Getting in touch with the wild side
Published 20 Feb 2012 14:40
AS SPRING approaches so does the chance for people to get outside and scour the skies for local wildlife.
Recent initiatives, such as National Nest Box week, have been helping give youngsters and parents the opportunity to put care and love into a personalised home for their feathered friends, while encouraging the conservation of wildlife and birds.
Similarly, the recent RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, wherein children and teachers up and down the nation were encouraged to spy on furry visitors and keep a record of the breeds, attracted a variety of local schools. This included Sonning C of E, Emmbrook and Ridgeway Infant and Primary School in Maidenhead.
Last year the birdwatch attracted 949 students and teachers from 23 schools across Berkshire alone, all of whom spent a weekend spotting a menagerie of birds.
With all these schemes continuing and the weather beginning to warm, Berkshire Media Group's resident photographer and bird lover, Chris Forsey, has recommended that those casting their eyes upward should be on the hunt for the following springtime sky dwellers:
- Willow Warbler
- Chiffchaff
- Swift
- Swallow
- Sand Martin (usually the earliest to arrive for the summer)
- Wheatear
This article appeared in Bracknell News 15 Feb 12
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