Those Damn Dawn Birds
April 6, 2011 § 11 Comments
I love the birds, I really do. But this morning they woke me up with their break-of-day hollerings. They woke me up yesterday too. And they are probably going to wake me up every single dawn for the next month or two.
This morning, I recorded 30 seconds of their uproar: which you can hear here:
It sounds considerably sweeter now than it did at 5.59am.
But when I think that this may have been one of the participants (born and reared in a tangle of honeysuckle):
Fledgling blackbird: dawn-noisemaker-in-waiting
And that this may have been another: “Oscar” (all our robins are called Oscar):
Robin-shaped alarm clock
I feel a bit better disposed towards them (until tomorrow, that is).
One Bean Row 
Oh Jane, I feel for you, I really do. For about a second, until I’m reminded of what wakes me up in the morning: police sirens and all-night parties. Oh and traffic, and trains. And once a man walked past our house at 5am shouting obscenities, then karate-kicked one of our paving stones into three pieces. I would give anything to be woken up by a dawn chorus. I don’t think I have been since I stayed at my granny’s when I was eight. Keep thinking of Oscar and the baby blackbird, you’ll get through it x x
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Yes, ah… that does all put it in perspective. We do have the traffic, sirens and obscenities too. But the hours between 4.00 and 6.00 are fairly human-free, and usually belong to the birds.
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See that, to me, would be heaven… (not that I’m entirely against all-night parties, you understand) x
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Our robins in Chicago looked nothing like the one in your picture. We made a big deal out of spotting the first ones to migrate back for the spring…much more important than Ground Hog Day.
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I know, Richard! American robins are so big and athletic-looking compared to our little ones!
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I have no sympathy.. there you are being woken up by the lovely trill of a blackbird.. For me, within the next month, the seagulls will start up their psycho screaming at the crack of dawn and whilst stomping up and down above my bay window. I will be sure to tape it for you to compare!
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Alas, we get the seagulls as well, and you’re right, they are utterly demented — as are the magpies (I’d forgotten that they are waiting to start their racket too!).
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I love the Blackbird’s song in April and May. Come June I want to murder them for stealing my fruit.
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I love to hear it, even though it wakes me every morning. The sheer joy of being alive resounds through their melody. I love the chorus when they head to roost even more, one of the hedges vibrates with song.
Zoë x
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Add to bird song the little fairy that lands on my roof ( Dormer Bungalow) at 6 O’Clock every morning. He/She dances a jig for half an hour at the end of which the whole house is awake.
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Events here this morning brought this blog to mind. A cock pheasant is standing on the garden fence squawking noisily every half minute or so and flapping his wings vigorously. I expect it is to announce his presence to the local ladies and, unless they are all deaf, those within a mile must be able to hear him. He’s been at it for over an hour now.
On a quieter note, a collared turtle dove is strolling around the pond just outside the window; a peaceful contrast.
Paddy
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