Dawn Chorus by Anna Scott

We’ll admit that not all of us here at Inspirations HQ are early risers. Especially with our mornings getting quite cold of late, some of us are more content to stay tucked in a nice warm bed than get up and watch the break of dawn. 

Bird lovers and early risers alike will be familiar with the cacophony of song which greets their ears on a sunny morning.

More common in the spring and summer months, the dawn chorus is produced by many different bird species, all singing their little hearts out as if in celebration of the new day.

However, the dawn chorus isn’t just music to our ears. It is actually an expression of a territorial claim, as well as an important element in finding a suitable mate. Singing loudly uses a lot of energy, so female birds will favour males who have the strength to lift their voices above others.

The dawn chorus is also believed to occur at that hour because the insects are not yet buzzing, the light it not yet good enough to fly and the predators are not yet on the prowl.

As the sun comes up and the air gets warmer, the chorus fades as the birds fly off to their daily activities.

The dawn chorus happens all over the world. In Australia we’re often woken by magpies and kookaburras; in Britain it will be song thrushes and blackbirds, while in the USA depending on where you live, the dawn chorus might be led by cardinals and robins.

Anna Scott’s project ‘Dawn Chorus’ from Inspirations magazine issue #106 is inspired by this wonderful natural phenomenon.

Her striking crewelwork songbird is lifting his head and thrusting out his breast in such a way that if you close your eyes, you can almost hear his voice. As he is likely looking for a mate whilst scaring off any potential rivals, his wings are raised and his exquisite tail feathers are splayed for all the world to see.

Anna is well known for her wonderfully vibrant crewel designs and Dawn Chorus does not disappoint. Her selection of deliciously muted tones for the bird’s body and the surrounding foliage ensure that the brilliance of the tail feathers is the first thing to catch your eye.

Incorporating various crewel stitches such as trellis stitch, wheatear stitch and long and short stitch, Anna’s piece is packed with texture and bursting with detail.

One of the things we love about this project is that once you’ve stitched it, you can turn it into a gorgeous tote bag. What could be better than showing off your embroidery every time you head to the shops or go out for a walk?

Lots of us are lacking wall space for the many projects we want to do, so making a tote bag is the perfect solution.

Heading out into nature is one of the best things we can do for our mental health and, especially as the weather gets warmer for our northern hemisphere stitching family, taking the time to enjoy the dawn chorus seems like a wonderful way to do it.

Even we could force our way out of our cosy beds to immerse ourselves into the music of nature. Of course, we would have to have our Dawn Chorus tote, holding a thermos of hot coffee and perhaps a warm croissant or two…

Dawn Chorus by Anna Scott is a handy tote showcasing a pretty songbird in engrossing crewel embroidery.