Flatford Lock, Flatford Lock, a path by a river - 3rd May 2026

Myself and Matt Shenton headed down to Flatford in the pitch black at 4am to set up fr the annual Reveil Dawn Chorus Global Stream, light came quickly and stealthily once it started, as did the birds, many birds were heard and seen including a Kingfisher, the Merlin bird app detected a Curlew but we were so sure about that, and then came colour, and then the coffee and croissants, I was woefully underprepared.

​Off-peak the natural world carries on regardless of our observations, the gates to the Car Park open in a few hours and the joggers and dog walkers are not out yet, we all have our motivations for getting out of doors, of bed.

The white noise of the Mill Race a constant, last nights rain almost a run away or evaporated, Blackcap and Mistle Thrush, Goldfinch and Wren, might have a renaissance as the geopolitical outlook is looking particularly grim and dangerous, if civilisation implodes it should hand the baton of dominance back to the birds, I doubt they’ll be singing our song in the future, a very small spider like the kind that used to frequent wooden windowsills in the 90’s crawls around my cuff, and then inside it, moments later it has decided that wasn’t a good idea so it crawls back out again and up my arm towards my collar. 

I stop writing to just sit and listen for the last half an hour. 

On my walk back to the car I see a lady jogging with a large dog, and two ladies that have opened the gate to the car park. ‘Morning!’

Stuart Bowditch · Flatford Lock From A Path - 3rd May 2026 (excerpt)