Living in Greece

The nightbird

April 13, 2008 at 22:07 ·

Photo from www.rios-galegos.com

Our proximity to the mountains and trees, when they’re not on fire every summer, makes it possible to breathe clean air and enjoy sounds reminiscent of a village, despite the main road nearby. I await nightfall and the sound of the nightbird.

I came to know the nightbird’s call when I lived in a village outside Olympia. The first lesson I got — delivered calmly, as if to explain drinking a glass of water — was how to handle a snake when (not if) one falls on me in the garden. Not easily frightened, but not a lover of snakes either, I paid close attention and tried to stay away from all trees and arches with growing vines. A half hour later, a snake fell on my boyfriend’s father; he beat it with a stick and paraded around the limp trophy before throwing it in the trash.

Later, I had the chance to view a tzitziki (cicada) from up close after my boyfriend scouted an unsuspecting target on a tree, pounced like a panther and caught it gently between his fingers. “No kill,” he said. After being deafened many a times in summer, I was surprised to see such a small bug, and a rather adorable gray spotted one at that. Observation complete, he was free to go.

After sundown, there was a distinctive ‘birp’ noise in the distance, which could be heard at consistent intervals and sounded solitary. “What kind of bird is that, and is it calling for another bird?” I asked.

“It’s the nightbird. Maybe he’s calling for a mate,” said my companions. “Sorry, I don’t know the English word.”

Night after night, this nightbird called out, only to hear nothing in return. And yet, his call never weakened or ceased. It was many weeks later when one ‘birp’ was finally answered by a higher pitched ‘birp,’ going back and forth for hours, until silence fell into darkness. We assumed it was a happy ending.

For the past month, that cute little ‘birp’ has come back to make me smile. Thanks to Spyro, who is a birding expert, I now know this is a Otus scops (Scops owl) and what it looks like, but I still like to call him the nightbird.

No matter what chaos I experience during the day, I can come home at night and listen to the persistent, simple and sweet ‘birp’ of the nightbird, reminding me that some things change a lot, but others remain happily the same.

*Sadly, I moved away and can no longer hear him calling. Miss you, birdy.

Related posts

“Owl in the House!” – Rice, beans & pastichio
“Bugs and beaches”
“Tired of being tasty”

http://bit.ly/nightbirdGR

Permalink

Is the bird known as a “nychterini”?

Kat Reply:
April 13th, 2008 at 23:28

P – In Greek, it’s known as Γκιώνης or gionis. That’s a good question. I’ll ask Spyro or he may show up and answer himself.

The tzitziki is also known as Yoghurt with garlic and cucumber! [We xenoi find great amusement in what seem like similar names]

Kat Reply:
April 13th, 2008 at 23:30

FMS – LOL! A decade ago, I thought they sounded too much alike as well, but can now joke about it like you — in fact, I put it on the “You know you’re NOT Greek if…” list to poke fun at those who don’t know the difference.

P.S. Even sites like the Food Network spell it wrong. Can you imagine a recipe for bug dip?

Thanks for the Gionis sound! Made me feel a little happier and a little homesick…

Maria

Kat Reply:
April 14th, 2008 at 21:34

Hi Maria, focus on the happy part

That’s really a great bird-what a dreamy “birp”. It’s much better than the screech owl that sits outside of my room and scares my daughter. Want to trade?

Kat Reply:
April 14th, 2008 at 21:35

C – Isn’t it cute? Sorry, I don’t want to trade for a screech owl, especially after you made it sound soooo good!

The tzitziki noise is less nice, although it is the ring tone of my Greek mobile [called cicada on the menu].

I have also encountered this nyxterini name [and call] and I told Greek friends that it was an owl, so I suppose it is a popular name for the Gionis. Perhaps it is another species of owl, though.

Kat Reply:
April 14th, 2008 at 21:36

FMS – I have that ring tone as an option, but I think it sounds terrible. I’d rather hear the real thing if given a choice. After seeing how adorable they are, I’m a little more amiable with their noise. Spyros told me he hasn’t heard the name nyxterini before in reference to this gioni, so I suppose that’s a question left unanswered at the moment.

Sounds a little like the owls we hear up at our cabin, quite soothing…ciao

Kat Reply:
April 14th, 2008 at 21:38

R – It is nice. Might be the same kind of owl. They’re not only in Europe and Asia.

The tzitziki is also called “Tzitzika” “gee-gee-ka”.

Kat Reply:
April 14th, 2008 at 19:09

When written for pronunciation purposes, it must be literal so I believe it’s more like, “dzee dzee ka” or “jee jee ka.” I realize you meant gee as in “gee whiz” with a ‘j’ sound (which is an exception). But without qualifying it as such, the ‘g’ assumes regular pronunciation, as in ‘go.’ In any case, this post is about the very adorable Otus scops owl.

