ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES
My new friend, Roland the robin, hops onto the bird feeder in my garden, turns to me triumphantly and, beak wide open, puffs up his little red chest and laughs.
I’ve joined six million Brits in our fastestgrowing hobby and ‘unlikeliest new trend’: twitching, aka birdwatching. No longer the preserve of bearded, middle-aged men, more of us are communing with birds than ever – because they are ‘an everyday source of beauty, wisdom and wonder,’ says Claire Thompson, environmentalist and author of The Art Of Mindful Birdwatching (Leaping Hare Press, £7.99). They’re also ideal inspiration for the practice of mindfulness, she says. ‘Bird flight is a wonderful symbol of our freedom to soar through life without constraint, and mindfulness similarly enables us to invite freedom into our lives.’