A Nightingale Sang in Rural Shires

I may be wrong; I may be right

But I'm perfectly willing to swear

That when you turned and smiled at me

A nightingale sang in Rural Shire.

Sunday morning saw a Nightingale announce its arrival in the old railway cutting just diagonally across from Abode Major in the Rural Shires. At first with my head in the garage tinkering with the Bentley I thought to myself, "I'm sure that sounded different from the usual cacophony of country birdsong", had a quick look about only to note a thrush alighting on next door's roof. Back into the garage. Then again the song. This time the blighter kept singing and I managed to focus the sound down to one or two bushes - it was unmistakeably a Nightingale, first of the spring and first within the village for all the 13 years we've been here.

The thing about Nigthingales is that they are largely invisible, just great songs emanating from thick cover, most often in woodland. Armed with the ever accurate Leicas I set forth to see if I could catch a brief glimpse of the songster only to discover him sat about 12 ft up a scrubby willow just coming into leaf and affording great views.

The bird is similar in shape to a Robin (part of the same family) but is around an inch longer. No red breast but warm brown on the back and head with velvety grey throat, breast and underparts. The long tail is the plumage highlight being a bright rusty-red.

So, nothing much of note from a plumage perspective but the song is something special! And this chap hasn't let us down. Snippets of song have been heard most of the day and at night he has really come alive singing through the night time silence - and so loud! On the first night Eldest Daughter couldn't sleep and landed up recording the Nightingale's song on her phone simply by leaning out of the window at one o'clock in the morning! Son and Heir who was home brief from Uni complained about that "bloody bird" as he's a fresh air freak and sleeps with all the windows open - whatever the month or temperature.

I can hear you all asking what exactly does a Nightingale sound like? How do I know if I hear one? Describing any sound in words isn't easy. How would you describe the Beetles? Or the Spice Girls? I'll therefore call upon the experts to offer their descriptions:

" The song, remarkable for its richness and variety and the extraordinary vigour of its delivery, consists of a succession of repetitive phrase, mostly in quick time and many much quicker than any other first rate British songster. Most striking are the extremely rapid, loud "chooc-chooc-chooc-chooc-chooc..." and the fluty, much higher pitched "pioo" repeated rather slowly in a magnificent crescendo". PAD Hollom, The Popular Handbook of British Birds, 4th Ed., 1982.

"Song is rich, loud and musical, each note rapidly repeated several times; most characteristic notes, a deep, bubbling 'chook-chook-chook' and a slow 'piu, piu, piu', rising to a brilliant crescendo". R Petersen, G Mountfort, PAD Hollom, A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe, 4th Ed, 1983.

"Song is very characteristic and far-carrying, often audible at 1km: contains clear indrawn whistles, 'tinny' fluted 'jook' notes and rattling sequences, each theme repeated mechanically several times". Birds of Europe, L Jonsson, 1992.

So there - obvious now isn't it...not! Keys are the chook-chooks, the rapid speed and the volume.

Happy listening!

LC James

Landlocked

28th April 2010