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
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
I think you're supposed to wait for a few weeks after vaccination before you can consider yourself protected.
"Birds are, quite simply, little miracles - and as such they require care and consideration."
Magnus Ullman
My Flickr account is here
Hazel C said:With all the various varients & possible resistance to vaccine, I think it will be a long time before masks go in the cupbooard. I think vaccination helps but it's not a cure all, by a long way.
I'm more than inclined to agree with you Noisette, with the added aspect of those travelling abroad for holidays. September/October will be an interesting time I fear.
Added to that, I see there's talk of a further vaccine in the form of an annual booster, plus on the radio driving home, some guy was saying something about a six month booster after the second jab. As yet, this seems to be all talk and nothing confirmed.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
Kind regards, Ann
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Regards, Hazel
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
To my surprise I had a call last week to get my 1st dose, having it done on Saturday in town at the High School where they are using the huge games room as a base. I am not 60 yet, but the receptionist said that they were up to my year of birth, so really making headway. Up to now it has been the Pfizer vaccine they have been using, so will see which I get.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.