Feeling hopeful in the sunshine at Oare Marshes (and away from it all)

After what feels like a grey kind of winter I was more than ready for some sunny weather and blue skies.  Just a walk in the sunshine makes me feel more energised and alive.  As I walk, I notice that more people are smiling and saying cheerful hellos, commenting on how lovely the weather is.  We have escaped the winter months and that is reason to feel grateful.  Maybe spring is designed with melodic birdsong and colourful blooms to tempt us out of our hibernation.  Time to escape from the computer screen and spend more time in nature.

Yesterday, we walked at Oare Marshes, a peaceful nature reserve along the estuary from Whitstable.  As soon as we arrived, I felt my spirits start to lift.  The landscape is unique with grazing marshes, freshwater dykes and salt marshes providing rich habitats for so much wildlife.  It is especially important for a diversity of migratory and local wetland birds.  We walked along the narrow path with boats moored up on our right and the wind blowing cool air across the marshes to the left.  The distinct sound of a coot came from the reeds in the freshwater dyke.  Soon we saw some unusual brown and white tufted ducks.  I wondered why we haven't walked here more often during the pandemic, getting slightly tired of the same landscape near home?

Further along, the path bends and follows the sea wall where the tide was just beginning to come in.  Being partly estuary here, the meandering water channels fill up for just a couple of hours.  We passed a birder carrying his camera with an incredibly long lens.  He stopped suddenly, focusing on the birdlife on the sandy bank. I wondered what he could see with his camera, but I didn't want to disturb his focus by asking.  Listening, I could at least identify one familiar bird call of a curlew, its song lilting on the breeze for all to hear.  

The greatest diversity of birdlife is found on two outcrops in the middle of a small lake within the marshes.  It is a good distance away from the quiet road where birds are undisturbed.  We did have some binoculars so I rested on a bench and watched the outcrop with awe.  Two cormorants were drying off their wings in their distinct way, opening their huge wingspan to dry their feathers.  They had an almost primitive look about them.  Nearby stood a pair of grey herons, totally still, unfazed by the arrival of another tufted duck.  The cormorants and herons towered above all the other birds but this diverse colony seemed to share the rock amicably.  In this carefully protected habitat, it is heartwarming to know that so many migratory and rarer birds can flourish here.

Coming back home, I felt a renewed sense of hope that there is much goodness and vibrancy in this beautiful and damaged planet that we share.  With our nervous systems hardwired to focus more on the negative than the positive (and there is plenty of negative to dwell on right now), it takes a huge effort to look around at what is still good.  When I hear people say that they are struggling to stay hopeful after two years of living through the pandemic plus the other challenges we face, I get it.  Me too.  Things are hard.  And at the same time, there is beauty around us, that can help bring us comfort and hope so that we can get through another day.  I try to draw inspiration from nature, with these incredible birds showing us that we can coexist harmoniously and peacefully. 

 

"When you stop and look you will see that birds have fascinating lives that really are a joy to sit back and watch.  The psychological benefits of bird watching are well known. It allows us a chance to switch off from the modern world and get back to nature, to re-boot our brains and take some much needed rest."