Transcendent livestreams from the birdfeeders

 

Blue tit; Cyanistes caeruleus. (Photo from personal collection)

A little while ago, I began a little experiment. With the help of some strong tape, an inexpensive phone holder (one of those hands-free things designed to aid in livestreaming), and my smartphone, I set up a social media livestream from the birdfeeder station in the garden. It was all very makeshift, and it was very much for my own curiosity and amusement that I set this thing up - I just wanted to see if I could get a closer look at some of the birds out there.

My income is really quite low, so the equipment at my disposal is nothing highly technical or impressive.

The feeding station is a metal pole, stuck into the lawn, out of which branches limbs at the top, and from these limbs hang three feeders of various design. With one feeder removed from the station, I put the phone holder, with my smartphone in place, level with the feeder I wish to record, but with as much distance between the phone and the feeder as can be. Then, I simply apply as much black tape to the phone holder and the feeding station's trunk as it takes for the phone to remain firmly in place for the duration of the livestream. Like I said, it is very makeshift. But it works!

A pair of Blue tits negotiating a branch. (Photo from personal collection)

It is the Blue tits that most often visit the feeders I stream from, and all the other birds that usually visit stay out of shot. Perhaps they are unsure of the phone and what it is, or perhaps the other birds simply need more space, and are uncomfortable negotiating the protruding phone and holder. Indeed, I feel that this is a draw back, and perhaps it does hinder some of what I am trying to achieve, and maybe a more covert manner of filming would prove better. However, as I say, I only have what I have at my disposal and I am limited by that.

That is not to say that I am unhappy watching Blue tits on the livestreams. In fact, I love getting a closer view of these colourful little birds as they flit from the feeders, and then back to a branch somewhere. The vibrant blue of their caps and backs is beautiful, and the yellow of their chests is handsome. In these Spring months, they reflect the colours of the flowers that have been welcoming the season!

As the livestream broadcasts over social media, I sit and watch from a window. Always, on the livestream, the camera sees very little except for a feeder full of suet balls swinging in the breeze, in between brief visits, which is, of course, to expected. But, out of shot, there is much more going on. In the makeshift birdbath I constructed a while ago, a female Blackbird bathes whilst a Robin watches, waiting its turn to make use of the water. A Woodpigeon or two flutters in and searches the ground beneath the feeders, pecking at things unseen by human eyes, until something disturbs them, and they fly away with a flap and a clap and a fuss. Dunnocks also dot around underneath the feeders, much more at home feeding on the ground. In the meantime, the female Blackbird has left the bath and is feeding on berries in the ivy.

It's a busy and noisy urban garden, and some of the sounds the phone picks up as it records are as interesting as the sights. Whether it's birdsong or trains in the background, it definitely paints an aural portrait of this garden in an English town.

My makeshift birdbath, made from a planter dish, bricks for a little elevation, stones inside so that the surface is less slippery, and a piece of broken paving slab as a little platform. Not ornamental, but the birds appreciate it nonetheless. (Photo from personal collection)

I use this livestreaming technique of filming as a way to get a closer view of these birds whilst hopefully not infringing too much upon their space. And I do it because they bring me joy. There is joy in just watching them be what they are, and long may it be so, that they are here with us to gift us that joy.

I don't undertake these livestreams very often - how basic my set up is rules out anything but the most temperate of days, for a start - but if you would like to follow me on social media, so that you can see one for yourself, I will list my accounts below. However, it is on Facebook that you are probably more likely to see me go live. Twitter is geared more towards my writing endeavours than my pursuits in nature. Still, a follow would be appreciated if that's your thing!

If you do follow in hopes of seeing a livestream, be sure that your settings are set so that you get a notification when I go live!

Social media

facebook.com

instagram.com

twitter.com

The article I wrote on the construction of my makeshift birdbath can be found here.

Just before you go, can I ask that you please consider supporting this blog with a coffee on ko-fi.com - the caffeine keeps me watching nature and writing about it.

I resist allowing ad space here, hoping to generate conversation before clicks and sales, and this means that I can write freely, unbound by commercial restraints or influence. I hope that I write well here, and demonstrate care and consideration for the topic, because nature and wildlife is not just some academic interest of mine, it is something that takes my breath away and makes me stop still to watch a while.

