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Loud bird singing at night in London (1 Viewer)

clongwor

Active member
I just got back from a trip to London--it is late January and cold and dark and around midnight each night this weekend there has been a bird singing for hours outside the hotel window. At first I thought it was someone with a whistle or bird call, but then realized it was a real bird. The hotel is on the Embankment and there is a floodlight shining on the facade which I thought might be attractive to a bird that stays up all night.
The only non-pigeon bird I've seen in the trees is a pair of smallish plain birds flitting around.
What could it be? I'm not up on my British birds!

Carolyn
 
Sounds like a Nightingale! You know the old song "A Nightingale Sings in Berkley Square"? They are very ordinary brown birds, to the best of my knowledge, like you described. I expect some of the British birders will have the answer as soon as it is morning over there. Have fun in London.
 
It will not be a Nightingale as it is a summer visitor. The most likely culprit for the midnight singing is a Robin, they sing all night in some places.
 
Robin.

Sorry to disappoint everyone but even if this was the height of summer there is no chance of hearing a nightingale in Berkeley Square.
 
Why not blackbird, the first ones started to sing in the cities already here?

Yellowish-orange lamp light can make them look alittle bit brownish...

Jörn
 
Joern Lehmhus said:
Why not blackbird, the first ones started to sing in the cities already here?

Yellowish-orange lamp light can make them look alittle bit brownish...

Jörn
Hi Jörn,

If they've started singing already in London, yes, that's possible. They haven't up here yet (and don't usually until mid February) - much later than Song & Mistles, which both start singing in November

Michael
 
Thanks, everyone! I listened to sound bites of all the candidates, and I think the bird I heard might have been a robin. I could hear it very distinctly even though the windows were closed, drapes shut and there was a lot of street traffic. It must have kept hidden in the shrubbery during the day because I think I would have noticed a robin in the daylight.

Around here, only the Northern Mockingbird sings all night and usually only in the middle of summer.

Carolyn in Massachusetts
 
It's got to be a Robin or a Mistle Thrush or a Song Thrush or a Blackbird, if it's not one of these then it can only be "The Nightingale that sang in Berkley Square".
I know it's already been mentioned, but I just had to say it.

nirofo.
 
I would cast a vote for Robin too. Here in Fife a few Blackbirds have started to sing with first light but we have had a Robin singing for about 2 weeks now. I have twice heard it sing at around midnight- from shrubs below a nearby street-lamp. In the quiet of night the song appears louder than at other times-but then again a West Fife village is hardly London. ;)
 
I walked home at 4 am a few weeks ago and I heard at least 3 robins singing, I almost stepped on one on the pavement. It is well known that they sing at night, usually near lights.

Steve
 
I suppose a migrant might stop off for one night in B square, but whether it would sing I rather doubt. They are becoming increasingly hard to hear even in rural areas, certainly around east Surrey.
I believe that robins are unusual in that they defend territories throughout the year (both males and females in winter). They can often be seen having a physical confrontation... but of course singing is less damaging.
Other passerines will sing at night time as spring advances... we had a Cetti's warbler near us a few years ago and that would sing through the darkness.
 
Groan!!! Michael Frankis. You have ruined a magic notion I had of Nightingales singing all around LondonTown, even in the middle of winter. I have never known the words to the song, only the refrain and formed my own little vision. Plonk.............right back down to earth.
But, Baby, its dreary and boring downhere, I'd rather stay in Dreamland.
 
Where you're talking about, I think Robin too.
Quite the most beautiful (and loud) song.
Got to be one of my favourite birds for its trust in humans and inquisitiveness.
Bear in mind too that it's midnight - quite a lot of things singing around there that time of night.
Probably just got in from the Sherlock Holmes?
B :)
 
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Hahahahha! I don't think they allow robins in the Sherlock Holmes! They probably don't allow any birds to buy drinks in the pubs, especially mynahs. There's enough wildlife with the humans in there.

Next time I'm bringing my binoculars. The only time I've seen your robin was in Clovelly in the summer. Over here in Massachusetts, the only bird singing at night is the mockingbird and only when he's trying to impress the ladies. He's got too much sense (or not enough joie de vivre) to be singing in the winter! I can't wait to see my second English robin!

appletreejohn said:
Where you're talking about, I think Robin too.
Quite the most beautiful (and loud) song.
Got to be one of my favourite birds for its trust in humans and inquisitiveness.
Bear in mind too that it's midnight - quite a lot of things singing around there that time of night.
Probably just got in from the Sherlock Holmes?
B :)
 
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