Solace in Nature - Garden Nature Therapy pictures and words Mel Rowell

As we come to the end of our fourth week of lockdown, those of us who are lucky enough to have a garden are seeking solace in it. I have a small garden on the edge of town but have been amazed at the wildlife I have seen both in the garden and overhead. Thankfully the weather has been good and I have spent time just sitting and watching. Overhead I have seen buzzard, kestrel, flights of geese going by and a sparrowhawk who patrols the area most afternoons and often gets chased off by the crows. Sparrows are nesting in the bushes and I like to sit and listen to their chirping, a blue tit visits most days and starling, goldfinch, dunnock, blackbird , collared dove, woodpigeon and jackdaw all drop in. Butterflies have included brimstone, green veined white, small tortoiseshell and orange tip and lots of bees and other insects about. I am now trying to name some of the bees and spiders. This has made me want to make my garden more butterfly friendly and I am busy searching the internet for advice. A garden and nature at a time like this can be a lifeline for a lot of people and a chance to give nature a helping hand too.

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We would like to remind everyone that in line with clear instructions from the Government for us all to remain at home (apart from a limited number of allowed activities), the reserve remains closed to visitors until further notice and our events are postponed. 

It is with great sadness that we ask people to continue to refrain from visiting us, but we must play our part to help restrict the spread of coronavirus. 

Discover a whole host of ways we can help connect you with the amazing wildlife to be seen in your gardens, or from balconies and windows by clicking here Point rightbit.ly/RSPBHomeActivities  Thank you for your support, our work to save nature will continue in these challenging times. 

  • I like you jan have been taking more time looking at the wildlife in the garden, I had a hedgehog in the garden the other night that I haven’t seen for quite some years, as well as a variety of birds that are coming to my bird feeders. I have been taking my daily walks in and around where we live in fields and woods rather than the streets where you have to play dodgems social distancing. We also have a resident cat that lives close by that likes to interrupt the bird community, it even chased the squirrel population the other day. All entertainment. We also have a bird bath that I need to change the water twice a day because of its popularity. We have also been very lucky with the weather and it’s lovely to sit in the garden and watch all the activity as well as photographing the resident wildlife population.