© Chris Gomersall - 2020VISION
Nightingales are among our most loved and iconic species. Their beautiful and melodious song has inspired poets, musicians and artists for hundreds of years. Long distant migrants, they arrive in south east Britain in April, where they breed before returning to West Africa in August.
Nightingales in decline
Despite the celebrated place they hold in our culture, nightingales are on the decline. In Hampshire, the nightingale has declined by 80% since the 1980s. During the most recent BTO survey, the population had dropped to 61 – 65 pairs and their overall range fell by three quarters. There's strong evidence that the loss of scrub habitat, particularly due to development and land use changes, and grazing by deer, have led to a significant drop in nightingale numbers.
This is something that's sadly been replicated across the country – our nightingales are in crisis and need our help.
© Amy Lewis
Hear the nightingale's song
Nightingale song, recorded by Trevor Codlin
Saving our nightingales
We're working with the British Trust for Ornithology and Hampshire Ornithological Society to organise volunteers to carry out surveys in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight during the nightingale's breeding season to find out where the birds are nesting and which areas need protection.
Armed with this information we will engage with local landowners and work with them support nightingales on their land.
Support nightingales
Together we can protect these vital refuges for this wonderful species.
Support our work to protect nightingales and other species across our counties by donating to our conservation work.