Meldreth Matters, September 2020

Meldreth Primary School With school activity generally being at its lowest annual ebb in August, I am turning my attention away from the lives of the children in school temporarily, to focus instead on some of the fauna that I have observed around our grounds over the past couple of decades.

As a village school close to a river, we are fortunate to enjoy visits from a wide variety of creatures, small and not so small, and as a keen birdwatcher and lifelong lover of nature I always have my radar out for evidence of familiar friends and new or occasional visitors.

Birdwatching was always my first passion as a child and I continue to look out for birds of note throughout the year.

My classroom door opens out onto the school field with Melwood beyond, so the first thing I do upon my early arrival every morning is to throw the door open and look out for anything of note.

Besides the large numbers of crows and pigeons who hoover up any crumbs left by the children the previous day, there is an occasional Kestrel Class as Vikings; the project they valiantly buzzard that sits on pursued as home learners last term! one of the football Illustration by Andrew Jones crossbars surveying the scene before soaring off to join other family members high above the wood, mewing exuberantly among the clouds. Kestrels (namesake of my class) will scout past and occasionally pause for a hover and a closer scan above 16