Nature Walk

We were out for a walk yesterday in the beautiful sunshine. It was lovely. Strangely there were not many people around. We wondered at one point, did everyone know something we didn’t?

We did see lots of birds. They seemed to be enjoying the weather as much as we were. Many were flying in and out of bushes, collecting material for their nest as well as foraging for food. It is amazing how close you can get to them walking along a path or pavement. You could almost touch them, not that we would, but they don’t seem to be scared of us and are now used to humans being on the paths.

Taking a moment to stop and look around, the leaves and bushes were all green and lush, the flowers blooming and soaking up the sun. There was a slight cool breeze in the air and plenty of birds about. Looking at the ground we could see the insects crawling on the path – whether a beetle or a woodlouse, there is always something beside your feet.

Nature is amazing, I feel so much better for being outdoors and looking around me, watching the bees as they move from one flower to the next or catching the squirrel leaping from tree to tree. It is all so magical and beautiful. We take it for granted, but not intentionally. We know it’s there, like the birds know we are there, but how often do we saviour it and really pay attention?

Nature has it’s downside too, death is inevitable, and whilst on our walk we noticed two birds fighting. We couldn’t see what they were fighting about, but a seagull was dragging something and a magpie was pecking at the seagull and trying to get it to stop. As we got closer we realised a poor magpie had been killed – recently by a car we thought and the seagull had dragged it onto the pavement and was trying to eat it.

The magpie was doing all it could to try and stop the seagull from eating the other. It was so sad. As we walked closer the defending magpie flew away and the seagull walked over to the other side of the road, it had no intention of flying away to give up it’s next meal. As we walked by, we knew the it would return. It was too good an opportunity to miss out on.

I felt so sorry for the dead magpie’s friend who was fighting back to stop the seagull. Scott then pointed out that perhaps the magpie ‘friend’ wanted him to eat instead. That could be true, but I like to think it was doing it’s best to scare away the predator so he could mourn the loss of his mate. We didn’t see what happened next, but the seagull no doubt got his lunch. Nature can be hard to watch sometimes.

Walking on we came across a cat sitting on the edge of the coastal path. It was a friendly cat and we stopped to say hello and make sure it was alright. We climbed some steps and admired the view and a man and his dog were approaching the cat. The cat stood it’s ground for a while but then slowly turned and walked away, then broke into a sleek sprint into the houses nearby. Where it turned to watch the dog walk by.

Nature, whether it’s your own pets or the wonderful world beyond our front door, there is never a dull moment. Getting outside and enjoying the lovely warm weather, will bring us closer to it. You really don’t have to go far from your own home to see it. Have a look at the insects on the plants or the butterfly on the wall, or the birds looking for food in your garden. Upturn a stone and you will see lots of little insects living their life.

Nature can have a calming effect on us and help us to engage with a different world other than our own life. There is more going on out there than you realise.

If you do nothing else this week, I would urge you to go for a walk and look around and pay attention to what you see. Try to name the birds, and take note of what they were so when you get home you can look up the birds you saw. Think about what surprised you the most, was it the number of birds or the different types? Perhaps you walk the same way each day and you never noticed the different species of birds before. It can be easy to miss when we get caught up in our daily lives of work, home life, music and podcasts or books. We forget to look up and look around. There is so much to see.

This week, take your time and observe what is around you. Enjoy nature and have a lovely week.

Look after you!

Love Emma xx