Welcome to our South East Christmas Countdown no.8.
Did you guess that the nightingale sings both day and night in breeding season? There’s a clue at the bottom to tomorrow’s story. If you missed no.9 in the Countdown, you can read it here.
Christmas is a time of celebration! In our countdown to Christmas, we would like to share with you some of this year’s success stories, about some of our most threatened birds in the South East. In September, the State of Nature 2016 report was published. It highlights the alarming decline of many UK species, but it also showed that we can turn the fortunes of our wildlife around, given determination, resources, public support and conservation action.
About nightingales
Predominantly found in the South East, nightingales need a mixture of woodland and scrub to nest. Many breeding sites have been lost as the number of wild spaces decreases. Nightingale populations halved between 1995 and 2010, and there are less than 5,500 pairs nesting in the UK today.
Good news from 2016
We have been creating habitat for nightingales across our South East reserves, and there were an incredible 104 pairs nesting on our sites this year. Each May, our nightingale festivals celebrate these melodious birds. We help hundreds of RSPB reserve visitors to identify and enjoy their glorious song, which has inspired musicians and poets for centuries. If you’d like to see and hear a nightingale up close, keep an eye out for spring events at a reserve near you, including RSPB Blean Woods in Kent and RSPB Pulborough Brooks in West Sussex.
Our work wouldn’t be possible without your continued support, through membership, volunteering and even your Christmas purchases in our shops. On behalf of our teams and all the wildlife you have helped us to save, thank you, and have a great Christmas!
Our story for June
We’ll celebrate another story tomorrow, so keep an eye out for it, but in the meantime here’s a clue to keep you guessing…
Which of our conservation priority species likes to hang out with goats (and maybe even reindeer!) earning it the nickname goatsucker?