Oop oop, Oop oop, Oop oop

It’s a noise like no other. I know it isn’t a pigeon or a dove. It’s a loud insistent “Oop oop.”

I wander out into the garden in Italy and see it: a Hoopoe is in the tree. It’s an exotic bird to me; I always think of them as an African species. The Puffin Whisperer calls them Upupa, which I can’t help but find hilarious. Upupa epops is the scientific name.

Upupa indeed.

Back in Devon I’m exploring Dunster Castle in Somerset and admiring the decoration when I spot a familiar-looking bird on the 19th century wallpaper in the Library :

It’s simulated blue embossed leather, made by Cordelova of Edinburgh.

Oop oop.

2 Responses to "Oop oop, Oop oop, Oop oop"

Helen McAteer says:

9 April, 2018 at 10:04 am

Beautifully flamboyant birds! I was very lucky to see one in the early 1980s, that had somehow lost its way. It ended up feeding off a farm midden in Bessingby, near Bridlington in East Yorkshire. Hundreds of twitchers decended on this tiny village with its narrow lanes. With much amusement I watched dozens of avid twitchers with binoculars and cameras, waiting patiently to see their prize. Sitting on a branch about 50 yards behind them all was the hoopoe, watching them, with a very quizzical look on its face.

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1. the HALL of EINAR says:
  
  9 April, 2018 at 6:45 pm
  
  Haha, yes, that must have been quite a sight. I’ve only ever seen one in Italy. I’d love to see one in the UK.
  
  Reply