Staying Close to Nature during Lockdown

 coltsfoot

In the UK, we are currently (as in many other countries across the world) severly restricted as to the times and reasons we can leave our homes. We can go out for vital shopping (as infrequently as possible and preferably alone), medical emergencies, to help people self isolating or to go for a walk, run or cycle ride in the local area (#DailyExercise - either alone or with other members of our household).

If you have a garden or live close to greenspaces that you can walk through for your #DailyExercise, then you may find yourself seeing wildlife that you've not really noticed before. You may also want to develop your interests in wildlife. Here are some ideas to help develop this interest:

The RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) has instigated the Breakfast Birdwatch Project. Every day, between 8am and 9 am, a time when, normally, many people would be commuting to work, on the school run or otherwise engaged, they can get together to birdwatch from home. Using #BreakfastBirdwatch on social media, people are being encouraged to share what they can see in their gardens, on their balconies, rooftops and spaces from their own homes, while keeping within government guidelines in relation to COVID-19. You can find out more here.

Other similar initiatives include #WildlifeFromMyWindow a long standing Twitter project for people who are housebound and the Self Isolating Birdclub, also on Twitter.

There are many things you can do from the comfort of your own home to remain connected to nature. Bird Guides has outlined a few ways you can remain connected to nature and wildlife from your own home and garden, you can read more here. Discover Wildlife has also put together an article about staying connected to wildlife at this time. You can read it here.

Birdwatch are looking for photos of birds seen from your windows in the UK, they will pay for any they use. Email photos to  editorial@birdwatch.co.uk.

The Zooniverse is always looking for people to get involved in their citizen science projects. There's a wide range of projects covering a wide range of areas of interest. Find out more here. 

If you need help with identifying UK wildlife then you may be interested in this list of helpful wildlife identification websites that I've put together on this blog.If you think anything is missing from that list, or if you know of any further initiatives helping people stay connected with nature during these difficult times, please let me know in the comments.