In the highlands of Scotland, Ava Laughton's teacher set essays based on the class's experiences of Big Schools Birdwatch 2021. Here is her full descriptive essay.
(All images by RSPB)
"There was a sheet of white snow across the ground. The sun was shining which made the snow glisten. On the shed there were small icicles, water dripping down them as the sun was shining on them. The trees had light scatterings of snow and the bushes covered. It looked very peaceful outside and it made me want to sit down with a cup of tea, snuggle up on the couch with a blanket and read a book. The sky had a few fluffy clouds in them and I looked up and saw a red kite fly above my house.
I looked at a big tree in my garden and saw two black birds. Their heads were looking around the garden and they jumped branch to branch. Their beady eyes were as yellow as buttercups and their coal black feathers glistened in the sun. I wondered if they were going to have tiny chicks in the spring. I remembered a fact about them as I looked at them, that they would stay together for as long as they are both alive. And just like that, they flew off into the distance with their elegant wings. I was surprised that I saw some birds for it was very cold outside and not many would venture out into this cold weather. My eyes caught a robin sitting on a fence by itself. Unlike the blackbird the robin does not stay with its significant other. It stays still on the fence and just looks around. Its red chest reminds me of a wild fire. Its brown feathers could blend into a tree but its red chest stands out. After a while of sitting in the fence it flies off to who knows where.
The blackbirds were singing or (to them) talking to each other. Both sounded like a flute. They finished each verse with a little squeak at the end. Not many birds were singing today because it was very cold but another brave bird that stepped out into the cold was the robin. The robin that was by itself on the fence, it started to sing a lovely peaceful song. It had a very flowy song to it and reminded me of a stream. Each verse was different. I looked at the icicles again and as water dripped down. I watched the water glide through the air only to land on top of the snow. I thought that if the water was to have a song it would be the robin’s.
As I took a deep breath I smelt smoke. I have always loved the smell of smoke and it always reminded me of winter. I could smell the freshness of the air as well. I could smell the pine trees and the smell of a Sunday roast in the oven. That made my stomach grumble. I went and touched the snow on the ground. It felt very cold on my fingers. It was powder snow not the icy snow that you get. I then went and ran my hand up a tree trunk. It was rough and rugged. It was a pine tree. Its spiky leaves jabbed me in the eye a couple of times. I saw smoke coming out of chimneys and birds flying back home. I went back home and got a cup of tea and read a book.
My dad has always loved watching birds. My great grandad taught my dad lots of things. My dad used to live in Orkney and my great grandad and my dad used to go onto cliffs to watch birds fly around. They saw sea birds though like puffins and bonxies. My dad came and helped me with this. We always see red kites and buzzards when we go up to see my sheep. And when I'm in Orkney we do go for walks and see lots of birds. I have watched birds before but I have never collected data. I enjoyed watching the birds and I would do this again."
By Ava Laughton