Tweeting an Earthquake

Was dawn chorus already under way, as I lay warm and snug, thinking about the day ahead and what it might bring? Then a growling rumble took centre stage. Did the birds stop singing, if indeed they had been mid song? First thought, it must be thunder. But when it carried on, second thought, maybe a Ffestiniog down train? When I reached the window it was silent, no train in sight and now the birds were definitely in full voice.

I settled back into bed and we discussed what on earth it could have been. Being a modern man of the Vale of Ffestiniog I reached for my SmartPhone and Tweeted my #earthquake report sparking off replies of similar soundings from Caernarfon, Dolgellau and Barmouth. 3.8 on the Richter scale on the Llyn Peninsula, the sort of tremor expected in the UK once every one or two years.

All very interesting BUT had the earthquake prompted the birds to sing, were they just tweeting like me? I Googled ‘birdsong and earthquakes’ taking me to an item on the RSPB site ‘If a bird is suddenly awakened by a sudden noise like thunder, fireworks, earthquake, wartime bombing etc, even a sudden shaking of its roosting tree, it may burst into song.’ I guess the only way to check is to set my alarm for 4 tomorrow morning and listen out.