For good writing to survive, amongst the advertisements disguised as articles and the spaces where clicks are all that's sought, writers must seek support for the time that goes into research, writing, proofreading, editing rewriting . . .

I ask that, if you can, you leave a small donation through ko-fi.com - if every reader that made it this far into the article gave just the minimum it would make a huge difference. However, if you cannot donate, please like and share. I strive for integrity over algorithms.

Thank you, every reader and supporter!

Can you relate to this routine - pottering about in the garden?

 

An empty shell. Unfortunately for the snails, blackbirds visit the garden. (Photo from personal collection)

From day to day, my experiences with nature and wildlife most often occur in the garden. It starts in the morning, as I wait for my coffee to brew, when I look out on the birdfeeders. The birds, most often House sparrows (Passer domesticus), fly from the shrubbery to the feeders, and back again. Now and then, a few sparrows quibble and quarrel, fighting for a spot. Their calls are a variety of chirps and chatters. My mornings are a wonderful mix of rich coffee aroma and sparrow calls.

Amongst the earthy tones of the sparrows, blue and yellow can sometimes be seen, flitting in for some seed or suet. Both the Blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and the Great tits (Parus major) are more likely to fly in and away quickly, taking what they want and then off into branches and cover. However, they can be coaxed into staying a little longer when a suet filled coconut half hangs from the feeding station.

Blackbirds (Turdus merula) visit too, feeding on the ground below the feeders. They also pluck the berries from the ivy and make a meal out of the garden's snails. There are a number of empty shells out there.

The other day, for the fist time in the garden, I saw a pair of Long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus) on the feeders, which was a thrill. I was thrilled further when I saw a single Long-tailed tit visit again today. This little fluff ball, with its long, narrow tail, was an awesome sight to my eyes; there is great joy and pleasure, and fulfillment, in seeing new visitors. In a world where, as we know, many of our birds are facing greater adversities, I take pride in having a space just outside where these wonderful winged things can come for food, water, and shelter.

Pots of plants. (Photo from personal collection)

A couple of nights ago, I spotted a caterpillar in one of my plant pots, a pot of mixed wildflowers. There are no flowers just yet, but there are some nice green leaves to be chewed upon. And this little green caterpillar (I think a caterpillar of the Angle shades moth, or Phlogophora meticulosa) seemed to have made itself at home, since I saw this single caterpillar again, a night later, in the same pot. I didn't resent the little life for making food of my flowers. I planted them with bees, butterflies, and moths in mind.

As we head towards the warmer and sunnier seasons, I look forward to seeing flowers on the oxeye daisies, the poppies, and the other wildflowers. The oxeye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) took a bit of a battering during the recent storms, striving as they do to grow tall, the winds bent and broke some of them down. But, the green life in our gardens is strong and resilient and if it can find a way, it often does. I can not wait for spring and the sight of bees and butterflies on the flowers.

My makeshift bird bath, which I have written about before (here), has been attracting the House sparrows. Perhaps others of the birds have also made use of it, but I've only seen the sparrows in there so far. I can tell you this, when I watched the sparrows drinking from the planter dish, this cheap and unassuming thing, this thing that only cost me a few quid and a little effort, I felt that I had done some good. I felt that I had put more good into this little corner of the world than I ever did from behind a till, a counter, or a desk.

For the peace, joy, and awe that these visitors bring, I make sure the feeders and the bath are clean. I pour in the seed, hang the feeders, rinse out the bath, and then I retreat, giving the birds the space they need. And I watch for a while.

Recently, making use of strong black tape and my mobile phone, I have started live streaming from the birdfeeders on my social media platforms. I can't say that it is gathering an awful lot of viewers, but I have enjoyed seeing the visitors a little more closely. If you would like to see any future livestreams, I will put links to my social media below; make sure your notification settings are set up so that you are notified when I go live. 

Social media links

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/philip.simons.12/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/philip.simons.lip/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/PhilipSimons18

Thank you for reading. Just before you go, can I ask that you please consider supporting this blog with a coffee from ko-fi.com - the caffeine keeps me pottering around in the garden!

I resist ad space in this blog, believing that there are greater things than sales that can be generated through writing. However, with writerly ambitions, I must seek some means to support my writing and blogging, and I throw myself on the kindness of readers.

Thank you again for reading and, if you are able to do so, please do take a look at ko-fi.com, and I hope you come back again soon.

