Anastasia McKeating
Our nature calendar (pdf download link below) has been created to help you stay connected throughout the next month and beyond, and we would love to hear about your relationship with the natural world and how it changes during winter.
Working on the RSPB Wildlife Enquiries team, I am privileged to hear so many wonderful stories about peoples’ experiences with nature. Whether they are reporting a sighting of their favourite bird, campaigning to protect a special nature site, or showing us some incredible nature-themed artwork, the variety of ways that people have found to connect to nature is inspiring and uplifting.
Following the success of our original ‘Connecting to nature’ calendar, published in lockdown in May, we thought January would be the perfect time to revive the concept. January can be a difficult month for many; with the short days and cold, wet weather, we are likely to be spending much more time indoors. We also know that not everyone has access to a garden or green space, so it is important to us to encourage activities that will be suitable for people in a variety of circumstances. We hope to demonstrate that you can still have a relationship with nature, whether it be from out in the wet and wild or from the cosy indoors looking out.
One inspiration for the calendar was our recent Nature Prescriptions project in Scotland, which has been working to promote the relationship between nature and wellbeing. Similarly, this project acknowledges that whilst spending time outdoors can work wonders for our wellbeing, smaller interactions with nature can often be just as meaningful. Simply taking a moment to notice the natural world, however it presents itself to you, and putting aside a small amount of time each day to focus on this engagement, can help us to cultivate a real sense of comfort and compassion, and feel happier and healthier as a result.
Please feel free to try some (or all) of the ideas in our January calendar to help you get your daily dose of nature throughout the next month! We help this provides some positive experiences for you, and do let us know how you get on by emailing us at natureshome@rspb.org.uk
For day 26, you could take a look at our bird feeder web cam
Download the calendar PDF here:
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