I was taken by this story, here reported by Patrick Barkham in the Guardian – announcing a study into the benefits of bird song – to us, as opposed to the birds themselves.
To readers of this blog it isn’t much of a revelation that bird song is a special and important part of our lives ... unravelling the details will provide a wealth of fascinating new insights into our relationship with nature.
But to enjoy bird song you need the birds to be there to sing. I’m writing this on the winter solstice, from now on light and life starts to creep back into our towns, villages and across the countryside. Already wrens seem a little bit louder and great tits are tuning up, their thinking is probably as wishful as mine as winter’s harshest times are still to ahead, but spring is on its way.
In a few short months, our resident birds will be joined by a flood of summer migrants, currently sunning themselves in warmer climes. And for a couple of months a voice so evocative fills the nights at a few (and diminishing) number of special places.
In the UK, nightingales are an English speciality and their haunting refrain has woven itself into our psyche. In 1924 the cellist Beatrice Harrison persuaded the BBC to broadcast a live duet with a nightingale. The response of the listeners was so great that the performance was repeated for the next 12 years. You'll need to scroll half way down the page.
Just up the road from Sandy, where I’m writing this, at Paxton Pits nature reserve the community come together each spring to celebrate their local nightingales, gathering in groups at prime locations to lose themselves in the liquid melody.
The deep sense of place and of timeless contact with nature is embodied in the song of the nightingale; here evoked by my friend and colleague Derek Niemann writing in the Guardian’s country diary.
Unlike the good folk of Little Paxton in Cambridgeshire, many communities have lost their nightingales, the heady song silenced as the numbers of this long distance migrant fall. The reasons behind this include the state of many woods, nightingales are birds of the scrub and are picky about the conditions they need.
Numbers are down 60% over the last 15 years – and over the longer haul, the picture is even worse, where as I youngster in the 70s I could have heard 10 nightingales – now only one sings.
But where they do occur they can be present in some numbers as they throw their songs back and forth. One such place is Chattenden Woods on the Hoo Peninsula in North Kent a recent post set out the background to the case – but the important news at the moment is that the consultation period has been extended until 13 January 2012.
The proposal is to build a development of 5,000 homes, a hotel and a shopping centre at Lodge Hill near Chattenden, and it is welcome news that the consultation period has been extended.
Alongside ourselves, Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) and have already objected to the outline planning application because of their concerns over the likely extensive damage it will cause to the area’s wildlife. Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust – are due to submit their objection.
Places with nightingales often are home to other exciting wildlife and Chattenden Woods is not only nationally important for nightingales but also supports bats, lizards, grass snakes, adders, slow worms, newts, frogs, toads, badgers and rare insects.
The application also fails to address the potential increased recreational disturbance to the internationally important wetlands of the Thames Medway and Swale.
Here are the quotes we’ve included in a recent press release – showing the broad coalition of conservation organisations stepping up for this important site.
Greg Hitchcock of KWT said: “We all recognise the need for homes and jobs for people. Unfortunately, the development proposals will be very damaging to wildlife, and the measures to offset that damage are wholly inadequate”.
Sam Dawes of RSPB said: “It is outrageous that a development of this scale has been proposed on a site that is so important for some of our most iconic birds. Who has not been entranced by the song of the nightingale? The site is one of the most important in England for nightingales, and also supports many other dramatically declining birds”.
Sarah Henshall, Brownfield Conservation Officer of Buglife said “previous studies of the site indicate that it could potentially be one of the most important sites in the UK for rare and endangered invertebrates including the Shrill carder-bee. Invertebrates have largely been overlooked in the development plans- without proper surveys to find out what lives on the site how can they be protected?”
Sam Dawes added: “All three organisations recognise the need for regeneration in North Kent, but believe this should not be at the expense of its much-loved wildlife”.
“We all work closely with Medway Council on nature conservation issues and are urging them to listen to our concerns”.
We are all calling on local people to object to the outline planning application to protect North Kent’s wildlife.
The plans can be viewed online at: www.medway.gov.uk, planning reference number MC/11/2516.
Will Chattenden Woods survive as a venue for one of nature's most enthralling performers? The next few months will hold the answer and determine if generations to come will still be able to hear nightgales pour forth their song into the tender night.
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