It’s all Turkish to me.

About bird names in Greek: ”Owls” are called “κουκουβάγιες” (or “γλαύκες” in ancient Greek-καθαρεύουσα).

The 3 most common species of Owls in Greek are:

1. Scops Owl (Otus scops): Γκιώνης
2.Little Owl (Aethene noctua): Κουκουβάγια. The bird that represents goddess Athena and the city of Athens, which is also the bird in the 1 euro greek coin!
3. Tawny Owl (Stix aluco): Χουχουριστής (because of the characteristic call whoo-whoo)

Kat Reply:
April 14th, 2008 at 21:38

S – I love going to your site and looking at the photos, and it’s a learning experience. The whoo whoo owl is near my house also in a different tree.

It’s a lovely sound.

Kat Reply:
April 14th, 2008 at 21:39

DB – Isn’t it?

Dag nabit, it isn’t loading for me (nothing on YouTube is at the moment)! And I loves me some birdy noises. I have yet to see an owl here, they were my favorites back home.

Is that cicada like Southern U.S. cicadas? I can’t really tell from the picture. The kind that leave their shells behind on the trees?

Kat Reply:
April 14th, 2008 at 21:38

It is a cicada, but there are so many different types that it may not be quite the same.

Finally! How sweet sounding, and a little forlorn. Here’s hoping it was a happy ending.

Kat Reply:
April 14th, 2008 at 21:40

Mel – Hopefully it was a happy ending. I like to think so.

Hey Kat – love the owl sounds. Also your story, which brought back some funny memories. We once spent a year in a village house that had a bunch of almond trees in the avli (and yes, I did see snakes drop out of those trees). One day, we heard a cacaphony of bird sounds, frantic, wild bird sounds coming from one of the almond trees. The sounds kept getting louder, so we went to look. A snake was up in the tree, and was surrounded by the screeching birds. More birds kept arriving in the tree until the snake finally fell out of the tree and slithered away. Bird power in action.

Kat Reply:
April 15th, 2008 at 22:42

Laurie – Hello, nice to see you here! Thank you for saying that about the snakes. I tell this story to people, and they think I’m making stuff up. The timing of the snake falling was classic, really, and thankfully not on me. Great story about bird power. Spyro has some photos of conflicts between birds on his site (not snakes), which he caught in action.

I know exactly what you mean as I was raised in a village 4 km away from the city of Veria! Especially the concert of the tzitzikia in the summer brings back memories!!!!

As for the owls, when i did my military service in the Forest of Dadia in Evros, I saw a Eagle-owl(Μπούφο!) at 3 metres! It was very impressive!!!

Kisses

Kat Reply:
April 15th, 2008 at 22:42

S – Ela, up close and personal. Although I have often been forced to yell while sitting under a tree in summer, I’ve also gotten used to certain sounds and welcome them as part of changing seasons. Sort of an announcement or song. For now, I’m enjoying the nightbird…and here in Athens, no less. Filakia

Lovely post, with a “birp” that made me smile. I like the (relatively?) new photo at the top of your blog too – it all looks very very cool.

Kat Reply:
April 15th, 2008 at 22:43

ADV – Makes me smile too.

Sweet sound – can’t wait to get back this summer.

Kat Reply:
April 18th, 2008 at 20:44

P – Hi! Nice to see you again.

Hi Kat my old grandma use to tell me when i was a child…Do you hear Gionis? There is a legend about this bird and it has a greek name. You can usually hear this bird on summer and especially in the villages. If i remember right the legend says that there were 2 brothers that they had a great bond between them,One (gionis – γκιόνης) was lost and the other was searching for him calling his name every night. and in order for the legend to survive…he became a bird calling him throughout the years…

Kat Reply:
April 18th, 2008 at 17:45

T – That’s true. I’ve heard this same story when I lived in the village, and Q-Telecom had a commercial with this same theme. Do you remember it? Q …. Q …. Q

yes its true…now that you said it i remember the ad . Well if you are brought up in a big city most possibly you don’t know this legend, but if you were lucky enough to stay with your grandparents in a village you most certainly know it

Something else : we bought a Wii with graf we expect both of u to come to play for fun

Aisopus actually wrote a myth about the tzitziki and the ant.How the tzitziki sang happy all summer long without working while the ant only worked to bring food home.Then came the winter and the tzitziki froze,had nowhere to go and died due to lack of food while the ant passed the time in his comfortable home in the ground eating what had collected during summer.

Actually a lot of Greeks identify in this tale with the tzitziki and hate the ant.Everyone would prefer to sing artistically all summer long instead of working hard.So the tzitziki is pretty popular in greek culture.

Ants are extremely well-organised, very hard-working, and don’t make any noise. Yes, I can see why Greeks cannot identify with them in any way!