While human society has come to a standstill,  birds are in a frenzy, defending territories, finding mates, building nests and feeding young!  It’s a good time to watch birds wherever you live and people spending a lot of time at home might be interested in joining the British Trust for Ornithology’s Garden Birdwatch.  This is a year round project unlike the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch in January.  The BTO has lots of excellent bird identification videos – calls and song as well as film – for those wanting to improve their knowledge.

There is plenty of scope too for people to take photographs and let other residents what birds are around and what they are doing.

Do you love watching you garden birds? If so, we’ve got a great offer for you. You can now join the BTO Garden BirdWatch community for free! During the lockdown, many of us are looking to our gardens to enjoy nature and be outdoors, to learn, and to improve our well-being. BTO Garden BirdWatch offers a great opportunity to learn more about garden birds and other wildlife, and to contribute directly to BTO’s important scientific research on the value of gardens for wildlife. By understanding more about how wildlife uses our gardens, we’ll be able to make our cities, towns, villages and individual gardens better for nature. To take part you simply keep a list of the birds you see visiting your garden over the course of a week, then enter this into our online recording system. If you want, you can also record other garden wildlife, such as butterflies and mammals. Your sightings will help us to understand how and why populations of garden birds and other wildlife are changing, and how we can all help them. This free offer includes access to our online recording system, a regular Garden BirdWatch e-newsletter with information on recording and identifying garden wildlife, and access to our team of wildlife experts to answer your questions on garden wildlife. We look forward to welcoming you to the Garden BirdWatch community.

The impact of the lockdown on local businesses around Strathbungo has been considerable, with pubs and cafes being forced to close.  Our smaller local corner shops are now, however, also facing a crisis.  Newspaper sales across the country, for example, have plummeted and it appears that people have stopped going to  local shops for other purposes and are going to the local supermarkets instead.  I was in one shop today, buying a paper, and they said their business has almost collapsed through lack of custom.  They say they have checked and they don’t think they will qualify for the UK Government’s scheme to help the self-employed and other businesses because they have not been forced to shut down.

Since  neither the UK nor the Scottish Government have shut down cornershops,  there is no reason for people not to go there.  Indeed, having witnessed what is going on in the supermarkets, as a lay person I would say that its safer to go to a corner shop than a supermarket, as they are so much less crowded.   Many people regretted the closure of Susie’s last year, so please give a thought to what other local businesses are going through right now and consider patronising them when you can.

For anyone that doesn’t know a group called the Glasgow Southside Self-Isolation Support Group https://www.southsidesis.co.uk/   has been set up to bring “people together to help and support one another through self-isolation or quarantine as a result of COVID-19 throughout the southside of Glasgow.  If you’re self-isolating, or are able to help someone who is with basic supplies or even just a friendly phone call, we’re here to help connect people together.”   They have a Facebook Page where a lot of information about local services etc is shared.

Meantime on Queen Square, two residents, Lorna and Graeme McKerracher, circulated a  flyer round the street inviting people to join a Queen Square support group.   A great initiative!  There are now 62 participants.   It operates mainly as a WhatsApp Group – though its possible for residents to phone a number direct – and it has spawned a further social group, the idea being to try and keep the support group focussed on people providing practical help to each other.

The Strathbungo Society Committee doesn’t wish to duplicate either initiative and hopes that other streets might consider setting up their own practical support networks.   If anyone wants to do this for their street and wants help with preparing or printing a flyer,  we’d be happy to support.  If so, you can contact me in the first instance (nickkempe1@gmail.com).

The Southside Self Isolation Support Group is also asking for local street contacts throughout the southside and it might make sense for anyone volunteering to take on that role to also consider setting up a WhatsApp group for their street.

The people most likely to need support are probably not on WhatsApp or any other form of social media.  Due to staff  going into isolation, Glasgow City Council earlier this week had to cut care at home services for all but Priority 1 cases.   So, if there was someone getting services near you and isn’t now or who you think might appreciate some support, please make contact with them.