Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the Dawn Chorus and why is it significant?
Were there ever a time when you kind of missed bird watching and nature? Did you ever kind of leave it through? No fault of your own, just that you went on to do other things?
I think so. I mean, weirdly, to come and speak to you is odd because that week that you guys had got in touch, I'd just been thinking about things that I'd... passions and parts of myself that I'd forgotten about when I started singing. Because I guess, you've concentrated on your career, aren't you? I'd sort of maybe thought I had to be a certain way, you know, and I had forgotten about
It's not trendy. It's not trendy.
Chapter 2: How has Will Young rediscovered his love for birds?
It's not trendy, is it? I mean, I was never trendy. You know, but as you get older, you realise it's kind of wonderful. Yeah. Wasn't trendy. So I kind of forgot how much I loved nature.
Yeah.
And birds. Yeah. And I was just saying to my partner that I want to join a bird group again. You know, because I think it would be a lovely thing to do. And so I've obviously opened that up again. Yeah. And then you guys got in touch and I thought, oh, this is brilliant. This means that it's back in.
It's true, isn't it? Yeah. It kind of did the same for me when I was approached about this. Yeah. You know, because I've always kept an interest, but I better know what I'm talking about as much as I can.
Chapter 3: What insights does Alice Boyd share about field recording in nature?
But it just, you know, I've just rekindled that kind of love for nature, I guess, in general and bird watching in particular. And, you know, I'm really pleased about it because I'm learning, you know, more and more as we go on and have people like yourself on, you know, and listen to your stories. It's fascinating.
Well, and also I feel like it's not like belonging to a club, but there is a sort of slightly secret thing to being a fan of birds.
I'm Sean Bean and this is Get Birding in collaboration with Forest Holidays.
I heard this burst of sound, so strong, so powerful, and absolute vocal gymnastics. It sounds like it's swallowed a Mozart manuscript.
In this episode, we're taking a closer listen to one of the most spectacular sounds in nature, the dawn chorus.
It's half past six in the morning. We've been out to experience the birdsong as the light levels break through.
You'll hear from some familiar voices from the Get Birding community, including Dr Maya Rose Craig.
Beauty is in the ear of the beholder for this one because what does it mean to make a racket versus to sing?
We'll also be joined by musicians who found inspiration and comfort in the natural world.
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Chapter 4: Why do some birds sing beautifully while others just make a racket?
They had a live, that was TV at the time. Yeah. This is obviously also the time when, like, one of the biggest shows was one man and his dog, you know, so it was that kind of level, you know, in disco dancing on a Saturday morning. Yeah, exactly. They were brilliant that way. But do you remember they had a live camera of the ospreys and how exciting that was? Yeah, yeah.
They were black and white, I think.
It was incredible.
Will Young is an actor and singer. Away from the spotlight, he's found comfort in birding, gardening and the great outdoors.
I've been very lucky. I've seen some amazing events, you know, particularly in Africa. I used to go travelling every two years, particularly after I became a singer. It was sort of fundamental for me to get away and backpack. And I just fell in love with all the raptors out there.
Yeah, it was just like... Particular fascination for them, isn't it?
It was just... I think everybody loved birds of prey. I know, I don't know if it's like they're the kind of like... What are they? Are they like the supercars of the bird world?
Yeah, yeah.
Maybe it's because they've sort of... Yeah, the Lamborghinis. They're sort of killing machines, you know. But kingfishers as well, the woodland kingfishers. Because there's, I think, nine to 11 different types of kingfishers.
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Chapter 5: What impact do changing landscapes have on birdsong?
It does that. So you'll hear it everywhere. But then there is the pied kingfisher, the great kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, which is tiny, but just beautiful colors. And it was just their colors. I just sort of fell in love with them. Really nerdy. I made a scrapbook. And just the variety. I think in Africa it was just, it was like Jurassic. Yeah.
You know, you've got a bird like called the Corey Bustard, which is this massive bird with the thickest neck. It's like a small, between an ostrich and a sort of emu, I guess. Yeah. Really thick neck. You know, or the sectary bird that's like stamping on snakes. Yeah, they're great, aren't they? They're just, the variety really got me. Yeah. We were in Namibia once and... Oh, I've been there.
Vint Huck and... Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's amazing.
Did a film with John Hurt out there. Oh, did you? Yeah.
What was the film?
