{"id":25772,"date":"2023-05-09T13:36:25","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T11:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=25772"},"modified":"2023-05-10T11:14:56","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T09:14:56","slug":"become-a-nature-walker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/2023\/05\/09\/become-a-nature-walker\/","title":{"rendered":"Become a nature walker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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WALKING SPECIAL: NATURE<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
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Become a nature walker<\/h2>\n\n

A few simple steps can help you identify more wildlife on your walks \u2013 and open up a world of beauty and fascination, says Fergus Collins <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Illustrations by Andy Lovell<\/p>\n\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

How <\/strong>would you like to never have a dull walk again? Would you like to turn every stroll into an adventure? How would you like to be able to identify the nature buzzing around you or growing by the wayside? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

It sounds like quite a promise, but tuning into the natural world and learning how to find and identify more wildlife on your everyday outings will transform how you see the countryside \u2013 and how you see yourself. Plus, it will definitely impress friends and family. <\/p>\n\n

Most of us get excited when we see a nature marvel. Kingfishers have us pointing and gaping. Swirling starling murmurations have rightly become one of Britain\u2019s most celebrated spectacles. Everyone shouts \u201cBuzzard!\u201d when one of these raptors lazily soars overhead. Most people never go beyond these basic connections. But once you\u2019ve taken some very simple steps, these exciting marvels can be found every day. You\u2019ll be exclaiming \u201cchiffchaff!\u201d or \u201coil beetle!\u201d or \u201ccuckoo-flower\u201d with equal relish. <\/p>\n\n

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\u201cA love of nature has become my haven, where I find incredible thrills and discoveries\u201d <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

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HOW TO START <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Perhaps the biggest barrier to immersing yourself in nature is not knowing what you are looking at, hearing or even smelling. Where do you start with identifying the flowers or birdsong in the local park? Where should you go to find wildlife? To help you, I\u2019m going to tell you a little bit about my own journey of discovery \u2013 and how I walk into nature on an almost daily basis. <\/p>\n\n

When I was eight, my godmother gave me a small telescope and The <\/em>Observer\u2019s <\/em>Book <\/em>of <\/em>Birds. <\/em>The book was full of exciting species, such as golden orioles and rough-legged buzzards. And yet all I ever seemed to see in my Somerset garden were starlings and sparrows. But it was the beginning of a curiosity that has flowered in adulthood to become my haven, my escape, my solace and where I find incredible thrills and discoveries. <\/p>\n\n

WALK BY A RIVER <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Let\u2019s leave aside the whole identifying business for now \u2013 as I did back then. I\u2019m going to take you on your first true nature walk. If you\u2019ve ever watched a nature documentary filmed in Africa, you\u2019ll no doubt have seen that most of the action takes place around the waterhole. It\u2019s the same in Britain. Our rivers and lakes need a lot of TLC currently, but they are still magnets for wildlife. So find a local river, canal or lake \u2013 especially in a city \u2013 and make it your mission to go for a walk there. Go early, before dog-walkers and joggers have humanised the day and driven off the nervier wildlife. Put aside the bright jackets and walking trousers \u2013 wear muted colours that don\u2019t rustle too much. The outdoor clothing manufacturer P\u00e1ramo is famous for its rustle-free waterproofs, which make it a favourite of wildlife cameramen. Nature is timid so give yourself the best chance of seeing birds, mammals and insects by walking quietly. Slow down, pause often and avoid making sudden movements. A nature walk isn\u2019t a mission-filled hike with a distant finishing point. It is a slow and gentle meander.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Along your river walk you will see waterbirds and birds of woodland fringes in the waterside trees. The banks should hold a wide range of plants and flowers in spring and summer. <\/p>\n\n

Spend a bit of time looking at fallen leaves or feeling the texture of tree bark. Look at the canopy and relax your eyes so that they are slightly unfocused. Suddenly you\u2019ll see the movement of birds or butterflies. Don\u2019t forget to stop on every bridge and look over \u2013 you never know what\u2019s beneath. I\u2019ve often seen salmon or big pike sheltering in quite small rivers and, goodness, that does take your breath away. But even spending the time to spot toads or tiddlers in a brook or ditch is memorable. <\/p>\n\n

Look for holes in the ground among tree roots or on earth banks \u2013 or worn paths leading into and out of hedgerows. All of these hint at hidden lives of rabbits, foxes, voles and badgers. You don\u2019t need to know what \u2013 yet. Just become familiar with the signs of life. <\/p>\n\n

GET TO KNOW A LOCAL ROUTE <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Spend a few walks looking and learning about your surroundings and follow the same paths at different times of day. You might wonder why, in a woodland, birds seem to only appear in one area. It\u2019s well known that sunnier southern scrubby edges of a woodland tend to be the most active areas, especially in spring, as the birds\u2019 insect prey is more active in the warmth. Deeper woodland, away from the glades, can be surprisingly lifeless. <\/p>\n\n

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\u201cI recommend starting with species that can\u2019t fly away: trees and wildflowers\u201d <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

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IDENTIFYING WHAT YOU SEE <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

