On Mon, 12 Feb 2007, Larry Stoter wrote:

Today at about 1 a.m. I was astonished to hear what I thought was a
nightingale here in Normandy. Is this possible? Has anyone else heard a
nightingale this early in the year?

So unlikely as to be virtually impossible. Nightingales winter south of
the sahara and the earliest arrivals in Europe are late March.

Agreed, though the seasons are all awry these days and we have had
blackbirds and chaffinches mating since early January. It could just be
that the nightingale was blown northwards early on the southerly winds
this year.

In
addition, nightingales sing at dusk and dawn, not in the middle of the
night.

That's what I always thought.

Most likely to be a songthrush or possibly a blackbird, stimulated
either by bright artificial lighting or perhasp a bright, clear full
moon.

It was a dull night with heavy rain out in the country! I also thought
that it might be the blackbird or a song thrush - but it didn't sound
like them.

I'll listen out again tonight.

David

--
David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk
Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France