The best laid plans...

 ... of birds and men, often go awry.

There was I, back in December, spouting on about my plans and targets for the uberpatch - but, if I'm being honest, in the back of my mind I knew that another Lockdown was a strong possibility. And tonight, that lockdown has been nationally declared.

There are positives for those of us that have so far escaped the negatives. The two vaccines that are being rolled out and delivered to arms will, God willing, start to suppress the virus. There was suggestion that, everybody who fell within the government's definition of the most urgent cases for the jab, would receive their first of two by mid-February. As somebody that is considered to be 'clinically vulnerable' this is positive stuff. Another positive is that there is recognition of the need to get out into the fresh air for exercise. I've just been on the governments website which states:

exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

Now, I'm not going to get on any high horse about how people should interpret this, but my own personal take on it is that my birding will, from now until an easing of the restrictions, be done on foot from the house. The car will stay at home. I'm relatively lucky in as much as I can reach places such as Canons Farm, Epsom Downs and the River Hogsmill, and all can supply enjoyable and varied birding. They might not be Dungeness, Portland or Spurn, but under the circumstances they will be my versions of them. My mini-Uber patch now comes to the fore - a clearly defined area to give some sort of framework to my birding as of Tuesday midnight. I have seen some birders suggest that birding is not exercise and should therefore not be carried out - I did take this attitude in the 'first' national lockdown for several weeks and just birded from home, but then decided that I was being too puritanical with the guidelines.

Whatever you do, and however you do it, please keep safe.

Canons Farm - sometimes Bog Field floods, and has attracted Green Sandpiper

Comments

Skev said…
When I hear any timeline from this shambles of a Government, I take it with a massive pinch of salt. I also expect to be offered a vaccine within priority group 4, and I'll be massively amazed if that happens before mid-Feb. At the current rate we're probably seeing far more new infections daily than inoculations - there needs to be a big ramp up.
5 January 2021 at 20:28
Steve Gale said…
Agreed Mark, not holding my breath for the vaccine, it’ll be offered as and when. Hope you are mending and adjusting well to your ‘new normal’.
5 January 2021 at 20:36
Skev said…
Doing great thanks, big lead forward in last week or so. Chemo starts on Monday though ..
5 January 2021 at 22:36
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