The buzz of a blue-winged warbler or the nasal notes of a yellow-bellied sapsucker might be a little challenging, but since our own migratory wings have been clipped by Covid-19, identifying birdsong has become a piece of cake for most of us. At least, so it would seem, if the surge in popularity of birdwatching during the first couple of months is anything to go by. The Self Isolating Bird Club, founded by BBC Springwatch presenter Chris Packham and his stepdaughter Megan McCubbin, has become a YouTube breakfast-viewing hit, while downloads of bird-identification apps and sales of birdseed, feeders and nest boxes surged during those early weeks of home confinement. The conservation organisation BirdWatch Ireland experienced a spike in membership over the summer, and its

Source: The Times September 05, 2020 22:58 UTC