It was called Wind Prince, and it was me and John mostly throughout the film. What was he like? Oh, he was wonderful, wonderful.
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Chapter 6: How can you experience the Dawn Chorus from home?
Was he? It was like working with... He's a hero, you know what I mean? I'd always followed his career from The Naked Civil Servant. I don't know if you saw that. It was stunning. But I liked him as a man. And I loved him as an actor, Claudius. And we kind of grew up on that. My mum and dad used to love that.
And then I had an opportunity to work with him and it was fantastic and we got on really well. It's a soul in me, Steve. It's such a...
fine man you know he was uh you know just one of them that don't come along very often is it difficult when you when you get to work with someone like that who you've revered and could be i suppose but uh the people that i've kind of admired and and and that have inspired me tend to be quite down to earth and uh quite have a laugh at themselves yes
John Hurt and Peter O'Toole and Richard Harris and Pete Postlethwaite, the late Pete Postlethwaite, who was an old friend and a wonderful actor. I learnt a hell of a lot from him. But there is that kind of... I wouldn't say it's nervousness, but a slight apprehension when you first meet them and you begin. But then it's how they treat you and everybody's been fortunate.
They've treated me really well and, you know, shown a lot of respect and friendship to me, so...
and you're learning from them yeah oh absolutely all the time yeah Ian McKellen was another one you know I've watched him followed him I actually saw him play Mike Beth as Judy Dench and Woffa Pondern in near Rotherham oh yeah when I was about 18 19 when I started this business off and you know that was that inspired me both their performances and the others Alan Armstrong playing Azdak in the Caucasian Choke Circle which I did as a
a drama audition piece to get into RADA and I got in there with that speech. I think I'm strong for that as well.
That's amazing.
It's always a joy. There's not many kind of places in your life where you can meet people like that from acting and singing, I guess. But you think what a joy it is and what an opportunity and a blessing it is to work with people you've admired who have inspired you and continue to do so. Yeah.
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Chapter 7: What role does sound play in understanding our natural world?
It's easier said than done. Yeah, and I couldn't really understand. I was 20.
Yeah, that's right. And he kept on saying, stop acting, just be, you know... And I remember thinking, and Bob Hoskins was in it. I remember looking and he was just so incredible. But I remember looking at him and I was like, he's not really acting, is he? He's not really acting. I'm thinking, what's he doing? And then I saw, not that I would have said, I was thinking, he's not very actor-y.
And then I saw the final film, and I was like, oh. That's what it was doing. Oh, I see.
Yeah, yeah. That's what it's all about. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, it's that enthusiasm when you're first starting out in anything, really. Just trying to do less is more. It's usually true, yeah. He was like, oh, I see. I understand.
Yeah, yeah, it takes some time, doesn't it?
Yeah.
Now, you've been sending in your birding questions and Dr Maya Oates-Craig is here to help answer them.
So a question in from a listener. Why do some birds sing beautifully while others just make a racket? I feel like this is a bit of a beauty is in the ear of the beholder for this one because what does it mean to make a racket versus to sing? There are a lot of birds where I'm sure it sounds very beautiful to their fellow species. Do you have any bird calls that you really like?
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Chapter 8: How can we contribute to the conservation of birds and their habitats?
I like that wood pigeon, I can hear that up to a point. And song thrush, I always love listening to that. And blackbirds, you know, I love them. And I don't think there's any songs that I dislike. I mean, seagulls sometimes get a bit much, don't they? But it's never bothered me. Sorry, Chris, you're asking. I never thought of it before. But no, and like crows and, you know, magpie.
I quite like that song, you know, Call of the Magpie. And I think when they're all together, they sound wonderful. Like now you hear it sometimes a little bit, you know.
Yeah.
It's that layer upon layer of sound, isn't it? Different instruments.
Yeah, I feel like... I'm kind of saying there aren't any bird songs that I think sound bad. I think also, to be fair, there's quite often people use the term call and song interchangeably when they are different things. Like, calls is kind of them shouting at each other versus singing is them literally singing their songs.
Is it territorial most of the time?
It's a lot. They're doing a lot of different things. It's all the different ways that they talk to each other. So it can be territorial. It can be like showing off. They're trying to attract a mate. It can just be they're communicating with each other.
So if you start like, if you scare, you know, some birds over there, they're going to start shouting for the birds over here that there's like some big predator mammal coming through.
So there's always a reason. They don't just do it because they think they sound nice. And to entertain it.
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