Today I went to Burton Mere RSPB reserve. I asked my eldest grandson if he wanted to come along and take some photos with me, he is not yet 3 years old. He said yes and on the journey to the reserve he kept repeating "I am going to have so much fun". As I was driving I kept thinking "I really hope you do" because although the sun was shining it was very cold (barely above freezing) and I thought that he could quickly lose interest if he is too cold.
However wrapped up against the elements and armed with his camera he was clearly very excited. I didn't expect to take many pictures myself but that was not really the point of the trip, I was really looking forward to spending some time with him and sharing a place that I enjoy. It was really gratifying when we were sat in one hide eating our lunch when he got down from the bench and went over to a poster on the wall that I had seen he was studying, it had about 45 or 50 different birds on it, he pointed up at the picture of a Moorhen "grandpa" he said "we saw one of those on the lake" He was right and I was so pleased that he had taken note and could pick that out from so many other birds.
After lunch there was another treat when we were able to hand feed a Robin. His excitement when the tiny bird flew onto my hand and settled just a few inches from his own hand was wonderful to observe. We hear so much about how getting close to nature is good for our mental health/wellbeing it is also good for developing minds.
As we walked round, splashing in muddy puddles and cracking ice beneath our feet he told me more than once "I am having so much fun", he even asked to video call his mum and told her the same thing. His joy was infectious and I told him that I was also having lots of fun.
I recently heard someone comment about people taking photos and sharing them online saying that he didn't get the obsession with capturing a moment and then reliving the moment 5 minutes later, when you could be living another moment. I get what he was saying and it is important not to become obsessed with that, but at the same time some moments are worth sharing and some images should be saved. Today was a special day, I was grateful that I could get out and even more grateful that I could share it with my grandson.
Here are a few images from our walk around the reserve:
Coal Tit
Reflections
Moorhen
Robin
Budding photographer/naturalist
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