctive trill which causes the bird to literally tremble with effort.

Close your eyes and soak up each expression of species declaring its presence to the world. I’m alive! I’m here! Hear me! The individual incantations merging into one choral ensemble, growing in stature, complexity and volume.

Dawn is breaking and as the dimness fades, a beautiful carpet of bluebells is revealed, heralded by warblers, joining the growing chorus. Willow warblers and chiffchaffs are almost impossible to distinguish apart but easily identified when they start to sing. The chiffchaff repeats its name over and over as regular as a metronome while the willow warbler’s song is a wonderfully evocative downward spiral and one my favourite sounds of spring. The rich, clear tune of the blackcap stands out, varying in tempo and culminating with a flourish. The male of this little warbler, as its name suggests, sports a smart black cap on an otherwise indistinct grey-brown body, while the female has a chestnut cap.

Now the morning glow brightens and the chaffinch adds its lively rattling verse, while great and blue tits bring their seesawing almost mechanical intonations. The wood is alive now as the full orchestra reaches its glorious crescendo. This is the dawn chorus and a delightful event that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.

Meanwhile, as our countryside comes alive with birdsong, the jumbled phrases and harsh ‘churr’ of whitethroats rise from hedgerows and scrub. The males often perch high on the tops of bushes to sing with jumbled phrases, giving good views of their slate grey heads, reddish-brown backs and of course their white throats. Deep within the vegetation sedge warblers add to the mix with their loud clicks, whistles and rambling chatter. Sounding similar but found deep in the reed beds, the obviously named reed warbler noisily announces its presence with its continuous rattling conversation, while its nemesis, the cuckoo adds its classic springtime call.

Visit our website https://events.rspb.org.uk/paghamharbour or call 01243 641508 for more information and to book.

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