In early May I filmed the beautiful dawn chorus at Lower Moors, roughly between 4.30 and 6am. This is not my natural biorhythm, but I found the cool night air and inky blackness exhilarating as I stepped outside. At that time, as you inhale you can taste the ever-present scent of the sea. Not even the birds were awake, but that’s the idea. The streetlights were few and far between and the darkness enveloped me as I walked away from Hugh Town. I heard my first bird of the morning - the explosive song of a Cetti’s warbler, erupting from Doily’s Wood. The sound travelled a long way in the stillness, and I heard it clearly from the road.

I turned into the nature reserve and walked on tiptoe along the path, through the over hanging trees. There was a reed warbler tuning up ahead, deep in the reedbed. This is the first bird you will hear on the video, through the reeds rustling in the wind.

As the minutes ticked by, a couple more reed warblers joined in, followed by sedge warblers. There were at least two angry Cetti’s Warblers, once a rare bird on Scilly. The song thrushes and blackbirds came next, followed by wrens, robins, dunnocks, blue and great tits and a solitary willow warbler. I didn’t hear a Chiffchaff, despite being the most ringed bird on Scilly. Pheasants and woodpigeons joined in about 5.20am - the local roosters didn't get going until nearly 6am! A moorhen scared the life out of me - it squealed behind me and then nearly ran across my foot in the gloaming.

The chorus peaked just before dawn, as the sky began to streak with pink. I never saw another soul. It was a wonderfully relaxing time, and I hope you can find a quiet half an hour to share it with me....