Richard Collins: One bird is truly on song only in dark of night

The alarm clocks sounded early yesterday morning and drowsy enthusiasts headed out for the annual dawn chorus celebration. The avian recitals were late this year, but the music was as powerful as ever.

For purity of form and phrasing, the song thrush was our outstanding singer. Elsewhere in Europe, the top prize would go to the nightingale, but whether the world’s finest avian vocalist is a genuine dawn chorus participant is debatable. Nightingales don’t wait until morning to perform; they sing throughout the night.