Yes they arrived last week, each year for 7 years they return and tend to nest in the same trees. Lovely sound along with the hoopoes.
Golden Oriole - listen to the call on this RSPB page
Hoopoe on this page
Now practice and repeat...
Danny
"" hardly EVER hear blackbirds and can't remember the last songthrush I heard.......and whatever happened to skylarks and yellowhammers? I would have thought that the Haute Vienne pasture land would be PERFECT for skylarks.""
Pasture isn't really very good at all for skylarks, it's too lush, remember that a skylark has to find it's nest so a habitat which is poor and sparsely covered is more favourable. I see loads of them and crested larks as well although they do have a problem with the reduction / eradication of "set aside" land. Where there is cereal cultivation this is often ideal.
Four pairs of Song thrushes in our "garden", the males are high in their trees shouting outside all day long, same for Blackbirds, no shortage on my patch. Yellow hammers are a slightly different issue and are on decline in France but you will still see them where the habitat structure is right, same for Corn bunting. On the other hand, no shortage of Cirl buntings and as for Black caps, we have seven pairs nesting this year at the last count.
Nice one Mooky, lovely song, lovely bird - just a bit hard to see once all the leaves are on the trees.
Chris
Jane and Danny wrote: Golden Oriole - listen to the call on this RSPB page Hoopoe on this page Now practice and repeat... Danny
Thanks for the link, absolutely brilliant!
Golden Oriels are quite difficult to see, as they tend to live right at the top of tall trees. Now and then you'll see them flying from tree to tree and occasionally on the ground, as I did once while out on my mountainbike. It didn't notice me until I was about a foot away, such a beautiful bird, very exotic!
I work in the vines, and hear them all day long, as well as Hoopoes.
Tony
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