5 ways to get the most out of Winterwatch 2022

 

Winterwatch 2022 presenters, Chris Packham; Michaela Strachan; Iolo Williams (photo sourced from Wales Online).

At eight o' clock this evening, Winterwatch returns to our screens on BBC2, with Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan presenting from Wild Ken Hill, Norfolk. 

In today's post, we take a look at five ways viewers can get the most out of the series.

1. The series itself

The first and foremost means of enjoying the series is to settle in and watch each episode during the week for the next fortnight. Set the timers on your televisions for 8pm on BBC2!

This year will see the return of presenters Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan, who will be situated at Wild Ken Hill, Norfolk for the duration of this year's Winterwatch. 

Iolo Williams will also be returning to the series, broadcasting from Isle of Mull. And Megan McCubbin will be based at WWT Castle Espie in Northern Ireland.

The Presenters

Chris Packham is a naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter, and author. He has been working on nature and wildlife television since the early 1980's, and in 1986 he stepped in front of the camera to present the children's programme, The Really Wild Show. Chris is also very involved with conservation; he lends his time to a number of charities and nonprofit organisations, and he is also a president, vice-president, or patron for a number of them.

Michaela Strachan is a television presenter and, since the 1990's, has worked on a number of nature and wildlife programmes, including the BBC's Orangutan Diary. She and Chris Packham worked together on the children's wildlife programme, The Really Wild Show, and are a favourite presenting pair on The Watches. 

Iolo Williams is a naturalist, writer, and television presenter. From 1985 until 1999, Iolo worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) as a regional co-ordinator. It was through this work that he came to make appearances in the media as an expert on birds. Since the late nineties, he has worked on a number of wildlife programmes, and has been presenting on The Watches since 2019.

Megan McCubbin is a zoologist, conservationist, naturalist, photographer, and presenter. She has worked on wildlife programming for the BBC since 2017, when she worked on Undercover Tourist, in which wildlife activists travelled to some of the world's most popular holiday destinations to investigate illegal wildlife trade. She has since worked on a number of other wildlife programmes, including The Watches since 2020.

2. The BBC website

The Watches are interactive and love to get viewers involved. A great place to get started is the Winterwatch pages of the BBC's website. From there can be found links to wildlife blog posts, short films from the series, episodes on iPlayer, fun and informative quizzes, and much more!

If you'd like to get involved, you can peruse the Winterwatch home page here.

3. Getting out and about

As just mentioned, the series loves to get viewers involved, which makes sense since there's no better way to fall in love with nature than to get out there yourself!

There are a number of ways that nature and wildlife can be explored and appreciated. Perhaps you write poetry, blog posts, or essays. Maybe you paint or take photographs. Maybe you're interested in capturing the sounds of nature, or . . . 

Well, as I say, there are a great number of ways that nature lovers can express and explore their passion. And, since The Watches do strive to be interactive, viewers can find their efforts shared on the series!

Fishing on a frosty day; Grey heron, scientific name - Ardea cinerea (photo from personal collection).

4. Social media

The series, and the presenters, make the most of social media to get viewers and nature lovers involved. Social media is a great asset to this series which makes great efforts to interact with viewers, and fans can become something of an online community.

A list of the social media pages can be found below.

• All of The Watches can be followed on Facebook through the BBC Springwatch Facebook page - facebook.com/BBCSpringwatch

• As with Facebook, The Watches on Twitter can be followed through the BBC Springwatch account - twitter.com/BBCSpringwatch

• Chris Packham can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

• Michaela Strachan can be found on Twitter and Instagram.

• Iolo Williams is on Twitter.

• Megan McCubbin is on Twitter and Instagram.

You can also find others on social media who have worked on The Watches over the years - Steve Backshall, Martin Hughes-Games, Hannah Stitfall, etc. Just remember to be polite and considerate in the comments, even when you disagree with somebody out there in the social media universe.

5. Projects and giving something back

As has been mentioned, many of the presenters that work on The Watches are also conservationists. And even the amateur naturalist knows at least something of the struggles that nature and wildlife is facing in Britain, as well as globally. 

There are a number of opportunities to volunteer and undertake citizen science projects throughout the country. Indeed, a number of charities and nonprofit organisations rely on reports from citizen science projects to gather data and information on nature and wildlife in the United Kingdom.

On the weekend of the 28th January, the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch will see nature lovers throughout the country watching and counting birds around the country, in gardens and local parks, and submitting their findings to the RSPB by post or online.

