May 2020 BBC Wildlife 57
lastedforseveralhours.Withtrafficand
airtravelreducedrightnow,birdsongwill
beeasiertopickout.Listenthroughoutthe
dayforgulls,buzzardsandswifts,orthe
clapandwhistleofpigeonwings.S
ince#WildlifeFromMyWindow
waslaunched,thehashtaghas
beenusedacrosstheworld.We’ve
hadpeoplejoiningusinAmerica,
AustraliaandNewZealand;
SouthAfrica,AlgeriaandUganda;India,
JapanandthePhilippines.Wemadea
#WildlifeFromMyWindowthree-minute
film,producedbyRuthPeacey,presented
byLindseyChapman,andsupportedby
LauraHowardandAnneGallagher.The
filmanditsaccompanyingdigitalcontent
reachedovertwomillionpeopleintheUK
alone(bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03yfwr3).
It is thestoriesfromthehashtagusers
thatmovedmemost.Heathersumsup
theimpactofthecampaignsofar:“Ihad
alreadytakentowatchingwildlifeand
takingphotosofthewildlifefrommy
windowbeforethehashtagbutbeingable
toshareandseeotherpeople’sis solovely
andtakesit toa wholeotherlevel.It means
theworldtomeandgavemesomething
tofocusonduringa verydifficultandsad time. I would encourage anyone to
join in using the hashtag...to read about
what people have seen or heard from their
windows...it is a joyful thing.”
This is so important. In times of
suffering, hardship and isolation it is easy
to lose contact with nature – but also with
one another. #WildlifeFromMyWindow
brings us closer to nature, yes – but it also
brings us closer to each other. With the
crucial necessity of self-isolation today,
we need emotional connections more
than ever before. To connect with
people who have been there, to connect
with people who are going through
the same thing as you right now is to
know you are not alone. To maintain
a passion – and to share it with others
even when times are tough – is, as one
#WildlifeFromMyWindow user put it,
to refuse to be defined by our hardship.
#WildlifeFromMyWindow has always
been a community of inclusion. Now,
with the tragedy of the global coronavirus
pandemic,I hopethatpeopleexperiencing
isolationforthefirsttimemaybeinspired
bythecampaign.I hopetheycanusethe
hashtagtofindlightandjoyintheirday.
I hopeit encouragesthemtoenjoynature
neartheirhome.
If thepast 10 yearshavetaughtme
anything,it’sthatyoudon’tneedto
visitremoteplacestoseeincredible
wildlife.Youdon’tneedtoleaveyour
housetofindmeaningandconnection
inyourworld.Youdon’tneedtohave
physicalcontacttoexperiencebeing
together.Ina timeofuncertainty,I hope
#WildlifeFromMyWindowbringsyou
closertogetherandclosertonature.Whenever the weather is warm, bees will
be busy, though some bumblebees fly when
it seems far too cold to be sensible. In early
summer, the enormous queen bumblebees
will mostly be in their nests – their workers
will be out and about, periodically smashing
their heads into windowpanes. Look out for
worker wasps, too – an underrated garden
pest controller. Here in South London, I
always look keenly for the chestnut thorax
and yellow-and-black abdomen of the first
hornet mimic hoverfly sunning itself on
leaves near the window.
Now is also the perfect time to listen out
for the dawn or evening chorus: “It’s not so
much a view for me but a sound. Last year,
I couldn’t cope with light and noise at all,
but this spring I’ve been able to enjoy the
beautiful sounds of birds singing at dusk.
So melodic and uplifting,” says Sarah.
“On days when I can’t get out of bed,
I so enjoy hearing the birds singing,”
adds Cordelia. “At night, I listen to the
foxes and wonder what adventures they
are getting up to.”
One recent study by Kings College
London found that when participants
listened to birdsong and interacted with
other aspects of nature, they reported
increases in mental well-being, which
ELIZABETH GUNTRIP is
a writer and consultant on
natural history, inclusivity
and youth engagement issues. Find her
@lizzieguntrip on Twitter and Instagram.WANT TO COMMENT?
Inspired by Elizabeth’s
story? Or perhaps watching
wildlife has already helped
you during COVID-19?
Email us at wildlifeletters@
immediate.co.ukhome
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