A fragile dawn chorus

The sonic beauty of a dawn chorus – dawn after heavy rainfall on common land with scrub.

Here, the dawn chorus is at its peak: chiffchaffs, a nightingale, blackbird, lesser whitethroats, a cuckoo, willow warbler and blackcap, pheasants, a woodpigeon, a carrion crow, song thrush and a distant cockerel.

This was recorded on Lydlinch Common, Dorset, in springtime by Richard Margoschis and is included in our Sounding Nature project courtesy of the British Library.

Andy Billington has reimagined the piece:

“The original field recording is rich, full of melody, rhythm and complexity. The sound of a forgotten Britain played out every day. The soundtrack to a changing landscape, never the same, fragile and beautiful.

“I tried to capture all of this with the birdsong leading the piece and informing the decisions and shape of the track. Strings, synths, marimba and drones complement.”

City version:

Memory version: