Birdwatch Update 7
As lockdown starts to ease have you noticed any difference in the birds visiting your garden and the birdsong? Over lockdown members have been waking to the dawn chorus, feeding birds in their gardens, and enjoying the wildlife they have encountered on daily exercise outings....We want this connection to stay with us as we move through summer into autumn.
Roger from Shipston-on-Stour U3A took this photo of a little Yellowhammer who had got lost in their garden room, but it was fortunate that it wasn't difficult to guide him outside again through the big, open windows. They have a Yellowhammer nest in a big hedge near the house, as well as a Blackbird and Wren one. These all produce a huge amount of chatter.
John, Thorpe Bay U3A, photographed this sparrowhawk taking a bath in his garden on 6th August this year. John has three bird baths and two small ponds in my garden and has seen many birds using them during the hot, dry summer.
Gudrun, Shipston-on-Stour U3A, saw this little wren watching her, while she was having coffee on the patio. Their nest is very close by in the hedge and it is so amusing to watch the little ones having flying lessons, encouraged and supervised by their parents.
We would love to hear from more members about your sightings and for you to share any photographs you have managed to take of your feathered visitors.
Mary Gibbons is our Birdwatching subject adviser for the U3A movement, Mary has a lot of information on her Subject Adviser page to help with this and can help with any individual enquiries.