3:40am, May - a wood in northern England pheasant, woodcock, woodpigeon, cuckoo, tawny owl, great spotted woodpecker, wren, dunnock, robin, redstart, blackbird, song thrush, mistle thrush, garden warbler, blackcap, chiffchaff, willow warbler, goldcrest, great tit, nuthatch, chaffinch, greenfinch, goldfinch, linnet, yellowhammer Every morning throughout spring and early summer, a wave of birdsong surges around the planet ahead of the rising sun - the dawn chorus. In the still, cool air of the early morning, sound travels well and the males of all species broadcast their signature themes, in a lust for life, to mark their territories and attract females. The woods and gardens of Britain are a riot of sound, while most humans are still wrapped in dreams.