Birdsong in a coal mine is often associated with canaries, which were taken down the mine shaft to warn workers of toxic gases. Scottish-born physiologist John Haldane came up with the idea that these delicate, feathered creatures would show symptoms of poisoning before humans, therefore they could be used to sound the alarm. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to our daily newsletter , get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
Fortunately for the canary, their fatal role was replaced by modern machine detectors about 40 years ago, removing their cry from the coal mines altogether. But today, Scotland’s coal mining culture tells a more positive story when it comes to birdsong. Across East Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, the graves of former active open-cast coal mines pockmark the landscape.
Their canyons and fissures, once filled with the sounds of the clanking of metals and the revving of machines, are now adorned with wild flowers and hardy shrubs. This wave of natural regeneration has created a studio for an orchestra of different types of birdsong. Spireslack, situated to the north of the former settlement of Glenbuck, is one example among many of its neighbouring former coal mining sites that tells this new story.
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