International Dawn Chorus Day (IDCD), held on the first Sunday in May, had its beginnings in Birmingham, when leading environmental campaigner, broadcaster and writer Chris Baines invited friends to his birthday celebrations at 4am so everyone could enjoy the dawn chorus with him. IDCD, organised by the Wildlife Trusts, is now celebrated with events around the world from Sweden to Australia.
Birds (especially males) focus their early morning efforts in singing to attract a mate. While the world is still asleep, they take the stage, with their song able to travel further in the early hours when it is quieter. Noise pollution is thought to have an impact on the timing of the dawn chorus and it has been said that blackbirds start the dawn chorus earlier in urban areas with high noise levels.
This year, some of our team have been up early and recording dawn chorus soundscapes – you can listen for yourself to the clips below.
At Anderson Acoustics, it is often the role of the acoustic consultant to find ways to mitigate and prevent noise interrupting the daily pattern of our lives. However, this is one sound we love to hear loudly!
For more information about IDCD, go to http://idcd.info.