The Winterwatch pages on the BBC website also lists a number of projects you can do this month and through the year.

Giving a little something back is perhaps the greatest way a nature lover can demonstrate their appreciation for nature and wildlife.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this year's Winterwatch series. You can support this blog and my writing with a coffee over on ko-fi.com - the caffeine keeps me researching and writing so you don't have to! Thank you to all supporters!

Discover how to create spaces for wildlife in your garden with FREE materials!

 

European garden spider (Araneus diadematus), drinking from a raindrop on the underside of some garden furniture. (Photo from personal collection)

Here, on this little nature blog, we've looked at ways in which one can create spaces in their garden for nature before. It isn't a new topic, and it is one I may return to again. Garden space in the UK covers more land than all of our nature reserves combined, so if each of us set aside just a portion of our gardens for the benefit of nature and wildlife it would make a real difference.

In this post, we will be looking specifically at some of the ways in which one can acquire the materials for creating spaces in their gardens for free!

1. Facebook, Freegle, Freecycle . . .

I know that Facebook is a tad problematic for some, and with good reason, but it is the social media platform on which, in my experience, it is easiest to reach local people. And I have discovered a number of pages on the platform dedicated to either selling items cheaply or items that people are prepared to give away for free. In a world where people are trying to be more conscious of the impact they have, people are quite happy to give away items they have no use for themselves, rather than throwing them away.

Freecycle is a nonprofit organisation whose purpose is to divert reusable items from landfills by encouraging people to pass on or "gift" items that are still useable to others. You should also see Freegle, which works in a very similar way. If you sign up to the site, you can then leave a post to either state that you are looking for something or that you have something you are willing to give away. If you need a bird box, put a post up and wait. You never know, somebody might have one that has just been sitting in their shed for a while. If you want to create a space for insects, a "bug hotel", you may need materials such as logs, pots, or bricks; items that some people have sitting around, materials surplus to jobs they've had done, and would be more than happy for someone to come and take away for them!

Link to Freegle - https://www.ilovefreegle.org/browse

Link to Freecycle - https://www.freecycle.org/

2. Flytippers and litterbugs!

I love to go out walking but I hate, hate, hate the litter and piles of rubbish I find along some of the routes I take!

However, perhaps there is something in those piles of rubbish that might be useful to the gardener wanting to create a space for nature . . . Hmm . . .

Okay, so sifting through another persons rubbish might not sound appealing but, as mentioned above, sometimes, when you want to create a space for nature, all you need is materials such as brick, wood, or pots. Now, unfortunately, some people, rather than disposing of items properly, or signing up to sites like Freecycle, will dump their surplus materials on the side of a road or country lane. I hate it, as I said, but before reporting it to the local council, are there materials there that might be useful to you, and can you transport them safely?

I wouldn't encourage you to just grab hold of anything you have found if there's any doubt in your mind about hygiene and safety (certainly don't go digging into piles of rubbish with your bare hands!), but if you stumble across some planks of wood or something similar and it would make an ideal addition to your bug hotel, for example, why not?

You'll be taking care of two problems at once essentially - removing rubbish and creating space for nature in your garden!

3. Leaving things be

One of the easiest ways to create space for free is to do nothing, or a little less of something.

For example, leaving the lawn mower in the shed or mowing less of your lawn, letting grass and flowers grow instead. After all, nothing knows how to create space for nature better than nature itself - it did just fine before we came along, and I imagine it'll do much better once we're gone!

If you've fruit bearing trees, let the windfall stay where it is - moths, butterflies, birds, squirrels, foxes . . . plenty of wildlife will enjoy the meal. Allow things to be a little untidy. 

Of course, to enjoy our gardens, there will be a need to create some tidy areas (for playing sports, space to just sit and enjoy the garden, etc.), but people are starting to ask the questions, "Is there really much beauty in the dead monoculture that is a perfectly manicured lawn? Or, can at least some of that space be given to our wildlife that is in need? Isn't a garden full of life better for everyone?"

Doing nothing, or a little less, is sometimes the best thing that you can do. And, it's free!

4. Jars, candle holders, pots, pans, broken barrows . . .

Okay, so this one isn't technically one hundred per cent free, since you probably paid for these items when you desired or needed them for their original purpose, unless they were a gift. But, once the jars have been emptied of jam, or the kitchen pans have been replaced, why not reuse those items? Give them a new life and help nature out?

