Re-wilding at Knepp has brought back the sounds of old England. The magic of a dawn chorus with echoes of Eden remind us of yesteryear.
Apologies! -Some subscribers don’t seem to have received this post so I’m re-posting it. Sorry if you have already seen it.
Dawn awakes at Knepp
In wood and thicket, over the wide grove,
The Nightingale by STColeridge. Coleridge captures the Nightingale’s song beautifully in the poem.
They answer and provoke each other’s song,
With skirmish and capricious passagings,
And murmurs musical and swift jug jug,
And one low piping sound more sweet than all
Stirring the air with such a harmony,
This recording (by Hazel Reeves) is of the Knepp dawn chorus here in West Sussex as it changes throughout the year. Key singers in this recording are the Nightingales, Thrush, Cuckoo and the Turtledoves. (You may need to turn up the volume for these videos).
The voice I hear this passing night was heard in ancient days by emperor and clown.
To the Nightingale by John Keats
The magical song of nightingales ringing through the still night air has inspired poets, singers and writers for centuries. It is entwined in our folklore and national culture. Shakespeare, Milton, Coleridge, Clare, all wrote of this songbird. Keats’ famous ‘Ode to the Nightingale‘ was inspired by a bird singing in his Hampstead garden in 1819. (see ‘A Night with the Nightingales).
The scrubland at Knepp is especially rich in wildlife. Nightingales love these areas kept open by the herbivores.
The Knepp Soundscape
The first thing that you notice at Knepp is the low-level sound of the hum of insects. In the low light of early morning and evening the sun’s rays light up clouds of insects. When you really let go, surprising things happen of their own accord. Nature has a mind of its own when we allow it! 20 years ago this estate was open farmland with very little wildlife, now it sings with life.
For the story of the wilding at Knepp see my post Re-wilding the countryside
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle (dove) is heard in our land
Song of Songs 2:12
Turtledoves,White Storks and Beavers….
Turtledoves are another successful story at Knepp. With their gentle purring call England’s old music is sounded here again with echoes of an ancient Bible age.
Turtle doves have featured in art and culture for thousands of years. Their beauty, song and behaviour inspired Ancient Greeks and Romans, Elizabethan poets, modern musicians, and painters. Perhaps because of their endearing, soothing purr and tender affections when seen perched in pairs, they have long been symbols of love
https://www.operationturtledove.org/turtle-doves/turtle-doves-in-culture/
White stork re introductions are now breeding regularly at Knepp. Their bill clapping greetings sound out from a stork nest on top of an old oak tree in an open field.
While from the Beaver enclosure come sounds of a water landscape. Beavers are a ‘keystone species’ whose activities result in a dramatic rise in biodiversity. In the latest introductions in 2022 the beavers have already built a lodge, dams and other infrastructure. We look forward to seeing how this extraordinary ecosystem engineer makes a difference.
Penny Green’s informative Knepp beaver podcast is worth hearing.
There are many other sounds at Knepp. The rootling of the Tamworth pigs, the sound of the Longhorn cattle and the Exmoor ponies, with the roaring of red deer at the rutting season in autumn. In the evenings the sounds of badgers, bats and barn owls and so much more.
Soundscape ecology is a good measure of the health of a landscape. The richness of its sound is an indicator of a rich biodiversity of wildlife here. There’s no silent spring at Knepp. The success of this project encourages us to dream of the sound of nightingales and turtle doves becoming commonplace in Southern England once again.
A Listening Heart 
Richard – I don’t se
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Sorry Sue. Something went wrong with the publishing. I hope this re-post gets through alright.
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It gives real hope that we can still make a difference if we try.
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As well as the re-wilding projects a good sign is the growing number of farmers and landowners who are trying to make their land more rich in wildlife.
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