It was the nightingale that inspired John Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale”, a poem said to be “the nearest to perfection”. Listening to the birds chattering on 23 April, it was not hard to see how the beautiful bird song stirred his imagination. The nightingale’s call seemed to come from a distant, tropical place, standing out from other British birds with its stunning chorus comprised of trills, whistles and gurgles. This is perhaps appropriate, as the nightingale is at the heart of the ancient myth of Philomela, the princess of Athens, whose sister Procne was turned into a bird.

In Oundle we are lucky to be but a short distance from two or three nightingales in the Glapthorn Cow Pastures, where it is possible to hear the birds sing regularly. The nightingales tend to sing when the air is warm and still, however, their song is particularly noticeable at night because there are fewer birds singing.

This is confirmed by Nick Penny, who says on his website that on 23 April the nightingales were “singing in competition” at the Cow Pastures. However, nightingales frequently sing during the day as well. The unpaired male nightingales sing at night, with the nocturnal call attracting a mate. Once the birds have found a mate, they will stop singing. The birds are also thought to be defending their territory when singing at dawn, one hour before sunrise.

Nightingales are rarely seen because they tend to hide away in thick coppice woodland or scrub. However, if you do see one, you will find that they have a surprisingly dowdy appearance compared to their lustrous song. Nightingales have a bright red russet tail, rich upper brown parts and wings with paler brown feathers underneath. They feed mainly on insects that they find on the forest floor in both Africa and Britain, as they migrate to Europe in the summer.