So now you\u2019ve been walking and begun to get a feel for the life around you, you might feel it\u2019s time to put some names to the plants, the birds, the butterflies. I\u2019ve often been asked, why do you spend so much time trying to identify wildlife? Can\u2019t you just enjoy the walk? <\/p>\n\n

Once you start to identify the creatures and plants of a certain habitat, you begin to understand the web of life around you and suddenly your walks feel multi-dimensional. <\/p>\n\n

Birds are the obvious attraction \u2013 and birders outnumber all other wildlife specialists. So if birds are your thing, the first must-have is a pair of binoculars. You don\u2019t need to spend a fortune \u2013 mine cost me \u00a3130 (see page 62). But they are almost part of my body now. <\/p>\n\n

LEARNING BIRDSONG <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Increasingly, however, I have become reliant on my ears to recognise birds from their song. It has transformed my walks to the extent that I can stride through a woodland in spring and tell who\u2019s there from the singing alone. I find it relatively easy to tell different species apart but, like learning any language, it\u2019s about repetition and persistence. I learned in London by taking a bus to Hampstead Heath and following each birdsong until I met its maker. <\/p>\n\n

You only need to learn about six birdsongs before the whole avian audio world opens up. I found that once I\u2019d \u2018got\u2019 blackbird, robin, wren, dunnock, song thrush and great tit, I was able to spot new songs and quickly add them to my bank of melodies. Spend time listening to the marvellous recordings by Geoff Sample before going to bed and you\u2019ll be both soothed and educated\u2026 <\/p>\n\n

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CHASING WILDFLOWERS <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

I also recommend starting with species that can\u2019t fly away: trees and wildflowers. You\u2019ll hear a lot of advice from advocates of mindfulness to leave your phone behind \u2013 and it\u2019s good advice. However, taking photos of every species you want to identify and then leisurely learning about them back at home is one of the great pleasures of nature walking. You can even use something like Google Lens to identify flowers (or insects) out in the field \u2013 though it is not 100% reliable. And sometimes I use my phone to record birdsong that I don\u2019t recognise. So the phone is your friend, so long as you use it spontaneously and don\u2019t start thinking of the perfect Insta-moment. You\u2019ll lose the connection with the real world. Some nature watchers sketch what they see to identify it later \u2013 avoiding that pesky electronic device altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

After I while, I started to write down what I was seeing. I would find myself watching some interesting, sometimes inexplicable animal behaviour and it made sense to record it. Before long, I was taking my nature book with me and it became a logbook, a nature diary. Occasionally on cold winter\u2019s nights, I flick through it and relive fond outings and encounters, but it also has a practical use. I know, for instance, that 1 April is the time to look for toads spawning in pools by a local river. And that my swifts return faithfully between 2 and 4 May each year. Some diary entries are puzzling: \u201c24 July 1999, Virginia Water: jackdaw funeral\u201d is still my biggest mystery encounter. But that\u2019s another story.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

With regular walks, you will gain expertise on the local wildlife and notice when occasional oddities or rarities turn up. I once discovered a singing firecrest in my garden \u2013 and it was so noteworthy that a member of the local birding group came to check. It sang as he opened his car door \u2013 and I was so very grateful to the obliging little bird. If you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ll itch to test your burgeoning knowledge in new places where there are a different suite of wild creatures to meet. Endless adventures await! <\/p>\n\n

Once you start truly seeing the nature on your country walks, you will have passed through a door into another world \u2013 aworld that is never dull. <\/p>\n\n

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FERGUS’S FAVOURITE WILDLIFE-WATCHING KIT<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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Hawke Nature-Trek Binoculars, 10×42 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have owned a pair of these for 10 years and they have great magnification and light gathering. Plus they are robust \u2013 ideal for long walks in rugged terrain. uk.hawkeoptics.com<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NHBS pond net <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great way to get close to dramatic nature is a bit of pond dipping. But treat yourself to a net that actually catches the good stuff. This has never let me down. nhbs.com<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Opticron hand lens <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A brilliant device for opening up a whole world of beautiful detail. 10×23 is a good starter lens and a huge help when trying to identify plants or small creatures. nhbs.com<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

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FERGUS’S FAVOURITE NATURE READS<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Wild Flowers by Colour by Marjorie Blamey <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A beautiful and delightful book to relish our wild flora. It\u2019s the perfect browser when you want to identify a flower by shape, size and colour. One for post-walk delving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bird Songs and Calls by Geoff Sample<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although digital birdsong identification guides are common, Geoff Sample\u2019s commentary and beautiful recordings really take you into a habitat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a US publication but completely inspiring and fully relevant to a UK audience \u2013 from simple diary entries to learning how to sketch what you see. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Identifying Birds by Behaviour by Dominic Couzens<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A brilliant book that doesn\u2019t just show you what the bird looks like but how it flies and walks and runs\u2026 everything useful that other guides seem to forget. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

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Fergus Collins <\/strong>is the editor of BBC Countryfile <\/em>Magazine. He shares many of his nature rambles on the Plodcast \u2013 the nature and countryside podcast \u2013 available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all good podcast providers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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How would you like to never have a dull walk again? Would you like to turn every stroll into an adventure? 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