Shhh... Listen--the Nightingale is Singing...

There's nothing much to see in this video because the Japanese Bush Warbler is notoriously difficult to spot since he's tiny (about 15cm long) and drab (he's nearly the same color as the leaves and branches).  You're far more likely to hear than to see him.  This is his springtime breeding song--doesn't he sing beautifully?  He's sure to have the ladies swooning...;-))

Uguisu... Cettia diphone

Not my photo, as I've never been so lucky:-((  But in the Wiki photo you can see why he'd be so hard to spot.  He tends to sing from deep within the bush or tree, so once the leaves are out... well, good luck trying to spot him!  The reason the video above is panning around those bushes (at the temple where I go to pick up keys) is because I *did* see him!  I saw him fly right into those bushes!! I did!  And he hid right inside those bushes, singing his heart out.

"Hooooo-ko-ke-ko!"

He sits right over in the cherry trees across the street...

This is why hanging up laundry to dry is my favorite (if there can be such) chore.. at least, this time of year it is:-))  On a warm day, with cherry blossoms across the street, serenaded by the Japanese Nightingale... that's a household chore I don't mind at all!  This, in fact, is why he's also sometimes called the "Hanamidori"--the Spring Flower Viewing Bird... 


*Note: I think there's a new Uguisu across the street!  He's not singing the full song, and sounds tentative.  I think we have a youngun' over there practicing (gambare!)... I'll try to get him recorded, too, so's to compare.  There's a definite difference--I knew it was a different bird from past years as soon as he started singing, and wondered whether he wasn't maybe a young one just learning.  A trip to Wiki confirmed that notion:   "Young Japanese Bush Warblers do not initially perform the "hoohokekyo" song skillfully, but gradually learn to sing by imitating others in the vicinity."

Enjoy!   Hooooo-ko-ke-ko!