COLUMN: Enjoy nature's lazy summer days
The storms of screaming swifts have already left by now, blazing a path down to Africa that millions of birds will follow over the next few weeks. Bird numbers have been swelled by all the youngsters raised over the spring and if you can find a good spot, you may well be treated to a birdwatching bonanza. Now is the time to keep a keen eye on your local patch. It’s a great time of year for finding unusual species that you would never normally see as they pass through southwards. I always look forward to looking for the redstarts, stonechats and tree pipits that wouldn’t look twice at my patch in the breeding season, but are reliably seen each year on migration.
So while it may seem as if not much is going on as the lazy days of late summer plod along, there’s still plenty out there to see. Autumn will be along soon, defibrillating nature’s pulse into pandemonium as animals and plants have one last bout of revelry before winter’s return. For the minute though, enjoy this more relaxed pace. Although this may be the time of the year when nature’s beat is at its slowest, it’s still a long way from flat lining.