Bird watchers have a unique opportunity to enjoy a wildlife experience to celebrate international dawn chorus day.

Visitors to the WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes can join one of the early-morning guided tours to listen to the birds sing as the sun rises over the reed beds, lakes and ponds.

The walks will meander through the 105-acre wildlife centre as the sun comes up.

Reserve manager Adam Salmon says: “It’s always about the same time this year for about four weeks.

“The summer birds are arriving en masse and when they arrive they make the most noise, so this is the best time for birdsong without a doubt.

“There will be more species you are likely to see than at any other time.”

He will be joined by three other guides who will take four groups of about 20 people through the reserve and help them identify the birds by their song.

He says: “We will stop every now and then for people to ask anything they like – it is quite informal.

“It’s amazing how everyone keeps their voices down because they want to hear the start of the birdsong.

“When you hear the very first birds it is quite magical.

“It is a bit like an orchestra because you go through bit-by-bit and hear the first birds like the blackbirds and robins and by the time you reach the centre it is alive with about 15 to 20 species all singing.”

At the end of the walk, which will last just over an hour, attendees can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a bacon roll before heading off out again for a day of self-guided bird watching.

Dawn Chorus; WWT London Wetland Centre, Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, Barnes; April 27, 5am and 5.15am, gates open at 4.30am; £20 (plus admission); call 020 8409 4400, visit wwt.org.uk.