International Dawn Chorus Day celebrates nature’s greatest symphony on the first Sunday in May and this year that falls on 7 May - right in the middle of a Bank Holiday Weekend. With the potential for a lie-in the next day, it presents a wonderful opportunity to set your alarm clock and to make a date with the warblers at dawn.

An early start could be seen as somewhat of an adventure, especially if you have younger members in the household. After all, how often do we get to see the sun come up and hear the birdsong that welcomes the breaking of a brand-new day? What’s more, it’s an experience that needn’t cost a penny and something we can enjoy alone, with friends and family, or as a big group!

Get prepared!

Whether you decide to travel or not to experience the dawn chorus is all part of planning the adventure. You could...

1. Set up camp in the garden with a cup of tea or a treat of hot chocolate to begin with, OR pack a few supplies the night before and head to a local park bright and early.
2. Grab a rug and perhaps a blanket or two so you can lie down and keep warm in the elements.
3. Shut your eyes to encourage your sense of sound to go into overdrive.

Who’s singing?

Once you are tuned in, see if you can work out the different bird songs. Can you distinguish which birds are singing which tune?

You can gem up on the calls of some of our warblers beforehand here – it won’t be long before you’re able to note the difference between a Chiffchaff, whose tune is a simple one – he chants his own name in a tone that cuts through the air, and a Willow Warbler, who might look similar but who has a far more liquid tone to his melody.

Some of our most common garden birds have the most beautiful of singing voices – the Song Thrush is aptly named – it sings loudly and its melodic fluting notes are interspersed with harsher, penetrative notes. Robins, unlike most other birds, will sing throughout most of the year but in spring their tone becomes more upbeat, confident and powerful. A Robin may be the first bird you will hear during the dawn chorus and perhaps the last to be heard as night falls. Whilst their song might sound mellow to our human ears, other Robins will recognise it as a warning to stay clear of their territory. Blackbirds produce a mellow and harmonious song, set in a low key with a flute-like quality. Everyone loves a tryer and the House Sparrow could be described as just that – it’s simple chirping might not have the pitch and tone of other garden birds but they make up for that in stamina, often chirping for several minutes at a time. Together, these birds create a sound that is uplifting, yet calming - really making the effort to listen provides focus and is a great way to start the day.

Dawn chorus activities

If finding that focus is a little harder for younger members of our wild community, there are lots of activities that can be enjoyed as part of your big dawn chorus adventure – everyone can join in with mimicking the sounds they’ve heard, guessing who is singing which song or how about a feather hunt to look for evidence of the songbirds? Then, there’s the dawn chorus breakfast – all that activity and an early start will no doubt have created quite an appetite so you could make an event of it with a picnic outdoors, or a hot breakfast to warm you up afterwards.

Loving the dawn chorus and want to hear more?

Our nature reserves are fantastic places to experience a varied choir. Here are our top five recommendations for a tuneful, break of the day visit:

• Cassiobury Park, Watford
• King’s Meads, Ware
• Old Park Wood, Harefield
• Balls Wood, Hertford Heath
• Fir and Pond Woods, near Potters Bar

Enjoy the soundtrack to International Dawn Chorus Day and why not tell us what you got up to and what you heard? Tag us to let us know @hertswildlifetrust on Instagram and Facebook and @HMWTBadger on Twitter.