Bring the sweet song of the Nightingale back to BBC Radio

Campaigns by You is a website where 38 Degrees members can set up a petition themselves. It gives everyone the tools to run campaigns on the issues that matter to them.

Today, conservationist and campaigner Chris Rose handed in a petition to BBC Director General Tony Hall, on behalf of over 1,300 38 Degrees members. The petition calls for the BBC to broadcast the live song of the nightingale, re-instating a tradition of live outside broadcasts of singing nightingales that was begun in 1924.

Chris Rose handing in the nightingale petition outside the BBC.

Fewer and fewer people now get to ever hear the song of a real live nightingale. The birds have declined 55% since 1995.

Today Chris Rose says: “The BBC is airing a special Tweet of the Day with David Attenborough on Monday 19th, which is splendid. It’s also broadcasting a re-enactment of the historic 1924 broadcast at 11pm on Monday night, but it’s pre-recorded. That’s lovely but it misses the point and loses an opportunity to re-connect millions with real live nature, as the Reith broadcasts did live, every year from 1924 through to 1942”. He adds: “There will always be recorded nightingales. There may not always be real nightingales unless we do something to help them. Dead nightingales are worth remembering but live ones are magical”.

Backing the petition, members of the RSPB will attempt their own online live nightingale broadcast from a threatened woodland this Sunday.

In his letter to BBC Director Tony Hall, Rose added “PS it’s not too late to send a Radio Car to a Nightingale site” for Monday.

If you’d like to show your support for Chris’ campaign, you can still sign his petition here.