Dawn Chorusing
Two night's in a Shepherd's Hut to experience the ultimate mosses drama, including a close encounter with a large tawny owl.
The above photo isn’t dawn but the fast-approaching night before the first day, and the view from the Shepherd’s hut I stayed in for two nights. I was in for a treat, being joined by my friend Matt Sewell again for this first attempt to see what all this fuss about the dawn chorus was about. As I’m attempting to capture something of the sheer wonder of this place in my music, I thought I couldn’t miss the experience and record the dawn chorus at its peak. With the drive being just a little too far to commute early doors (or Sparrow Farts in Matt’s native tongue) I made the plunge to book two nights at nearby accommodation to make sure I didn’t miss a single moment. The result was something spectacular.
The first night was all about getting a half-decent night’s sleep, and I’d like to say early night, but with a fire basket and good company, this wouldn’t happen. Waking up wasn’t as hard as I thought, with the alarm set before 4:00 am, Matt and I set out in a whisper for nearby Whixhall Moss, a minute’s drive away. Surprisingly, I could already hear a smattering of birdsong despite it still being dark as we tiptoed to the car. The spot we agreed would present a brilliant array of birds, wasn’t all that far from the car park, but even then, there was already a bird or two ushering in the new day before I set up the microphone. I was hoping for the full arc from silence to whatever the peak chorus brought, but maybe this could happen the next day. We were surrounded by trees with the larger wetland bog just beyond, which made for a huge variety of birdsong, from the smallest songbirds to the large wetland birds. Here are a few excerpts from the hour-long recording on that first day.
Day 1, 4:51 am first few minutes:
Day 1, 5:15 am
Day 1, 5:45 am
If it wasn’t for Matt encouraging us to get onto the mosses after this incredible experience, I think I would’ve returned to bed. It was only 6:00 am by the time the birdsong had settled, and I was beginning to feel the cold and yawn uncontrollably. However, we walked out through the woodland onto the moss to be greeted by the most beautiful light as dawn unfolded into day. Matt sketched the landscape, and I tried to capture the Curlew’s calling somewhere in the middle of the moss before returning to the hut to warm up.
I refueled and bid farewell to my birding comrade, then further explored the sites and sounds in the afternoon and evening on Bettesfield and Whixall Moss. After seeing an Adder a few weeks back during a photo shoot with Alexandra, I was determined to find one again and attempt to record any sounds of its movement. At a snail's pace, I quietly searched the sunbathed tracks around Betts without much success, and again over the canal on Whixall Moss, without finding a single one. I concluded I needed Alexandra with me again to draw upon her good fortune. I enjoyed extensive walks in the early evening across both sites, listening, looking, and planning for another Dawn Chorus recording session the next day. The light and birdsong in the evening on Bettesfield was stunning.
After a short night’s sleep, it was time to record the second dawn chorus. Armed with the lessons learned from the morning previous, I wore more layers and got there earlier to try and be there before the birdsong began. I chose a slightly different spot, and despite arriving much earlier than yesterday, just after 4:00 am, they’d already begun! This time I was in for a treat as half-way through the recording, a massive Tawny Owl flew up onto a post a couple of feet away in front of me. This large, dark, mysterious creature rolled its head slowly one way, then back again, before clocking me standing only a metre away. I was silent and motionless, holding my breath not to make a single sound. This almost child-sized creature in all its magnificence stared me right in the eyes with its big black eyes, holding me in its gaze for a few seconds before flying off over the microphone. Unsurprisingly, its flight was in total silence, so nothing was picked up in the recording. I let out my breath and couldn't believe my luck, thinking about it, the Owl must’ve been in the scrub on the ground right in front of me the whole time I was there. I carried on with another 25 minutes of recording as the sounds were ramping up, which I’ve edited clips from to share with you below.
Day 3, Second Dawn Chorus, 4:46 am
Day 3, Second Dawn Chorus, 5:15 am - around the time of the Tawny Owl encounter
Day 3, Second Dawn Chorus, 5
I’m thrilled I decided to do this, finally making myself experience the famed dawn chorus at its peak. I’m now working on a piece of music with these recordings in my new studio and can’t wait to see how this evolves.
I really enjoyed this post, and field recs Joel. What an amazing experience with that owl!