Sam Lee

I will hear the last nightingale in my lifetime.

30, 40 years we might have left with them.

We talk about the poly crisis, but the poly crisis for nightingales is enormous of the issues that they're facing, both from deer populations just eating back their habitat, destroying so much of the new growth they depend on to live in, to intensive agriculture, insecticide, pesticide use, destroying so much of their food source.

Rapid housing developments and planning projects, including a giant theme park in Kent on one of their most important breeding grounds, they have absolutely no protection.

And worst of all, that is combined with the fact that sub-Saharan Africa, where they also depend on half the year to feed, to make the journey back here again to breed, is being slammed by global heating right now.

And much of that territory is being rendered completely inhospitable.

It's really hard times ahead for these birds.

And that brings a whole other perspective on what is this work that we're doing?

Why are we out here in the cold with our instruments and our voices to go and listen to a species at their most sublime in their songful moment?

And for me,

My answer to that is that this is work of firstly of gratitude, of thanks for such an important character.

He's been part of our ancient kinship with the natural world.

This has been one of the most important builders of allegiance.

The threads of connection that we have to nature has been held in that songful, artful way through the bird.

But also in many ways, this is palliative care.

This is us.

saying farewell, standing by the bedside of this beloved more-than-human friend, to say, we care, we love you, and we shall remember.

But they, of course, are the canary in the coal mine, and what happens to nightingales happens to us, and the problem is not just for them, it's much more ecosystem-wide.

because the collapse is happening around us everywhere, and Britain especially.

This is an oasis we're in here.