stars of the bird festival in Abbeville, in the Bay of Somme

You must have heard the whistle of Jean Boucault and Johnny Rasse, the two bird singers… Today nationally recognized stars, these two artists from the Somme have developed their odd passion during competitions organized by the Bird Festival.

Almost all of France discovered them in 2017 when they were celebrated at the Victoires de la Musique Classique. But Jean Boucault and Johnny Rasse, our two bird singers, continue to cultivate their roots on the Picardy coast.

Passionate about birdsong from an early age, they met as teenagers to set up a common artistic project: to push the imitation of birdsong as far as possible by making these sounds real musical instruments at full-fledged, capable of competing with an entire symphony orchestra.

Since the creation of their duo, they have chained projects with orchestras, with theater companies. We have seen them in the gardens of the Château de Compiègne, at the Amiens zoo and even with Kamini in our program “Les Gens des Hauts”.

Recognized internationally, they are regularly invited to perform everywhere in France, but also in Japan and Poland!

But this success, which continues unabated – despite the health crisis which has canceled many of their projects – never keeps them away for very long from the marshes of the Somme valley and the Picardy coast, where they grew up. Thus, Jean grew up in Arrest, a small rural village where he regularly followed his father on the move.

Sometimes he let me wander around the Bouvaque park in Abbeville for a long time and I took the opportunity to discover all the birds I could. And it was when I discovered gulls on the coast that I started to imitate them.

With the creation of Bird and Nature Festivalarrives the famous bird song contest which very quickly makes the reputation of the event well beyond the borders.

At 13, Jean is the youngest candidate in the 90s! His passion will not be denied and, with his sidekick Johnny, they will transform this strange talent into a real craft.

France 3 Hauts-de-France offers you a big bowl of nature!

On the occasion of the bird and nature festival which is held in the Bay of Somme from April 9, we offer you a special program!

Saturday April 9
► France 3 Picardie will offer special pages live from the Festival de l’Oiseau in Abbeville in its newspapers.
See you at 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. on France 3 Picardie on April 9