Country diary: What is the thrust of the song thrush song? It has to be joy | Mark Cocker

Hogshaw, Derbyshire: To hear one in December isn't totally unheard of - any excuse to revel in that uplifting, deceptively simple soundIt was unmistakable: at dawn, through the bedroom window, a voice of declarative power and pure tones with a volume to rattle the glass. Did-uu ? did-uu ? did-uu, chwit, chwit chwit. It was a song thrush, and one of those rare occasions when I've heard one singing this side of Christmas. I'm tempted to add the "wrong" side, but we'll come to that.The customary seasonal order for our three breeding thrushes starting to sing is mistle, then song, with blackbird a month later. However, if we are ranking them in terms of vocal merit then that sequence is usually reversed. It must be added instantly, however, that if the vote were purely on mass approval then the song thrush would come first. Continue reading...