Calming to stay close to nature
Historians will be analysing the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic for decades to come.
And while there’s no doubt much of it has been horrendous, there have been some positives and one optimistic beacon shines bright – our reconnection with nature.
Lockdown brought a recalibration with the natural world, allowing us to enjoy its physical and mental wellbeing benefits.
Exposure to wildlife is proven to reduce heart rate, relax muscle tension and calm harmful stress hormones.
Whether it’s a walk in the park, a visit to a wildlife refuge or simply watching birds busy themselves in the garden, communion with nature provides balm for the soul.
Those unseasonably warm, sunny days of spring only added to the joy of being able to hear birdsong without the contamination of traffic noise, or relaxing in an oasis of green calm minus the clamour of crowds.
Many new arrivals to nature watching have been quick to take their interest to new levels by signing up to the British Trust for Ornithology’s Garden BirdWatch scheme, or flocking to Chris Packham’s SelfIsolating Bird Club on social media.
My lockdown moments were spent walking our spaniel Molly along a glorious chalk cliff in the Chiltern Hills, where yellowhammers poured out their distinctive ditties – described as sounding like “a little bit of bread but no cheese” – and skylarks ascended.
The undoubted highlight was counting up to 10 ring ouzels passing through during a period of a few days, en route from Moroccan wintering grounds to the bleak uplands of Scandinavia. Known as mountain blackbirds, they could easily be mistaken for their lowland relatives. Where they differ is their extremely shy nature and the dazzling white crescents decorating their chests.
Remarkably, while the elusive ouzels put on a show in spring sunshine, blackbirds were finding it tough to feed on the parched ground. New findings from a study of common birds produced by the BTO suggested the lack of April showers meant soil became too dry for the birds to forage for invertebrate food to feed their babies.
This could explain why fledgling blackbird numbers were down by 17 per cent and survival rates cut by more than a third.
Lockdown highlight was spotting ring ouzels en route to Scandinavia