Song that may be fading away

Blackbirds may sometimes sing in the dead of night but to be truly enchanted by their silvery voices then you should be listening out as the sun rises.

- with STUART WINTER

Of all the songbirds exulting International Dawn Chorus Day on May 4, those baritone solos delivered by blackbirds from lofty perches backlit by the first morning rays will ring supreme.

Individual males can have repertoires of more than 30 verses, each three or four seconds long and filled with melodious notes to declare his territory and sound reveille over suburbia.

Bach, Beethoven and the Beatles all adopted the blackbird as a musical muse and, today, many regard its refrains a dependable alarm clock for an uplifting way to start the day.