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
A truly remarkable gentleman with such a positive attitude and outlook on life offering hope to all. When he spoke, he reminded me so much of my late Grandmother and the way she would talk and also the same gentle personality and mannerisms. I think the whole world almost felt they knew him.
post edit: I just remembered my Grandmother also did a walk for charity at her nursing home two years before she reached her 100th birthday; I was with her as she used her walker to do multiple laps of the corridor ................... but not energy enough for 100+ laps LOL she had balloons tied to the handles of her walker and staff cheering her on !! my gran had her 100th milestone with a party with all her family and she was the last to leave the party !! three weeks later she passed, due to pneumonia like Sir Tom. Maybe they are sharing a cup of tea now :)
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Regards, Hazel
Interesting that Hazel mentioned the aviation industry I'm almost as fanatical about aircraft as I am about birds so quite agree we need it to be up and profitable but after all this will people be happy flying. I would love to but, nothing to do with the pandemic, I doubt if I will venture abroad again. After my lung cancer op about 8 years ago the insurance has gone sky high. A £1300 holiday was going to cost £1200 in cancelation insurance and this was still in the UK !! That's my gripe out of the way,still plenty of Scotland to visit even though I worked up thjere for a while.
"Birds are, quite simply, little miracles - and as such they require care and consideration."
Magnus Ullman
My Flickr account is here
Great news, Limpy! I'm booked for Sunday morning. Hazel, My notice came in a text to Mr GB's phone; he will get his jab later, being such a spring chicken, I hope by the end of March or sooner, fingers crossed, maybe by the end of Feb like you.
Kind regards, Ann
Unknown said: You're still a youngster yet young man
He's older than you. He'll be 67 in June.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Cin J