Who’s hiding in the garden?

We’re living in an open zoo, and we don’t even know it!

Who’s hiding in the garden? The garden being outside, everywhere. There’s wildlife all around us. Whether you live in a town or city, or are lucky (like me) to live in the countryside, you are never too far away from some sort of green space. There are many country parks, riverside walks, and national parks nearby, full of interesting flora and fauna. If you want to know where try either googling it, or appeal to local walking groups on Facebook.

Living in the countryside, just outside the Berkshire town of Newbury, there are a lot of places to walk. Most mornings, come rain or shine I walk for about four miles. As well as keeping me fit I find it meditative, it sets my mind up for the day. Occasionally I’ll take my headphones and listen to a podcast or an audiobook, but I do like to immerse myself in nature, listening to bird song and smelling the fresh country air, so I tend to leave them off. It’s great for your mental health. You get such a buzz connecting with the earth and its surroundings. If I spot an animal, it’s intriguing to watch them for a few minutes, undisturbed, just enjoying the moment, very often just foraging for food.

So, just who is hiding in the garden?

It’s amazing what you observe, especially if you walk at the right times of the day. You might hear a cuckoo call or an owl hoot. When it’s quiet and peaceful like first thing in the morning, you might see wild deer grazing in a field or hiding in trees and bushes. I didn’t know there are five species roaming wild in Britain. For such a big animal you wouldn’t think they could roam freely without being noticed a lot of the time. You can learn more about the different species native to Britain here.

I see lots of grey squirrels on my travels. They are so fun to watch, with their jerky movements and almost animated motion. It amazes me how they leap effortlessly from tree to tree without falling.

Ireland has a beautiful garden too!

On a recent holiday to the west of Ireland, we decided to try the Cloonfad forest loop in  county Roscommon. It’s where Galway, Mayo and county Roscommon meet. A beautiful walk, with some really interesting wildlife…

Wild donkeys

And these wild goats. We counted, there were at least 23 in the flock.

But you don’t even have to go on a walk to find captivating creatures…

Look who’s hiding in my back garden

An intruder in this garden!

Whilst this little gem of a video was posted on Facebook by a friend of mine, a little trespasser in her parents’ back garden. Keep watching, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Awww – isn’t he cute? A muntjac deer. I didn’t know until recently that muntjacs aren’t native to Britain but are from Asia. They were brought over to the Woburn Abbey estate, Bedfordshire, but around 1925 some escaped. Any that are roaming Britain today are direct descendants of those escapees.

Isn’t wildlife wonderful?

So, go out and enjoy mother Earth’s garden

So, arm yourself with a good nature guidebook, I recommend this one

It tells you all about what you might encounter in different environments, plants, flowers, and creatures.

Go prepared

Wear suitable clothing for the day’s weather (I always check the BBC weather app, it never seems to fail me.) Also, wear appropriate comfortable shoes, especially if you’re going on a long walk. I wear flats/trainers for road walking, and proper walking boots for a countryside hike. Take a phone/and or camera, food and drink for a long trek.

I’d much rather see animals and wildlife roaming free. We don’t own animals, they live among us. It’s such a shame when you see animals in zoos, caged up, out of their natural habitat. And although most zoos are generally well run, with animal welfare being a top priority, there still seems to be an air of manufacture about them. They may have had a place once upon a time, but now people can travel easily to see animals in their native environments, or even search their images on the internet, is there any need for the cruelty in keeping zoo animals? I suppose that’s a whole other discussion and possibly a blog for another time.

So, go by yourself, with a friend, or take the family. A walk, or a good hike, or just look in your back garden. Of course, you’re not going to see lions and zebras, but interesting birds, insects, and mammals are abundant everywhere in Britain – you’ve just go to look!

But don’t forget to be respectful of the animals and environment. In my opinion, we should appreciate what’s on our doorstep, all around us. Disturb as little as possible. Enjoy nature, every day if you can.

It’s great for the mind and the soul.