We were lucky with the weather; after a summer of below average temperatures and above average rainfall, it was good to see the sun shining and people wearing tee shirts and shorts. Sayers Croft and St Peter and St Paul Church organise the Fun Day every two years. It does exactly what it says on the tin, it is a fun day of activities and enjoyment of local food and craft outlets. Money is raised for the church, who hold a generous raffle (top prize, a bottle of champagne and £100 in cash). Alas, I didn’t win anything but one little boy scooped three prizes, generously returning his third win to be redrawn.

LEAP ( Ewhurst Environmental Action People) set up camp in the pleasant grounds of Sayers Croft. There is a great sense of history here, as the dormitories were originally built for evacuees from London at the beginning of World War Two and there is also an Anderson Air Raid shelter. Elsewhere on the site The History Society were excavating the remains of a Roman road. It is a place where wildlife thrives as it is close to a rich woodland habitat, has a freshwater stream running through it, wildflower meadows have been nurtured and children visit the centre, often from London, to enjoy outdoor activities and to learn about the natural world. On the Fun Day pond dipping was a great favourite, taking me back to happy childhood days with a net, boots and a jam jar.

LEAP has worked in close partnership with Sayers Croft over the years, sharing a common ethos. This year we decided to highlight the local bird population, as we know that many people love watching the birds in their gardens and in the local area more generally. We set a quiz for different age groups and had nice prizes for the winning entries, all from the RSPB. It turned out that visitors to our stand had a very good knowledge and could identify many species. The children were especially good and it was inspiring to see their enthusiasm. We were keen to get our participants to discuss why they think bird populations are in decline and what they think we can do about it. In the years between 1970 and 2022 there has been a decline of 60% for farmland birds in the UK, whilst in the same period woodland birds have fared little better, declining by 37%. These are, of course, worrying figures and many people that we spoke to were shocked at the rate of decline and also reflected that they were certainly seeing fewer once common birds.

Ewhurst is situated in very beautiful countryside, we still have ancient woodlands on the doorstep, many of our hedges have been preserved and date back, in some cases, several hundred years, we are surrounded by farmland and meadowland and Pitch and Holmbury Hills have rich heathland habitats. Yet, we cannot be complacent, as the factors which influence bird populations at large have an impact on local areas. It was clear that there is concern about the environment and even very young children have an awareness of what is happening. In fact the language which the children used to describe this was surprisingly mature, revealing a deep understanding of ecological issues.

The main reasons that it was thought that local bird populations are in decline are:

• Too much new building on wildlife rich sites
• Habitat destruction, trees being felled and poor management of farmland.
• Cutting meadows before insects have a chance to benefit from the flowers
• Use of pesticides and fertilisers on fields and in gardens
• The wider impact of these on water courses
• Lack of biodiversity, e.g. planting of cash crops like flax over extensive areas of land
• Impact of off-road cycling particularly in heathland areas
• Predation by cats and dogs
• Pollution by cars and aircraft.

There were also many excellent ideas, suggesting ways of counteracting this decline:

• Putting up bird feeders and nest boxes
• Plant insect loving flowers or trees which have berries in gardens and open spaces
• Choose plants with seed heads that attract birds, e.g. Teazle
• Create wildflower patches in gardens and on verges
• Encourage development on Brownfield sites
• Plant more hedges and create wildlife corridors
• Cut lawns less often and persuade the council to leave verges to grow
• Build small ponds in gardens and make sure that local ponds are managed in a wildlife friendly manner
• Ensure that farmers set aside land for wildflowers.

It is amazing what a few simple steps will do and it is not all doom and gloom, some species flourish in the parish and there are sightings of birds not often recorded. You may have seen that Red Kites, a bird that was virtually extinct in Britain, is now seen majestically soaring over our gardens and fields. Buzzards are also commonly seen scanning the countryside for prey and successfully nest in the treetops of woodland. Bird feeding has led many woodland birds to seek food in gardens; Goldfinch, who love sunflower seeds, flock in a spectacular way and can be observed hovering at bird stations. Blue Tits and Great Tits frequent gardens in large numbers and Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Dunnocks and Siskins are among other smaller birds often drawn to an easy supper. Recent sightings of Linnets, Redstarts, Blackcaps, Chiff Chaffs and Reed Buntings are exciting, although the numbers of these birds is probably low. On the other hand the once familiar call of the Cuckoo is seldom heard, Song Thrushes can only rarely be seen cracking snails on stones and when was the last time you heard the wonderful melody of the Nightingale on a summer evening?