You don't need a garden to help nature, and if you have a balcony, why not take some of those emptied jars or candle holders, clean them out, and use them to grow some wildflowers? Fill the jars with some peat-free multi-purpose compost, pop in a couple of seeds (depending on the size of your container), and you've created a home for flowers and a space for nature. 

This practice of recycling can be very useful for the gardener that is conscious of nature and wildlife. A broken wheelbarrow can make a pretty good trough for a mini meadow, or maybe even a miniature pond (just remember to allow for the fact that little creatures will need a means of getting in and out of water).

Before you throw away some of the items that have outworn their original uses, get creative and ask yourself if those shelves, the empty jars, or that broken wheelbarrow can be repurposed.

If you have any ideas yourself, or if you have put into practice any of the above suggestions, I would love to hear about them in the comments. You could spark someone's imagination!

Thank you for reading - if you enjoyed this piece, you can buy me a coffee on ko-fi.com. The caffeine keeps me searching for materials and pottering around in the garden, before coming back here to write al about it! Thank you!

SAVE this post for later, to help you find these great accounts on social media!

 

Hello there, and welcome to this little corner of the internet!

In today's post, I am going to share with you some of the accounts I follow across social media, the ones that satisfy my interest in nature and wildlife, and why I follow them.

So, without further ado . . .

Facebook

Bird Watching is the UK's best-selling birding magazine.

There are plenty of holes in my knowledge about birds, and following the Facebook page for this magazine affords me the opportunity to have conversations and exchanges with like-minded people, and improve my birding knowledge.

You can find the Bird Watching page here.

The Wildlife Blogger Crowd is a wildlife and nature blog community where those who maintain nature blogs can support each other. 

As a blogger myself, I follow this page because of that community spirit, but even if you don't write a blog yourself you may find something of interest here. If you love nature and wildlife writing, take a look - there is much to be found!

You can find The Wildlife Blogger Crowd here.

Springwatch Fans is a Facebook page for fans of the BBC's Springwatch programmes. It's there for exactly what it says it is there for. However, the discussions that take place on the page are not limited to the contents of the television shows and followers often discuss other nature and wildlife topics.

I follow this page because I am a fan of the Springwatch programmes and because I love nature and wildlife - simple!

You can find Springwatch Fans here.

Instagram

Greenpeace UK is the Instagram page for this charity and their work in the UK. I follow these pages because I am interested in conservation and the discussions around climate change, and the actions that are being taken by charities and non-profit organisations.

You can find Greenpeace UK here.

savebutterflies is the page for Butterfly Conservation, a British charity devoted to saving butterflies, moths and their habitats throughout the UK. Taking part in the Big Butterfly Count and other monitoring schemes is great fun, and the data goes towards saving these beautiful insects.

You can find SaveTheButterflies here.

bbcearth, as the page's bio says, "brings you face to face with nature, science and space". This is a BBC page, and I follow for the fascinating footage, photography, and facts.

You can find the BBC Earth page here.

Twitter

Keep the Ban, as you can imagine, is a page devoted to keeping the ban on hunting and fighting animal cruelty. Before taking a look at this page, I should like to warn you that sometimes they do share footage that has been taken by activists in an attempt to gather information against lawbreakers. Their aim is to tackle cruelty and gather information against criminals, but I'm aware that the footage can be upsetting for some.

You can find their page here.

Lucy Jones is a nature and wildlife writer that I have enthused about before (monstawild.blogspot.com), since I read Foxes Unearthed. It's my birthday soon and, as a little present to myself, I bought Losing Eden, which I've a feeling I am going to adore!

She writes with intelligence, care, and consideration; she writes how I wish I could write.

You can follow Lucy Jones on Twitter here.

Chris Packham describes himself simply as a "wildlife TV presenter & conservationist" in his Twitter bio. And, that is pretty much all it takes to pique my interest. However, Chris Packham also proves himself to be thoughtful, intelligent, knowledgeable, and considerate in his speaking and writing; I have a lot of time for this TV presenter and conservationist.

You can follow Chris Packham here.

Thank you for reading. You can support my writing by treating me to a coffee on ko-fi.com/philipsimons - the caffeine keeps me perusing social media and writing about what I find there! Thank you so much!