06/11/2026
At 4:45 AM, before first light,
the Robin starts singing alone.
By 6:00 AM, the full chorus is at maximum volume —
six species, one overlapping wall of sound.
The order never changes:
Robin → Blackbird → Great Tit → Blue Tit → Wren → Blackcap.
The Robin goes first because of its large eyes.
It can see in lower light levels than any other garden bird —
so it starts singing before dawn while every other bird is still silent.
The Blackbird is the most inventive.
No two phrases are ever the same.
No other garden bird comes close to that level of improvisation.
The Wren is the most surprising —
a torrent of mechanical notes from a bird smaller than your fist,
producing one of the loudest sounds per body weight of any bird on Earth.
The Blackcap and Chiffchaff arrive last at 6:00 AM,
singing high in the canopy to bring the chorus to full volume.
This window closes in mid-June.
You have maybe 2 weeks left to hear it at full strength.
