Springwatch guest blogger Elizabeth Guntrip explains #WildlifeFromMyWindow, and her campaign for nature accessibility for all.
In the last couple of months the world has changed completely. The tragedy of the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically altered how millions of people live, restricting work, movement and travel. But for people like me, who live with chronic illness, spending months unwell and housebound has long been a part of life. Finding a connection to nature at these times, even whilst at home, is invaluable and something that many people are now realising, perhaps for the first time.
My Story...
Resting on the sofa, I hear a churp-churp coming from just outside the lounge window. It is a blackbird – feathers immaculate, just that tiny hook at the tip of her beak that identifies her to me. She is wanting food. I reach out and put some suet pellets on the windowsill, watching from my window - as I have done almost every day of being housebound.
I was seventeen when I became severely unwell with myalgic encephalomyelitis (shortened to M.E.). M.E. is a multi-system disease, which severely affects the cells of the body, limiting mobility, energy and stamina, and for eighteen months I was completely stuck at home. My health did improve, but in 2018 another health complication caused me to relapse. For the last two years I have had to stay at home.
Being housebound and being so unwell is incredibly hard. I had always loved nature, but when I was at my most ill, I couldn’t get outside - and the wildlife I saw from my window was my only connection to the outside world. Then, watching nature from indoors was my anchor, my solace, my way to escape. For a time, it was the only way I could maintain my interest in natural history.
The Birth of #WildlifeFromMyWindow
A few years ago, I teamed up with Springwatch to launch an online social campaign called #WildlifeFromMyWindow, informed by the experiences of living with M.E. The aim of the #WildlifeFromMyWindow campaign is to share inclusive wildlife watching, celebrating how nature uplifts and inspires. By using the hashtag on social media, and adding the usernames @主播大秀Springwatch and @lizzieguntrip on Twitter and Instagram, housebound naturalists can post their own #WildlifeFromMyWindow stories or views, and connect with others in similar circumstances.
The campaign, initially launched on M.E. Awareness Day on 12th May 2015 on and Twitter pages, received over two and a half thousand responses in the first twenty-four hours – one of the most popular posts (cue me bursting into happy tears)! Responses continued to come in and by the time I went on the show, #WildlifeFromMyWindow was being used almost every day.
Over the last few years on Springwatch Extra, we explored ways to attract wildlife to your window – from bird feeders on washing lines to seed in window feeders, from window boxes and mini bucket ponds to wildlife gardening for those with limited space. It does not take much for wildlife to appear – something that is so important for chronic illness sufferers working with limited energy – and further ideas can be found on the Springwatch website and social media channels on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
The Growth of a Community
I read incredible stories on #WildlifeFromMyWindow every day. ‘Well done Springwatch’ and ‘thank you’ were in almost every post from the start, but, more than this, there is a real celebration of nature as a ‘life line’, something to ‘lift spirits’ and ‘bring such joy’. Watching garden birds is ‘the highlight of the day’, especially for the long-term housebound, while bird song is both ‘melodic and uplifting’. ‘The more I looked,’ wrote Jessica, who has used #WildlifeFromMyWindow to share her nature journaling, ‘the more I realised just how rich the wildlife on my doorstep was. My window became a screen, through which my London street came alive.’
As #WildlifeFromMyWindow has grown, I have seen first hand how valuable it can be to connect with others in similar circumstances. Over the years, the campaign has reached nature-lovers in hospital inpatient wards; carers in the UK; those who are living with chronic illnesses like M.E. and now people who are isolating because of Covid-19.
This is so important. I hope people experiencing isolation for the first time can find comfort from the wildlife from their window, as well as inspiration from the #WildlifeFromMyWindow community. Housebound naturalists have long proved that watching nature close to home can be rewarding and joyful. Whether it’s the views of foliage and flowers, the sounds of swifts or squirrels, or simply the beauty of a common garden blackbird, nature can still be enjoyed and celebrated by all, even during difficult times. The blackbird’s chirping again - now where did I put those suet pellets?
You can follow Elizabeth on and - @lizzieguntrip and join the community at #WildlifeFromMyWindow