What is it about the silence of a global crisis that makes us finally take note of the beauty of birdsong readily available upon our doorsteps?

On this episode of The Essay, it’s springtime in the Vale of Whittingham and we’re up early to admire the awakening of nature as the sun rises. But which birds will be present for this year’s dawn chorus - will there be redstarts, blackcaps and garden warblers?

The lockdown through the spring of 2020 gave much space for reflection about life; and for wildlife sound recordist Geoff Sample an opportunity to review the five-year period spent in the remote and quiet Northumbrian home he sought out, to record and study the birdsong of a typical rural garden.

This five-part series, ‘A Birdsong Garden’ is a mix of memoir, natural history, folklore, birdsong and spacious soundscapes. Geoff takes us through the four seasons of the year, considering how living close to and listening intently to nature can enrich our lives.

Presenter and Producer: Geoff Sample
Executive Producer: Clare Freeman
Commissioned for Culture in Quarantine, funded and supported by The Space Arts, BBC Arts and Arts Council England. Show less