From local, national to worldwide!!

Around 0500 hours this morning a pair of Grey-lag Geese flew past the house calling ( I was in bed ). They've done the same over the past few days, undoubtedly going towards more open feeding grounds on farmland near the coast. An hour or so later they flew back towards what I suspect is now their breeding location tucked away in an area of greater cover to the east. A simple case of a cycle of activity that would be easy to miss, but that directs attention to aspects of birding we so often ignore or miss.

A little later I flogged around my local area in a somewhat robust wind and dodging odd showers. It wasn't an intention to connect with anything especial ( although there was a Killdeer last year nearby!! ), but simply to interact with what constitutes the "local birdlife" at different times of year. Some might dismiss, even ridicule, the effort involved , but it actually puts you in touch with what is happening with such natural cycles and gives a very rewarding insight into wildlife patterns. It's not the sort of birding I could slavishly pursue each and every day, without recourse to visits elsewhere, but it can provide some very important data too if such visits are then submitted into the BirdTrack system or the Breeding Bird Survey, both of which are administered  by the British Trust for Ornithology. Worth doing in any event.  I was quite buoyed up this morning by seeing a Grasshopper Warbler singing away in precisely the same bush as in the past three years. The same bird, it would be nice to think so given the too often bad news stories of declining populations, depleted migrants and so on?

Over the weekend I watched the Queens Speech, which I'd recorded.   OK, sad so and so you might say, but I'm genuinely interested in what might affect our environment and fortunes of our wildlife. As it was there was no, none, zilch, mention of wildlife, or much about the environment other than the Green Investment Bank.  Wildlife can't defend itself, it requires our help and it may yet mean that we, the birding community, not celebrated as the most active constituent political body let it be said, but it might be necessary!

On a similar note the reaction towards the Brazilian forestry issue and the threat to the Amazonian jungle is gaining in impetus as 1.5 million people have, apparently , already communicated their objection to the proposals to the Brazilian President. She has until the 25th May to veto the proposals or invite international criticism and condemnation of the countries' Bill. See the entry on this Blog dated 10th May and ensure you sign the petition!!! Please!!