Golden oriel

[mooky]

I have just heard the wonderful sound thats says the golden oriel is back again. Same first hearing date as last year.

[Frogslegs]

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.

[trees 2]

What does one sound like? I've camped in a wood in the Charente, no more than 30km from our house in 87, and been kept awake by nightingales.

Meanwhile, at the house, we have tits, chaffinches and a pesky Black Redstart that makes a noise like someone rubbing dried  leaves together[:(]

I 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............

[Danny]

Golden Oriole - listen to the call on this RSPB page

Hoopoe on this page

Now practice and repeat...

Danny

[chris pp]

"" 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

 

[Patf]

And they fly very fast. You just see a flash of gold swooping from one tree to the next, if you're lucky.

[mint]

[quote user="Jane and Danny"]

Golden Oriole - listen to the call on this RSPB page

Hoopoe on this page

Now practice and repeat...

Danny

[/quote]

Thanks for the link, absolutely brilliant!

[Frogslegs]

Well, our first summer renting the gites, our guests kept asking me "what bird is that"? even though we do enjoy birdwatching.....I had never heard this one! It sounded more like a an exotic caged bird, we presumed it had escaped! The following year the same bird song arrived in May, so with binoculars ready we investigated further, and delighted to see two yellow birds larger than a blackbird!

[Mauhoum]

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