Sounds of spring
If you want to hear nature's biggest hit – the spring dawn chorus – get up early any time between March and July to tune in.
You need to be an early riser but how you do it is up to you:
Hardy adventurer
Get up, wrap up and head off on a wild walk to listen to our feathered friends.
Back-garden birder
Slip into your back garden and listen to your locals with tea and toast only moments away.
Cosy listener
If you'd prefer to stay in a warm bed, you needn’t miss out. Open your window, lay back and listen to the symphony.
Instructions
Step-by-step guide
The dawn chorus is the perfect time to do this challenge. Every spring, male birds sing during the early morning to attract a mate. The chorus is loudest about half an hour before official sunrise and can be heard in gardens, parks and tree-lined streets from March. It reaches its peak in May and can last well into July.
Step one
Use the fun mnemonics and phonetics on our Activity sheet (download in: English or Cymraeg/Bilingual) to start learning some common bird songs. Have loads of fun impersonating your favourite garden birds and, if you listen to our birdsong recordings in our online bird guide too, be surprised how quickly you can identify different calls.
Step two
Decide whether to take your challenge during a wild walk, in your back garden or via an open window from the comfort of your own bed.
Step three
Pick a day for your adventure and remember to set your alarm. This is the hard part but even if you're not a natural early riser, it's well worth getting up to witness this natural wonder.
Step four
Stay quiet and listen. Cup your hands behind your ears to make giant elephant ears and be amazed at how acute your hearing gets. By turning your head, also be able to identify different songs from different locations.
Step five
Make a note of the sounds you heard and the birds you discovered.
Make an ear trumpet
It’s not just birds that make distinctive noises, many of our pollinating insects do too.
Step one
Take a large piece of card or stiff paper.
Step two
Roll it into a narrow cone shape.
Step three
Hold the small end to your ear and the large end towards some flowers buzzing with busy bees. Don’t get too close, you don’t want to upset them.
Step four
Follow the bee for a few seconds and see how its sound changes as it rummages for pollen and then flies away.