One of my favourite rites of spring is taking in the dawn chorus — the exuberant morning bird concert that begins about an hour before sunrise.

This past Sunday, my friend Brian Wales and I drove to the large marsh at the north end of Fairbairn Street — an area offering diverse habitats — to enjoy the performance. We arrived at 4:20 a.m. beneath a bright, third-quarter moon, just as the eastern sky was just beginning to illuminate. With the scent of balsam poplar in the air, we armed ourselves with paper, pencils, a Thermos of coffee and the Merlin Sound ID app, then settled in to wait for the performance to begin.

At 4:27 a.m., the first bird burst into song — a willow flycatcher. Four minutes later, a robin joined in, followed quickly by a swamp sparrow, northern yellow warbler, common yellowthroat, veery, grey catbird and song sparrow. We were off to the races.

The morning lineup took an unexpected turn at 4:54 a.m. with the welcome arrival of two surprise voices: an indigo bunting and an American bittern. By 5 a.m., the cacophony of sound was at its peak, with 18 different species singing, many all at once.

The Merlin Sound ID app made sure we didn’t miss a thing. Each time the app detects a new voice, a “photo card” featuring the bird’s name and image pops up. When the bird sings again, the card flashes yellow. As Merlin processed the often-overlapping melodies, four or more cards would often flash yellow at the exact same moment as multiple birds sang simultaneously. The screen was a blur of activity. Had we not already known these songs by heart, it would have been nearly impossible to untangle which sound belonged to which bird.

By 5:30 a.m., our count had climbed to 30 species, though the intensity of the chorus was........

© Peterborough Examiner