BIRDSONG
Welcome to our growing library

Click on videos for song and a picture of the bird or its habitat
Or click on the arrow on soundtrack if there is no video yet
Is there a more uplifting sound than this in the natural world?
Nightingale   Rossignol philomèle   Luscinia megarhynchos

A bird renowned for being hard to spot (and even harder to photograph!). Its loud, liquid song more than makes up for its small size (barely bigger than a sparrow) and drab appearance.
Such a rich repertoire, as demonstrated in this recording. In these parts you hear them more in the day than at night.
Great Spotted Cuckoo   Coucou geai  Clamator glandarius
This big, impressive summer visitor breeds in southern France (as well as Spain and Portugal) but is generally classed as rare in Europe. Well named in Latin - it does make a clamour! The bird in the clip below is sitting quietly but has raucous friends close by (accompanied at times by a fan-tailed warbler and nightingale). They sound nothing like the cuckoo we're familiar with in Europe.
Great Tit    Mésange charbonnière   Parus major

Bigger and more aggressive than the blue tit, he has a variety of calls, but here he has settled for a repetitive and rather shrill two syllable "song".
Wryneck        Torcol fourmilier        Jynx torquilla

For such a tiny woodpecker, this bird makes a big noise - usually from the tree or branch you can't quite see.


They love the cork and holm oaks of the Albères.


Lots pass through on migration, but some stay around and breed in the area.
Great Spotted Woodpecker  
Pic épeiche   Dendrocopos major

This common woodpecker usually makes a loud, explosive tchik! -
similar to a blackbird's alarm call - but in this recording, several woodpeckers in dispute make a fast, chattering rattle of alarm.
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker   Pic épeichette    Dendrocopos minor

The Pyrenees are at the southern edge of the main territory for this, the smallest woodpecker. It's rather more drab than its larger pied cousin, lacking the bold white shoulder patches. Males have red caps but no red on the nape of their necks or under the tail. Females have no red anywhere. Although classed as common in the Mediterranean Pyrenees, it seems more elusive than the Great Spotted.

A single tchik call can easily be mistaken for the Great Spotted if you can't see the bird. But, as at the end of the recording below, the Lesser Spotted also winds itself up into a rapid burst of tchiks, slightly reminiscent of the Wryneck.
Hoopoe        Huppe fasciée    Upupa epops

With apologies for extraneous noise early on! Usually, the hoopoe raises his crest with each hoopoopoo.
Picture
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Woodlark        Alouette lulu    Lullula arborea

These short-tailed larks are most vociferous in spring and again in early autumn, with a lovely descending trill - but they seem to sing whenever the sun shines.

They also seem to prefer open vineyards to woodland.

(About halfway through, if you think you can also hear starlings, they are red legged partridge, running through the vines.)
The Joys of Spring!

Plenty of birds in fine voice one morning in early May - attracting mates, claiming territories, and perhaps (apart from the pigeon) simply celebrating their survival of another migration.
Wryneck             Torcol fourmilier            Jynx torquilla
Wood Pigeon     Pigeon ramier               Columba palumbus
Turtle Dove        Tourterelle des bois       Streptopelia turtur
Hoopoe              Huppe fasciée               Upupa epops
Golden Oriole    L'Oriot d'Europe             Oriolus oriolus
Blackcap            Fauvette à la tête noir   Silvia atricapilla






But you may have to go no further than the garden to hear how busy (or buzzy) everyone is.
           House Sparrow    Moineau domestique   
                                        Passer domesticus

And there's that oriole again!


Great Reed Warbler     Rousserolle turdoïde     Acrocephalus arundinaceus

In 12 years, I've only heard one of these, singing from deep cover in reeds on a pond - behind the oleander in this still video. I never did see it. My book says to look out for a thrush-sized bird, which - for a warbler - is giant. Its raucous song competes well with the traffic on the main road a couple of hundred metres away. And what a song! It always makes me laugh.
Sardinian Warbler     Fauvette mélanocéphale    Sylvia melanocephala

The RSPB bird book describes this warbler's voice as a "loud, hard, short call and frequent fast, hard rattle, krr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-t; song fast, unmusical, rattling chatter with calls interspersed."

