by Lara Britton
We are all spending a lot of time cooped up inside, but we can still connect with nature.
I have been spending a lot of time birdwatching, in my garden but also from my bedroom window. It is really rewarding to spot a species in a place you have not seen one before, or to spot a species that you have never seen!
I have been keeping a birding journal for the last few days, and I thought that I would share some of my favourite findings, alongside photographs taken by Aeli Roberts (excluding the Blackcap image, which was taken by David Dohnal):
Goldcrest I spotted from my window, flitting in the branches
© Aeli Roberts
Male blackcap I nearly missed as he was almost concealed in some magnolias
© David Dohnal/ Shutterstock.com
Pair of dunnocks nesting in the neighbours’ ivy
© Aeli Roberts
Three long-tailed tits I spotted from my window
© Aeli Roberts
A wren poked out briefly from behind the shed, it may be nesting behind there somewhere
© Aeli Roberts
Goldfinches nesting in the tree next door. I have learnt to recognise their ‘liquid’ call. Two perched on some low branches and I could really observe their brilliant red and yellow plumage. A group of goldfinches is called a charm, which I think really suits them.
© Aeli Roberts
The same, most confident robin always perches above the swing chair I sit on, in the apple tree branches (I’ll leave out some walnuts for it)
© Aeli Roberts
A pretty and restless coal tit (recently I searched online for photos of different races of coal tits, you can see how much this species can differ across its range. For example, the coal tits in Britain have a cooler tone to its plumage compared to the Irish subspecies).
© Aeli Roberts
I have also recently revisited my childhood hobby of feather collecting and discovered an iridescent feral pigeon feather on my bedroom windowsill.
Birdwatching, journaling, listening to birdsong, or observing trees from your window, engage your senses and remind you to be still and stay in the present, which can help in unsettled times like these.