Tweetsters
One reason I have taken special notice of the swallows in the morning is the general lack of a dawn chorus, at least in my neighborhood. In the midwest, in late May and June, early dawn to sunup is a time of bedlam in birdsville. In my old neighborhood, cardinals and robins led the way with grosbeaks, orioles, and warblers adding to the mix. So many birds are calling at a time that it's hard to identify them. In areas where diversity is high, Breeding Bird Survey stops can be extremely confusing. It was one of the benefits of having a baby in the spring and an excellent reason to walk the dog at sunup.

Do people hear a dawn chorus elsewhere on the wet side? Does it happen in areas of diverse habitat on the east side?

John Fleckenstein
Olympia