February 2021

New year – new life! Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is the present and the present is a gift! One thing I recorded about blue tits, when researching for my book on the subject, was that blue tits rarely sing between the longest (c. 21st June) and the shortest (c. 21st December) days (solstices) of the year. However, nearly every year, the first blue tit song I hear is on or about the 22nd December when the daylength is about 1 minute longer than the 21st. Blue tits are surprisingly intelligent for an animal so small and live short lives (mostly less than one year), so the gift of a new day is especially valuable to them. They seem to be keenly aware of any positive changes such as day length. My local ones have even been scoping the nest-box that I have for them in the garden in late December.

Trees are essential for blue tits, no trees – no blue tits. Indeed, trees are essential for any organism that uses oxygen in respiration. Since the invention of the timber chainsaw in the early 20th century, humans have been felling trees at a phenomenal rate, an activity that contributes to climate change and reduces the sustainability potential of life on Earth. Allowing trees to grow is one of the best things that any human can do for the planet. Sadly, 3 diseased ash and 1 (non-native) unsafe cypress trees had to be removed from Framfield churchyard recently. However, these have been replaced now with 4 different new, native, healthy saplings, namely crab-apple, whitebeam, juniper and rowan. All of these are highly suitable for the churchyard as they never get too large, grow slowly and support the lives of many other species, especially insects and birds. When planting a tree near buildings, it is advisable to locate it at least 7 metres from the building so that the tree does not affect the building’s structure or function.

Even small trees or hedges are important. There is usually a correlation between the number of trees and the number of birds in a garden or other location. A hedge will last longer than a fence, but will need maintaining in a different and sympathetic way with regular clipping (instead of expensive painting). Trees will even remove particulate pollution from the atmosphere and act as natural air conditioners