We are still hearing the nightingale.
We’ve got squadrons of Swifts, screeching and dashing past us… round and round our house at incredible speeds…
and at the other end of the street… the squadrons of House Martins are doing the same to the school…
the squadrons never overlap or mix… each appears to have its own territory
It’s bedlam… but in a nice way… 
Good news, the hoopoe was hooting again this morning. And yesterday we saw three in a nearby village.
2 Likes
It would probably have to stop raining for more than a day and warm in order for us to see them here in the garden, but they are/were around 
1 Like
I know what you mean ! Yesterday we had thick cloud, then sunshine, then a very dark cloud which gave us a heavy rain shower, then back to generalised clouds. Bizarre weather this year so far. The grass needs cutting Again!
1 Like
They will turn up en masse as soon as you mow, they love hunting for delicious invertebrates in newly mown grass.
Good tip, thanks Vero. As it happens the grass has grown another 20Cm since last week… mowing time again.
1 Like
We arrived in April and were greeted by the cuckoo. Sitting in the garden now in glorious sunshine and listening to it again. Dont hear them at all now in the UK so a pleasure to hear them here in the wood opposite the house.
No sign of our fledgling babies, great tits, since they rushed up, all 4 of them to greet us Just hope the fouine hasn’t played a part in their disappearance
Big day hereabouts with the bank holiday. Isn’t May just full of them.
I bought my 3 year old granddaughter a colourful bird house to hang up for her birthday recently. She absolutely loves it and sits watching for ages out of the patio door at the birds who land on it and go inside to get the seeds etc. Much more interesting than yet another Elsa or Barbie doll
1 Like
Just saw the cuckoo fly over us. So nice to see.
1 Like
My OH has just installed Merlin on his phone (finally as he is allergic to apps in general) and walks take much longer as many listening stops. It has confirmed that there are nightingales around here. We thought that’s what we were hearing as nothing else sings like them but found it hard to believe.
3 Likes
Looks like this:
Bonelli Warbler are pretty ubiquitous this time of the year but to be sure, check the sound button on the link to see if it correlates to the sound you are hearing because easy to confuse with other warblers.
? If you mean a nightingale we know what they look like, but they are incredibly hard to spot.
Just recorded this and there are other Warblers too to be discovered:
Could also be a Garden Warbler…
Also realise I’m responding to an ancient thread too…
Warblers sound nothing like nightingales. We have both. Nightingales have a much richer, varied song than brings in fancy scales. Warblers just have a pretty high pitched trilling song. Also, warblers don’t sing at night!
1 Like
I think once one has heard a nightingale you wouldn’t confuse witha warbler. We were just surprised to hear that song so far north.
2 Likes
Agreed. My comment was more for Mikey’s benefit, who queried if it could be a garden warbler. 
1 Like
…Oh thanks but I realised after the fact that I was responding to an ancient thread. I got too excited.:)
2 Likes
Excitement about bird song is good!
2 Likes
That’s what it is ! I saw one yesterday late afternoon and was intrigued by its bright white throat to tail underbelly. I was going to look it up but forgot. You saved me the bother.
1 Like