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Nature's Alarm Clock

Janod Owly Clock

I was awake before dawn today. Even before I could see the promise of daylight through the curtains, the crows, ravens and jackdaws in the woods opposite were bickering and gossiping about the new day to come. The local tawny owls have become more active of late. Two nights ago, as dusk was turning into proper dark, I heard a male tawny calling out, followed by the unmistakeable screech of a female. I was standing at the kitchen sink washing up and could not believe how close the owls sounded. When I went outside I was elated to spot the silhouettes of not two, but three tawnies in a large sycamore at the bottom of the garden. It is more surprising to hear owls first thing in the morning, but there it was earlier, a tawny hooting a greeting (or maybe a goodnight) alongside the chattering colony of crows.

I love the dawn chorus. As the owl went off to roost and the crows become more insistent, they were joined by a quietly keening gull, gliding through the village on its way out to sea. Every now and then, a pheasant which had found its way down from the moor and into someone’s back garden issued an awkward, throaty garble. The songs of many blackbirds intertwined with the surprisingly mellifluous tune of a dunnock (what an incredible sound from such an ‘ordinary’ bird) while a frustrated woodpecker drummed against a tree or perhaps a telegraph pole. This drumming has become quite frequent of late. I like to imagine a male woodpecker attempting to show his prowess by the loudness and persistence of his beating, but for all I know it could be a female letting the boys know she’s out and about. I haven’t heard a chiff chaff yet this year and I’m listening out for a cuckoo on my regular runs up on Exmoor, but it’s too soon for them and that particular bird is no longer a guaranteed visitor.

Janod Owly Family

The robins, wrens and blue tits never let me down. Whatever the weather and no matter how cold, this triumvirate of garden birds visits the feeder under my office window every day. To these I can now proudly add a pair of cautious bullfinches (one feeds while the other keeps watch – it’s always the same), a couple of long tailed tits that I think of as mohicaned ragamuffins (I have named them The Gizmos), any number of the sparrows that roost in the eaves of the empty house next door, a male and female blackcap, collared doves, woodpigeons and blackbirds (feasting on worms and apple cores). I’m even prouder to say that I know most of these birds by their calls and songs and usually hear them before I spot them. The Gizmos, for example, quietly announce themselves with their ceaseless whistled twittering.

It’s really hard to unequivocally name my favourite bird. Not long ago, on a trip to mid Wales, we were in the presence of ten red kites riding thermals on the hills and cliffs overlooking the sea. That was pretty special, especially when we got about 20 feet below one – more than close enough to distinguish colours and markings. Bullfinches are always high on my list. It took about a year to tempt this pair all the way down the garden to my feeder. Watching golden eagles with my brother on Mull was very special. But for now, my favourite has to be the mistle thrush which visits for a couple of months every year when certain palm trees produce berries which he cannot resist. Monty (that’s what we have called him) guards one tree fiercely and repels all invaders until one day when he decides he’s had enough and then heads off who knows where.

My parents instilled in me this love of birds and nature from a very early age. I was a member of the Young Ornithologists Club at school and remain a member of the RSPB. Teaching children to understand and appreciate the natural world is an important part of parenthood and witnessing children excitedly name birds, bugs and animals is a wonderful thing. Even as adults though, we never stop learning. Who would have thought, for example, that trying to sleep while listening to jackdaws foraging and fiddling around on the roof was nature’s way of reminding you to clean out your guttering?

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