The Dawn Chorus 2024

Each year in May the Dawn Chorus takes places worldwide. Of course, I participated again this year in this citizen science project and recorded bird concerts early in the morning before sunrise. In this blog entry I write more about the birds which I heard this year for the Dawn Chorus 2024.

The Dawn Chorus

Just sitting silently at one place, taking a pause, and listening to the birds around oneself. All this before sunrise. And if possible every year at the same place, the same day and over several years.

Since 2020 I participate in the Dawn Chorus every year (except last year).

The citizen science project Dawn Chorus started in 2020 during the covid-19 pandemic. This year it was the fifth time that the Dawn Chorus took place.

Actually, people can contribute bird concerts the whole year to the Dawn Chorus, but May is the main recording month. Participants are, furthermore, asked to record bird concerts both on a weekday and on a Saturday or Sunday at the weekend. If possible.

It is easy to participate. The easiest way to participate is by using the Dawn Chorus app on a cell phone or tablet. The most challenging part is to get up before sunrise and record bird concerts every year on the same day. This year, I used the app for the first time. Luckily, the app works now well on my tablet (but still not on my cell phone). The app was easily to use, and thus, next year, I will use it again.

The Dawn Chorus 2024

Bird concerts in the Anton-Saefkow-Park

I made my first recording for the Dawn Chorus in the Anton-Saefkow-Park. On that day, the sun rose already at 5:10 a.m. Yes, it was very early. But, by all means, I wanted to participate this year again!

When I began recording at 4:42 a.m., I was still a little bit sleepy.

I was sure that there was a Eurasian blackbird anywhere close-by (photograph on the left). I also could hear the sound of a European robin (photograph on the right). Or was it another bird? I rather prefer to identify a European robin when I not only see, but also hear it.

Unfortunately, I did not spot a European robin. But I think it was one. If you have listend to the recording, I am sure that you also could hear the tram. Did you hear it?

I recorded the birds every then minutes for one minute - both with the Dawn Chorus app on my tablet and with another app on my cell phone. I needed to record with my cell phone, because I wouldn't have been able to share my recordings in the app here on the blog. While I was recording for a second time ten minutes later, unfortunately, the Eurasian blackbird stopped singing and the tram became louder. By the way, it was a Wednesday, and thus, a weekday.

But the European robin continued singing.

On my third record I could hear the European robin again. The Eurasian blackbird was not singing anymore. But there was a woodpigeon close-by.

When I was finished with my third recording, a tit began to sing. Why hadn't the bird begun to sing earlier? Unfortunately, I could not record its song.

It was already 5 a.m. in the morning. A man and his dog passed by and said "Good morning".

I also heard house sparrows (photograph on the left) and hooded crows (photograph on the right) around. But they were not singing continuously.

In the last recording, a jogger passed by while I was recording. Luckily, the ambulance had already left.

The birds became quieter and quieter. Some woodpigeons curred a little bit. But it was already quite quiet at the end. I had the feeling that this year, the bird concerts were quieter than the other previous years.

I also noticed that there was no common nightingale around. Or maybe there was a common nightingale around, but the bird just did not sing.

Was it because of the common nightingale why I felt to had heard quieter bird concerts this year?

Sometimes birds began to sing, while I was not recording for the Dawn Chorus 2024. This was the case for the great tit.

I did not see the great tit. But I knew that there was one around.

As mentioned, at first, I was in the Anton-Saefkow-Park on a weekday (Wednesday). Of course, I also recorded bird concerts at the weekend.

On that Saturday, sunrise was already at 4:49 a.m. (unfortunately, it was already the first day of June...). Luckily, there were Eurasian blackbirds and great tits around.

Especially great tits were quite active on that Saturday. They sang and sang and sang.

But were there gulls in the background?

I knew that gulls live in Berlin. Interestingly, on that morning I even thought to have heard some gulls while I was still in bed.

I also could hear that common swifts already flew above me. Unfortunately, I could not record them.

It became a beautiful day on that Saturday, and thus, the common swifts knew it already and hunted insects high up in the air.

In my last recording in the Anton-Saefkow-Park a hooded crow showed up. They were rather in the background on that day, but at the end they became a little bit louder.

Bird concerts in the Ernst-Thälmann-Park

This year I was especially curious to the bird concerts in the Ernst-Thälmann-Park and how they changed over the years, because close-by was a construction site.

Despite the construction site, I felt that on another weekday at 4.42 a.m. the bird concert in the Ernst-Thälmann-Park was louder than the one at the Anton-Saefkow-Park. I went to the Ernst-Thälmann-Park on a Wednesday and a Saturday.

On that Wednesday it was a little bit cloudy, but the weather was not that bad and birds were still active. I even observed bats. Sunrise was at 5.00 a.m.

There was a common moorhen swimming in the pond. But it was a quiet common moorhen, and thus, not contributing to the bird concerts.

A mallard joined the common moorhen.

Suddenly, a grey heron approached. It called and landed in the centre of the pond onto a small island. I realized in that moment, that every time I visit the Ernst-Thälmann-Park in the morning - which is not often - I encounter a grey heron. It seems that this grey heron has found a good feeding ground within Berlin, especially in the Ernst-Thälmann-Park.

In the course of time, more and more bats vanished. It became brighter.

That time I heard a common nightingale sing. But the bird was not close-by. I also heard a Eurasian blackcap.

It seemed to me that the bird concerts in the Ernst-Thälmann-Park were much louder than the ones in the Anton-Saefkow-Park, but also the tram seemed to be much louder.

In most recordings I could hear more than one bird species. I heard Eurasian blackbirds, woodpigeons, Eurasian blackcaps, and great tits. Do you hear the common nightingale in the following recording?

In one moment, again, a man passed by together with his dog. He meant: "It is very beautiful that quiet, isn't it? If not dog owners pass by..."

It was indeed very quiet and beautiful like that. Sometimes, I noticed the wind and the rustling of the trees. I also listened to the fishes and their splashes when they emerged at the water surface to catch insects.

Great spotted woodpeckers and hooded crows also were around on that morning in the Ernst-Thälmann-Park.

I could hear again common swifts that early in the morning.

Just after my last recording, a female Eurasian blackbird walked by almost next to me. In that moment I realized that Eurasian blackbirds were quite quiet on that day. Yes, I heard them, but they did not sing very loudly.

The next Saturday I was again in the Ernst-Thälmann-Park. On that day, sunrise was at 4:56 a.m., meaning four minutes earlier than the other day.

As it had rained in the night before, it was still a little bit wet.

When I arrived on that Saturday, I could not observe any bat. Of course, it had rained, the air was humid, and maybe there were still just not enough insects around.

But there were some birds already very busy like, for example, the Eurasian blackcap. I also heared some woodpigeons.

And all this despite the already loud traffic!

There were again a common moorhen and some mallards in the pond.

But with time, birds became quieter and quieter.

Before I went home, I met a joyfully singing Eurasian blackcap and a Eurasian blackbird. Among Eurasian blackcaps, especially males sing. On the following photograph is a female. It is easy to identify females of Eurasian blackcaps, as females have a brown cap instead of a black one.

More information

Have you participated in the Dawn Chorus 2024? If yes, which birds have you heard? And where did you record your bird concerts? Please let me know in the comments.