Birdsong

“Birdsong is something you must reach out to love before it will reveal itself to you.” David Rothenberg, Why Birds Sing,

“Birdsong is one of the most distinctive sounds from the natural world and gives us a warm glow inside when we hear it. We’re all attuned to the need to eat five fruit and vegetables a day or take a 30-minute walk. Taking the time out to listen to five minutes of birdsong every day could be as beneficial to our well-being.” Peter Brash, ecologist with the National Trust, UK.

David Attenborough’s BBC Radio 4 Tweet of the Day features a 90-second recording of a different bird each day that began this week (May 6 2013) and is a hit and retailers are reporting a surge in sales of bird books and recordings.

Birdsong Radio was a temporary digital attracted an estimated 500,000 listeners to its a 20 minute-long recording of a dawn chorus in a Wiltshire garden. The songs were repeated daily on a continuous loop from 6am to midnight. It was cancelled to much protest in 2009 to make way for Amazing Radio, which plays a mix of music by unsigned artists. It is now available online.