ASs some regulars may know I sometimes have a few health problems that at times restricts my access to the countryside so many of the restrictions that we have endured, and are still enduring, do not feel strange to Chris and myself. My immune system is pretty shot up at times so I'm quite good at avoiding numbers of people, I'm maybe not as anti social as it seems, and I've never been a lover of shopping unless its books. When we were recommended to shield in our own homes we actually realised we could walk the riverside fields with permission from the owners and had little chance of meeting anyone so we felt quite happy there. When restrictions eased we have four small nature reserves within a couple of miles of home with plenty of space to avoid close contact but still both watch birds and talk about birds with others doing the same, quite a little anti social bird club we are. There has been good birds aplenty and as winter has drawn closer the wintering Thrushes arrived we have been doing counts on them. One of our local reserves has got a wonderful Starling murmuration,60,000 birds at least, which we managed to social distance the grandsons to. We have found by visiting the busiest of the reserves late afternoon most birders have gone home and we enjoy the spectacle of birds going to roost. We do miss visiting our local moorland but they are outside the 3 mile radius we put on ourselves, they will still be there when all this is over and we settle down to our new normal. Because I am in that at risk category we seem to be swimming in hand sanitiser but Chris keeps an eye on what I get up to. I just hope other folk are coping as well as us and getting the support we have been getting, take care out there we will beat this lot somehow.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Wendy S said:Mike we haver found that the reserves get a lot quieter from mid afternoon onwards. We call this our Golden Hour as the birds seem to be feeding up for the night and heading off to communal roosts. We are lucky that it is only a few minutes drive home afterwards.
If only that were the case here. The two closest reserves are very popular at the best of times, and they regularly report car parks full within an hour of opening them!
To add to that, the footpaths are narrow making social distancing impossible, which is a great shame, because they are good reserves, and full of life wherever you look, at any time of year.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
____________________________________________________________________
Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Unknown said:Can it possibly get worse?
Food shortages? ... just looking on the bright side!
Maybe raid some of the lorries parked across the road! Lol
Over 3000 lorries now parked up over the road from mine, often hooting to indicate displeasure, helicoptors constantly flying over, maybe newshounds? Army moved in to carry out mass testing as drivers can only cross channel if tested negative ... positive testers must be put up in special hotels to isolate ... only a small village here with locals upset at the increased risk of virus being spread & food supplies being pillaged! Certainly is a different Xmas!!
Feel desperately sorry for all the guys plunged into this situation whilst only doing their jobs!
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France