Nightingale morning

On wednesday I went in search of Nightingales. Lakenheath is just outside the Ely Ten- but it may well be the best place I know to see them. Along a stretch of road that leads down to the airbase the warm still air was filled with their lilting song, which seemed to rise above the accompanying babble of garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. Blackbirds and Song Thrushes tried valiantly to compete, and Willow Warblers and Chiffchaff added their own sibilance. I watched as one male strutted about his territory, rushing to face nearby rivals- singing at them and then chasing them through the scrub.