IT was up with the sun for a group of countryside enthusiast from Tenbury and the Teme Valley.

Fifty eight people from Tenbury and the surrounding area celebrated National Dawn Chorus Day with an early morning conducted walk around Milson Wood.

Keith Cowieson, the director of the charity Songbird Survival, led the group and helped with the identification of the birdsong of many species.

These included the less often heard Goldcrest, as well as other better known birds such as Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, and Song Thrushes.

Milson Wood is an ancient woodland area that was mentioned in the Domesday Book and more recently some of its exceptional oaks built the New Globe Theatre.

The walkers topped off the feast of birdsong with a welcome breakfast of bacon and sausage baps, tea and coffee.

They raised £750 for Songbird Survival which funds research into the decline of small birds in the countryside and towns.