I live in one of the city centre flats surrounding the peace gardens and a few times when ive come home late or early i can hear birds. Ive heard them from about midnight onwards, i know about the dawn corus but surely this is too early for that.
Has anyone else heard them or am i going mad. I wasnt drunk.

Are you sure its not later than midnight?

The dawn does start earlier than you might imagine if you are not used to being up in the early hours.

I know exactly what you mean!! I hear it too. It's like the sound of birds you hear in the summer when they are cheapping away. I have no idea where it comes from but i haven't really seen any birds around!

It'll be starlings, I bet. You get the same thing round the cathedral in the trees. They make one hell of a din as they liberally decorate the cars below.

They seem to come to life when it gets dark.

One problem is streetlights confusing the birds. Scientists are aware of the problem caused by streetlighting and other light pollution in cities at night, which prevents the birds from sleeping. They think dawn is breaking and start singing.

The lights we like on at night are a real problem for all sorts of animals. Migrating birds get confused as the lights attract and disorientate them. Meanwhile owls and other night hunters which rely on darkness for stealth are having trouble catching their prey in lit areas.

For more information check out www.dark-skies.org which lists the problems to people, animals and the environment caused by excessive lighting.