Early start for blackbirds

I have commented before about the pleasure one can get from listening from birdsong and some species start singing before dawn. One such is the blackbird. Sometimes I awake early, today being an example and a blackbird started its melody at 4.26! This is nothing unusual at this time of year but it seems as if the song is a little gentler, not quite so penetrating as before.


Now I've always understood that birds tend to sing in spring when they are establishing territories and attracting mates. But I guess that the whole question of why they do it is more complex. Do some birds also sing for pleasure? Not for the first time I am amazed at the sheer variety of sounds different bird species produce from what one would imagine are physically similar voice boxes.

Still on the subject of our feathered friends I had the pleasure of seeing not just one but four kingfishers flying one after the other down by our river bank the other day. What a moment that was!