I was awake at 5am and could hear the song of a nightingale in the garden
outside our apartment. I decided to get up and sit on the patio.
It was a glorious morning, sunny and with the temperature around 18'C even so
early. Looking across the valley I could see olive groves, gardens and
woodland. Yesterday evening at least four scops owls were calling nearby, but
this morning it was over to the songbirds.
The nightingale was now so loud that it nearly burst my ear drums, almost
right overhead, but I couldn't see it. Blackcaps and blackbirds were also
singing heartily nearby, a single cirl bunting churred and a hoopoe called
distantly, then suddenly an unseen golden oriole burst into song. All around I
could hear the jingle of serins.
Then, just as I'd almost given up seeing them, two bright yellow orioles
chased each other past me and disappeared into the woodland opposite. It still
was barely 6am. What an experience !
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