TG Escapes Blog

Get up with the birds in your garden room

by Mark Brown | May 6, 2017 | Blog, Residential

As winter retreats and spring makes its welcome appearance, our days lengthen and temperatures begin to rise, both of which send a clear signal to the birds that breeding season has arrived. From March until July, the male songbirds compete to secure a mate and defend their territory. He who sings loudest wins the healthiest female (or maybe the hottest chick as it were) and the best feeding grounds.

Generally, the chorus begins around a half hour before the sun begins to rise, led by the larger breeds such as thrushes and blackbirds whose relatively greater bulk insulates them from the cool night air. The more delicate birds, like wrens and warblers, prefer to lie in before joining the chorus in the risen sun and the dawn chorus reaches its peak around half an hour after sunrise.

All the singing uses a lot of energy and so it is the fittest, best fed males who produce the finest song and attract their mates earliest in the season. Once a pair has been formed and work begins on nest building, egg brooding and chick rearing, there is less energy to be spent on singing. As spring advances the dawn chorus quietens, as all but the lonely onlies busy themselves with procreation and parenting.

This early in the year however, the dawn chorus is at its most magnificent which is why May 7th has been designated the International Dawn Chorus Day. On that day, the sun will rise at around 5.30 (though will vary slightly depending upon where in the country you live) as it will for the next few days, gradually coming ever earlier as we head towards the summer equinox in June. Which is another good reason to plan your dawn chorus audience sooner rather than later.

You will have to wrap up warm though as the nights are still jolly chilly. The temptation to stay in bed and snooze through the birds’ choral production would probably be diminished if you knew you could throw on a thick woolly jumper over your pyjamas and scoot up the garden path to your Garden Escape. Pop on the heating and the kettle and settle down in warmth and comfort to watch the sun rise and listen to the swell of birdsong reaching its glorious crescendo. You are guaranteed to feel amazing,

About the author

Mark Brown
Consultant at TG Escapes - Mark has spent time growing up with the army, studying computing before the internet existed, and founding The London Classic Theatre Company, self sustaining for over 25 years. He trained in marketing with Unilever before moving into advertising as a strategist with Leo Burnett, Creative Director at Starcom and founder of award winning creative agency Weapon7. He has a passion for eco buildings and helps run the social enterprise Street Wisdom, providing free creative walkshops around the world.

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