10.05.2025 - Outdoor Meeting : Pensthorpe Dawn Chorus

Reporter: Paul Riley
​Our group gathered in the Pensthorpe car park at 5am
where we were introduced to experts Richard and
Chris who were to lead us around the site explaining
the meaning of the dawn chorus and some ways of
learning the songs.

So, straining our ears listening for
birdsong amid the crunching of our boots on the
gravel car park we were told its main importance:

1. Territorial Defence: Many birds use song to establish and defend their territories. By singing at dawn, they are able to broadcast their presence to other birds, letting them know that the area is already claimed.
2. Attracting Mates: For many species, singing at dawn also plays a role in attracting a mate. A male bird’s song can signal his fitness and quality as a mate. The louder and more varied the song, the better the male is perceived to be.
3. Reduced Ambient Noise: Early morning is quieter than other times of day, with less wind and human activity, making it an ideal time for birds to communicate. This allows their songs to travel further and be heard more clearly.
4. Energy and Alertness: Birds are generally more active and have more energy in the early morning, having rested overnight. This burst of activity can coincide with their need to establish social hierarchies, claim territory, and find food. 

Apparently, Blackbirds get a lot of their singing done earliest because the early bird catches the worm! Robins with their large eyes will detect light earlier and will start to sing early.
Chaffinches on the other hand have smaller eyes, so need more time to wake up, and then feed on seeds which doesn’t require immediate competition or early activity.
We carried on, exploring all the different habitats Pensthorpe had to offer. In the woodland area, understory had been building up since grass cutting had been stopped. The machine gun speed and volume of a Wren singing confirmed its appreciation. Blackcap song versus Garden Warbler was discussed. Blackcap song is fluty,
melodic and clear, with a slow start and strong finish. Like a Blackbird on fast forward someone described. Garden Warbler has a continuous
ramble like a babbling brook.

At the new scrape a standoff between a Great White Egret and a Grey Heron didn’t give much in the way of birdsong. A hidden Mistle Thrush was singing, can-you-see- me, I’m-here. Sweet-sweet sang a Linnet on top of gorse as we approached the reedbed. It certainly had a sweet red forehead. Someone asked what another bird singing was, “Sedge Warbler” I replied before being scolded. It’s a Reed Warbler - note the rhythmic, repetitive, steady chattering and chugging, it sounds like it’s bored. A Sedge is loud and enthusiastic, has a fast mix of buzzes trills and whistles, sounds almost like a typewriter.
A Cuckoo called, thrilled I got that one right we passed through the Bluebell Glade into another woodland area where two birds were spiralling up a tree. Treecreepers were calling, see-see-me I’m
climbing a tree.
On to the old wetland scrapes, here we had Redshank, sentinel of the marsh calling a red alert yip-yip-yip. Oystercatcher sounding like a referee’s whistle wheeep-wheep and the whining, drawn out peewit of the lapwing. But what was that growling sound...? My tummy, time for breakfast and what a hearty breakfast it was, laid on for us by the Pensthorpe catering staff.
So many thanks to Pensthorpe and their catering staff. Thanks to Richard and Chris for their expertise and knowledge of the site, its birds and their songs. Thanks to all who attended, sharing their knowledge and mnemonics for remembering bird songs and of course thanks to Ray for organizing such a fun event.

Dawn Chorus Sightings (and hearings)
Greylag Goose
Black-headed Gull
Sedge Warbler
Barnacle Goose
​Mediterranean Gull Reed Warbler
Canada Goose Herring Gull Swallow
Mute Swan Lesser Black-backed Gull Willow Warbler
Egyptian Goose Common Tern Chiffchaff
Shelduck Little Grebe Cetti’s Warbler
Shoveler Cormorant Long-tailed Tit
Gadwall Great White Egret Blackcap
Mallard Grey Heron Whitethroat
Pochard Marsh Harrier Goldcrest
Tufted Duck Red Kite Treecreeper
Pheasant Common Buzzard Wren
Woodpigeon Gt Spotted Woodpecker Mistle Thrush
Collared Dove Kestrel Blackbird
Cuckoo Jay Robin
Moorhen Magpie Dunnock
Coot Jackdaw Chaffinch
Avocet Rook Bullfinch
Oystercatcher Coal Tit Greenfinch
Little Ringed Plover Blue Tit Goldfinch
Lapwing Great Tit Reed Bunting
Snipe Skylark