Symphony that's not to be missed

DON'T despair if International Dawn Chorus Day slipped by without having a chance to immerse yourself in nature's great symphony.

- Stuart Winter

This annual celebration, held on the first Sunday in May, should be regarded as merely the introduction to a joyous season when birdwatchers rest their binoculars to become enthralled listeners.

Over the coming weeks, the countryside will be throbbing to the songs of thrushes, chats and finches declaring their territories under the rising sun.

Baritone black-birds and top tenor nightingales will stand out as virtuoso performers.

Yet ask any birdsong purist and it is the orchestral manoeuvres of warblers in the semi darkness that bring the dawn chorus experience to a sensory crescendo.