I count myself very lucky to work outside all the time for my job, enjoying all the sights and sounds that nature has to offer including seeing such beautiful sunrises in the morning as I start the day.

I could never work in an office, I just love the outside too much. I have always been interested in birds, but since I started work as a Greenkeeper in 1990, I have come to realise just how special golf courses are for wildlife. To be able to enjoy so much of nature as part of your job everyday is a fantastic feeling. Being outside is good for your mental health, it means you can enjoy the fresh air, the scenery and the wildlife, It is relaxing and helps to soothe away your troubles.

Work can get quite busy on the golf course in the late spring and early summer, but when you can, just stop, take a deep breath, look and listen. What can you see? What can you hear? Appreciate your surroundings and the wildlife you share it with.

I would highly recommend that you get up extra early one morning and go for a walk, whether it is the golf course or somewhere else and take in the spectacle that is the Dawn Chorus. It is simply wonderful.

Pause, and think for a moment. What would it be like if we had a world without birds? Birds we might be familiar with here in the UK, like the sound of the cuckoo in the spring, the distinctive call of herring gulls by the coast, a blackbird singing on a nearby roof, the beautiful song of the skylark or the hoot of a tawny owl. Imagine all those birds gone; silence. I for one think the world would be a much duller place without birdsong.

(taken from Birds and Bird Song - www.theconservationbuddha.co.uk/post/birds-and-birdsong-ring-the-changes)

Try this link on You Tube and spend ten minutes listening to nothing but bird sound and see at the end if you feel more relaxed!  

When you can... just stop, take a deep breath, look and listen
What can you see? What can you hear? 

I for one certainly feel more alive around nature.

We installed 32 Bird Boxes at Woodhall Spa Golf Club earlier in the year and quite a few have already had birds coming in and out of them. I will be checking them later in May and reporting about in the next issue.

Quote from Mental Health Foundation

Research has shown that people with a strong connection with nature are typically happier in life, as nature can generate many happy emotions, including calmness, joy and creativity.

Remember, when you are out and about, whether it is the golf course, your garden or the local park, STOP, take a few minutes out of your normal routine,  LOOK, what can you see around you? And LISTEN, what can you hear? Take time to appreciate what is around you and what you are sharing your world with.

mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/nature-and-mental-health

What to look out for in May and June:

• Birds. More summer migrants will be around so keep an eye out for Swifts, Garden Warbler, Hobby, Willow Warbler & Whitethroat or maybe even a Nightingale if you are lucky enough.
• Butterflies. Green Veined White, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper & Speckled Wood.
• Dragonflies. As the weather warms up, and particularly if you have water features, you may see some Dragonflies around, keep an eye out for: Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Banded Demoiselle and Broad Bodied Chaser.
• Moths. One insect that perhaps people don’t see much are the Moths that mostly come out at night, but there are some that fly in the day. Keep an eye out for: Scarlet Tiger Moth, Jersey Tiger, Cinnabar Moth and Garden Carpet. Moths might well be hiding in long grass during the day so if you walk through an area of rough, keep your eyes peeled. Keep an eye out for the next issue of the magazine for more about Moths and Moth Trapping.

To read his whole story about how nature made a difference to him, check out this link