YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

The jewel in the crown of California’s national parks is Yosemite, which was discovered 1855 and declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1984. Its big showpieces are the Half Dome, the 9,000ft peak. If you’re fit you may like to hike it, which is a 12-hour round trip.

The next big crowd puller is the dramatic rock formation El Capitan, the largest single granite rock on Earth.

And in Mariposa Grove you’ll find the 500 giant sequoia trees which are among the oldest living organisms on Earth.

You can even stay in delightful cabins set among them.

nps.gov/yose

The speckled song thrush loves the sound of its voice so much that every phrase it sings is repeated with gusto.

And nothing heralds spring with as much fanfare as this wonderful chorister with a voice that belies its diminutive stature.

Before the first snowdrops are peeking through the soil or the paperboy is delivering Sunday papers in the morning light, the song thrush has already established an elevated perch to deliver its sunrise wake-up call.

As loud as a bugle call, the thrush’s song is strident, with each note rolled out at least twice – on occasions up to five times – to attract a mate and defend its territory from interlopers.

For most of the year, these subtly beautiful birds are defined by their furtive behaviour. Dark woodland glades or shady garden borders are their domain, perfect patches to forage for slugs and snails.

Back in my youth, I remember regularly coming across the shattered remains of snails broken open by hungry thrushes on so-called anvil stones.

Sadly, the last time I saw one of these miniature natural wonders in a garden setting is lost in the mists of my memory.

An indication of how song thrushes are losing their status as garden fixtures is made clear in the recent publication of the State of the UK’s Birds 2020.

The highly respected annual report describes how 25 years ago song thrushes were being recorded at more than half the properties surveyed by the British

Trust for Ornithology’s Garden BirdWatch scheme.

But last year, song thrushes were seen in a mere 15% of gardens during January, their peak month, while the figure crashed to just 3% in September.

Scientists say the reasons for the marked decline remain a mystery, but the way many householders are distancing themselves from the joys of gardening must be having an impact.

The obsession with block-paving, decking and plastic lawns, along with the use of pest controls, means there are fewer garden spaces as well as the juicy invertebrate riches that make up a large part of the song thrush’s diet.

‘‘ Dark woodland glades or shady borders are their domain