As we went to sleep last night we heard a nightingale singing. D awoke at 2am and the nightingale was still singing though our bird book says they sing most consistently at dawn and dusk.

In the morning we wondered if it was two birds, perhaps singing at each other from different directions, territory-calling. I’ve never seen a nightingale, they are the drabbest brown birds though the adults have a reddish-brown tail. Its song is so unstructured it is impossible to define in the usual language of bird song. All I know is it is the sweetest thing to listen to at night as I drift off to sleep.

5 to remember
el ruiseñor – the nightingale
anoche – last night
canta – it sings
el amanecer – the dawn
el anochecer – the dusk

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
A nightingale sings and sings #Birds in #Spain via @Spanish_Valley http://wp.me/p3dYp6-aD