Post shielding trips

Like thousands of others with health problems I have spent the last year or so shielding but I feel that I've been luckier than a lot of people. Where we live we have easy local access to good birding country without getting too close to other people, on many days we would be out for a couple of hours and not see anyone else. Still last Monday we were allowed to meet some others so we met up with the three grandsons, aged 4,7 and 11, outside their house and they took us for a walk round their new woods. They all moved house just before Christmas and now live a few minutes drive away from us. It felt very strange but very exciting, Chris sand myself were shattered by we left. Yesterday was the end of shielding so in the afternoon we went to our favourite reserves which at about 8 miles away we considered just too far from home to travel to while I was shielding. This seemed very strange and maybe we have lost confidence ab out being around many people even socially distanced. We did enjoy it though and no doubt we will feel happy about it soon. Today we did go back to a reserve on our doorstep and only saw six people all afternoon but plenty of Sand Martins and a small number of Swallows arrived late afternoon. Has anyone else found it strange going out again or have Chris and myself become anti social hermits ?

  • Hi

    I found it odd driving farther from home and not expecting to be stopped by the police to be asked where I was going :

    S
  • I've always been an anti social hermit :o)
    I've worked throughout, so nothing much changed for me other than the staycations were cancelled, so I went out fairly locally rather than Scotland/Yorkshire/Northumberland as we'd semi-planned for holidays. In a way, it was better, as we moved the day before lock down was introduced in March 2020, so I had the time to walk to the local spots, and learn more about "my" patch than I probably would have done
  • Our biggest move will be to go birding on the local moors on the Eastern side of the Yorkshire Dales. I have been watching and recording birds, especially raptors, here for over 40 years so I've really missed this side of birding. In the past I only missed out when I was having cancer treatment and during foot and mouth outbreaks. I have been lucky in that I have a small number of contacts from the area who have kept me in the picture but that's not quite the same. As Chris does all our driving she has felt a bit strange behind the wheel like Saymour suggests.
  • I'm not a shielder and I've always had to drive just to get to local green space, so that hasn't changed for me yet. It won't be until the 12th when we can venture further afield and perhaps even get to a proper bird hide, but I also did that during the more lax times last year, just nowhere near as much as in normal years. I do miss going to the nearest RSPB reserves though where you actually sit in a hide!
  • Sitting in a hide is not something I miss Nigel, the bulk of our birding makes that difficult but we do appreciate some sort of shelter in bad weathet or to make us invisible to the birds I can appreciate that on lots of reserves it would be impossible to let us all view without any hides.
  • I think it's more that it is somewhere different for me. I'm fed up with staying local and going to the same small number of places! That and I'm afraid I'm one those who likes chatting to people I meet in hides. You get some good info that way; what's about, new places to try, etc. Some regulars I have sort of gotten to know and only ever meet in hides on various reserves about the area.
  • Can't argue with that Nigel some of the best birding grapevines are based round reserves, more efficient than some online services
  • Absolutely fabulous that You're able to meet up with family again, after shielding for so long.

    Like Nige, I too have to drive before I can get to the nearest reserve, though TBH, the two nearest reserves have long narrow footpaths, and both have reported extra high visitor numbers, so currently, they're out of bounds for me, more as a precautionary measure than anything else.

    I'd like to think things will change soon and Furlough winds down, but certainly the ability to travel further is very appealing, I have quite a few accessible and quiet places, but not within my county.

    So the 12th April, will be the glorious 12th for me, and many others.

    A thought I will share with you, especially as your family are living closer, and as a precautionary measure should we go back in to lockdown again, have a serious look and think about making them part of your bubble.

  • Nice suggestion Mike but they have been in a bubble with the other grandparents who,being younger and in better health, are better positioned to help with emergency child care.
    I think we will make for the moors once the holiday period has passed and people have spread out a bit more. I think many people are finding out that with a bit of research there is lots of good wildlife watching away from organised reserves
  • Michael B said:
    the two nearest reserves have long narrow footpaths, and both have reported extra high visitor numbers, so currently, they're out of bounds for me, more as a precautionary measure than anything else.

    I suspect a lot of footfall on natural areas may dwindle away once lockdown measures ease. I think folks who used to go to the Football, Rugby, Shops, Pubs etc. will fall back into their old routines.

    I’m sure some will have developed a new taste for the outdoors, but I still suspect that most will go back to how it used to be for them once their old routines become available to them again.