You might have caught our RSPB Rainham Marshes site manager, Andrew Gouldstone, live on BBC Breakfast. BBC Weather presenter, Sarah Keith-Lucas popped down to the reserve, a short hop from London city centre, to discover the sights and sounds of the dawn chorus.
Back in the newsroom, BBC presenter, Naga Munchetty said that RSPB Rainham Marshes at dawn 'looked even better than the Gold Coast'; high praise indeed!
To celebrate, we’ve pulled together a list of the best South East events to help you experience these for yourself, or if you are looking for something further afield, visit www.rspb.org.uk/dawnchorus for full UK listings.
RSPB Rainham Marshes, London:
Dawn Chorus events are running on 6th and 13th May, and start from 4am. For more details please call 01708 899840 or email rainham.marshes@rspb.org.uk.
For those super active morning people, we even run Active in Nature events, with walking, running, cycling and more to choose from. Why not choose the dawn chorus as the soundtrack to your morning run?
RSPB Dungeness, Kent:
Dawn chorus with a difference – Not only will you hear familiar calls at this event, but the possibility of a booming bittern makes these events an annual highlight in our calendar! Visit the reserve page for booking and more info.
RSPB Pulborough Brooks, West Sussex
Our dawn chorus here is already fully booked, but we still have spaces on the ‘Not quite a dawn chorus’ event, which is ideal for those who can’t quite manage a 4am start. Arrive at the reserve for a relaxing 7.30am, and extra special guest, the nightingale, may even reward you with a song! Booking required, details can be found here.
RSPB Pagham Harbour, West Sussex
Watch the sunrise near the sea, and discover the added sounds of our shore birds at these dawn chorus events. Guests will have exclusive access to secret parts of the reserve too!
If you’re not an early riser, why not check out the National Nightingale Festival instead? This rare bird is widely considered the most accomplished vocalist of all UK birds, and is in serious decline. The National Nightingale Festival is a collaboration to raise awareness of the plight of this remarkable bird, and it includes events all over England.