“People find birdsong relaxing and reassuring because over thousands of years, they have learnt when the birds sing, they are safe; it’s when birds stop singing that people need to worry.”
– Julian Treasure
This Sunday marks International Dawn Chorus Day on which we are encouraged to rise before the sun has come up. To be ready to hear that symphony of the natural world, you are going to need to be outside by 06:28am – it is a significant ask on a weekend. Whilst I’m not entirely sure that I will be far from my slumbers at that time this weekend, the event is a good reminder of quite how rich our campuses are in the natural world. We regularly see birds nesting in trees on campus; we have had foxes raising cubs in quiet corners, and the school bees are always busy at this time of year. I’m constantly amazed by the people that I see on the riverbank who, at this time of year, choose headphones and ear buds over the glory of natural sounds, they are missing out.
Whilst I am not sure if young people take as much enjoyment in their environment, it does have an effect. The benefits of being surrounded by greenery are well documented and the “nature cure” has become big business. We are fortunate indeed to be insulated from much of the noise and bustle of the city, in terms of wellbeing it is a plus. It is always good to see groups of pupils being out in the school grounds during their free time, making the most of the environment that is here to be enjoyed. I suspect that it is enriching. In a turbulent world, such moments of peacefulness are valuable indeed.
Birds sing for a variety of reasons. Pupils speak for their own reasons too. I was in a Year 3 class earlier this week and was delighted to see the enthusiasm with which they were speaking about books. It was also good to hear them doing so in French. Like our feathered friends, they were confident in their voice, were happy to tell their story and sing their song.
In the Senior School assembly, a variety of pupil achievements were celebrated. I was delighted to see Computer Science students explaining their programming successes and Key Stage 3 pupils speaking to their peers about their recent trip to Tenerife.
The Jazz Band played their delightful melodies on Wednesday evening, although at a slightly higher volume than even the white bell bird or the wren, whose diminutive size belies its mighty call.
We do well to reflect upon the importance of the natural world in our lives. Sir David Attenborough, who has done so much to bring the natural world to our attention, turns 100 on the 8th of May.
Perhaps in celebration of this life lived well we should commemorate with a weekend early morning, a reminder that the enriching qualities of nature will never go amiss.
Enjoy the weekend.
