bird box

I grew up in Cheshire and as a child my family took a great interest in the countryside, taking frequent walks across the Cheshire landscape.These were formative experiences, imbuing into me a love of nature.

For all nature lovers, bird watching for example is one of the easiest and most rewarding hobbies to have and this being one of my great hobbies which began, again, when I was a child.  My late Grandfather made his own bird box for his garden, a simple wooden, oval/oblong shaped box with a small hole, designed mainly for the Tit family of birds, painted in a green ‘grass’ colour, and he lovingly gave it to me when he moved to my Parents’ house when my Grandmother died and he wanted me to have it, as he knew how much pleasure it had given me over the years (and in turn himself) when we used to stand together in his Kitchen and watch through the window out into his garden, delighting at the delicate Blue Tits flying in and out of the box throughout the Spring and Summer months, rearing their families.  Such precious memories I have and still to this day, my bird box gives me great pleasure year after year for the simplicity of such an item brings so much wonder and delight, combined with very happy memories for me of course.This is how my birdwatching hobby began!

Birdwatching is a very peaceful and relaxing hobby and anyone of any age can participate. It can literally be done anywhere – from your own back garden, whilst out walking either in the countryside or your local park and for those who are more avid enthusiasts, at a Bird Sanctuary, although may I say, an enthusiast or not, visiting a Bird Sanctuary is a wonderful experience.  There are even holidays/tours, specialising in wildlife breaks in general or specifically for ‘bird watching’, throughout the UK and Europe.

When you ‘fall in love’ with nature and wildlife and all that it encompasses, naturally, conservation becomes an important part of this wonderful hobby, wildlife conservation is a huge topic and therefore, opens up ‘another world’ as there are a number of major threats to our wildlife, i.e. poaching/hunting, climate change, toxic chemicals/pesticides and habitat loss.  It is only natural when you love something; you want to nurture and preserve it!  It is so easy too to become involved in conservation as you don’t necessarily have to join a Group or Trust to do so, you can help from your own back garden …. feeding the birds being one very important task.