The world’s greatest songster to perform at Paxton Pits this Spring…
No, it’s not Katherine Jenkins or Alfie Bow, but the iconic nightingale direct from its wintering grounds in West Africa. Having spent almost three quarters of its year in the humid riverine forests and dry scrublands of Senegal and The Gambia, the nightingales’ urge to breed begins to dominate and by early March the 4,000 mile migration north begins – and what a journey it is! Crossing the Sahara, then the Straits of Gibraltar, over the daunting Pyrenees, across France, and over the English Channel, our nightingales make landfall in Sussex and Kent. Other nightingales which winter in Central Africa will enter Europe via the dangerous route through Malta, Italy or Greece.Many nightingales will stop to nest in Southern Europe. For our birds, breeding at the northerly limit of their range, the trek can take three to four weeks, depending upon weather conditions and wind direction.
Usually, the first Paxton Pits nightingales are recorded around the first week of April – the earliest being the 4th of the month. We understand that the males arrive first and establish a territory, and the females normally arrive some 10 days later. This is the best time to enjoy the famous song as the males will sing all day and night to attract a female.
Once paired, the nest of mainly dried leaves is constructed quickly, usually within a week. The nest is usually on, or very near to the ground, which makes it very vulnerable to predation from cats mink, stoats and weasels. Once the female is sitting, the male is much quieter, to avoid advertising the location of the nest.
The song is the nightingales’ greatest glory. The plumage, identical in both sexes, is a dull brown with a red flashing tail in flight. The size is just about one third larger than the robin. Traditionally a bird of light coppiced woodland and tangled overgrown hedgerows in the South East of England, here in Cambridgeshire where such habitat is rare, the bird has adapted to take over damp scrublands around gravel pits – Paxton Pits being typical. Ideal habitat is close to water, with open glades where nightingales hunt out insects, small worms and spiders. Later in the season they also feed on hedgerow fruits.
It is a short season in the North, and by mid June, most song is over, and the nightingale becomes a bird of mystery once again. The southerly migration is less understood than Spring arrivals – but migrating birds are recorded from late July on our South Coast.
The decline in numbers remains a matter of great concern, and even at Paxton Pits numbers have fallen from 28 to just a handful of singing males in the last few years. Local issues include habitat destruction by deer and rabbits, and internationally, drought, hunting, change of land use and loss of insect life are all cited as reasons for the decline of nightingales. Numbers seem more stable in some areas of Southern Europe.
So, come and visit Paxton Pits in late April or early May to enjoy this glorious songster at its best. Please support your local nature reserve to ensure that the nightingale – and about 60 other breeding birds will always have a place to call home.
Trevor Gunton.
Remember, admission to our reserve is free – as is car parking – and you can look forward to a warm welcome at our Visitor Centre, where a selection of light refreshments can be purchased. See you there !