That's the dominant sound in this recording - with other noisy birds in the background.
Picture
Blackcap m (Sylvia atricapilla)
Blackcap     Fauvette à la tête noire    Sylvia atricapilla

A pretty song that seems to come from nearly every tree and bush in summertime - but the singer is elusive among the leaves.

Physically, the most striking difference between this and the Sardinian warbler above, is the lack of red ring around its eye.
Melodious Warbler   Hypoläis polyglotte    Hippolais polyglotta

My RSPB book describes this yellow and green warbler's song as a "fast, rambling, not very accomplished warble", which seems a little unkind. Despite singing only a few feet away from me in the clip below, the bird was impossible to spot in the foliage. Other species are calling all around, and you'll hear the melodious warbler start at about 6 seconds in, with a churring rattle, followed by the warble, which dominates the recording at about the 15-second mark.
Cirl Bunting    Bruant zizi    Emberiza cirlus

A little bigger than a sparrow, the male is brighter yellow than the female. The black eye-stripe and chin of his summer plumage easily distinguishes him from a yellowhammer. They love grasshoppers but if those and other insects are scarce, they will eat seeds. Their habitat is therefore "unimproved" grassland as well as areas with trees (eg. orchards) and thickets.
Green Woodpecker    Pic vert    Picus viridis

Often described as having a laughing call - or a "yaffle" -
they're as happy picking ants off the ground as off the trees.
Blackbird    Merle noir    Turdus merula

Such a melodious song - the perfect accompaniment to a relaxing, cool glass of wine in the garden, early evening.
But if danger's about, they sound the alarm, as in the second recording.
Song Thrush    Grive musicienne    Turdus philomelos

Well named in every language - its voice is arguably even more musical than the blackbird's. This one is rudely interrupted by a wryneck or two!
Raven    Grand corbeau    Corvus corax

Largest of the crow family, the 'cronk' of this one can be heard about 20 seconds into the recording.
Picture
Nuthatch    Sitelle torchepot    Sitta europaea


This smart bird is abundant throughout the Albères - the oak forest providing an ideal habitat.

Its repeated "chwit chwit chwit" is the dominant call in this recording.

They are especially partial to peanuts!
Fan-tailed Warbler   Cisticole des joncs    Cisticola juncidis

With a wingspan between 12 and 15cm and weighing in at 10g, this must be one the smallest warblers.

The book describes its song as "a repetition of a single, sharp, penetrating note given with each bound of a deeply undulating song-flight." 

That repetition can get quite irritating after a while.
Golden Oriole    L'Oriot d'Europe    Oriolus oriolus

Here he is again! It's impossible to tire from such a tropical sight and sound.
There are several calling in the video below.
Mixed in with that liquid flutey song are the more wheezy zheeee sounds.
(And a crow is adding his two centimesworth, in the background.)
Scroll down for a fine imitation by a starling.
Bee-eater    Guêpier d'Europe    Merops apiaster

These delightful, colourful and acrobatic birds often fly too high to be seen well, but their mellifluous call announces their approach from afar, and is unmistakeable.

Highly sociable, they usually nest and knock around in groups, and migrate in flocks.
Starling    Etourneau sansonnet  Sturnus vulgaris

Such great mimics of other birds. Here's a selection - some calls are more easily recognisable than others, mixed in with whistles and clicks that may be all their own.
Corn bunting  Bruant proyer  Miliaria calandra
Rather like big sparrows at a distance, they like to hang out in groups and often sing from the top of shrubs or trees. Wings tips often held down, as in the photo immediately below.
For sound, click on video below this picture.