Our first field outing of the 2023 season in late April was “Dave’s Dawn chorus”, starting at Saltford Shallows with a 4.30 am start, and led by chairman Dave Sage as usual. 12 of us enjoyed a magical morning, starting on the cycle track River Avon bridge near the Bird-in-Hand, listening with eyes closed as the robins and blackbirds started to sing. Very mindful, as some people noted!

Before long the rest of the choir were awake and singing loudly, notably the song thrush, never singing the same phrase twice in succession, the very noisy wren, like an old car trying to start, and the onomatopoeic 2-note calls of the chiffchaff and great tit, the latter louder, and more clear-edged - “tee-cher, tee-cher”.