Nightingales arrive in Rõuge at the beginning of May. These modest-looking and naturally shy birds keep to the shelter of the bushes and nest close to the ground. Nightingale Valley (Ööbikuorg), with its rich bird cherry thickets, is an ideal habitat for them. The nightingale's song can be heard up to a kilometer away and echoes mainly at night and until sunrise; during the day, it is rare and occasional. This is precisely why nightingales are associated with poetic summer nights, and Nightingale Valley is cherished as a deeply romantic place.

Yet, Nightingale Valley is not home to nightingales alone: the songs of other birds fill the air here too. Tits, thrushes, skylarks, and white wagtails sing in the deciduous forest and bushes. At the beginning of July, the chicks hatch and the singing quietens down, as the parents' time is spent caring for their offspring. By the beginning of August, the young birds know how to fly, and in September, the migration to their wintering grounds in East or South Africa begins. The people of Rõuge have always loved to sing. Here, people learn to sing as early as kindergarten, alongside the nightingales. The local song and drama society was already represented at the very first Estonian Song Festival in Tartu in 1869. The Rõuge mixed choir still uses the original flag design with the motto: "He who cannot endure the bitter, will not taste the sweet!". The tradition of the parish song festivals began in 1925 with a song day held in Rõuge Park.