Recently someone in Essex birdwatching on a walk in his local area was stopped and warned by the police. Another birdwatcher asked the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to clarify the situation. This was the reply.

“The Health Protection Act regulations that apply to the current lockdown does [sic] not include birdwatching as a reasonable excuse for a person to leave their home. Whilst walking is considered as exercise frequently stopping to view birds would make this activity a recreation as opposed to exercise.

I am aware that angling has been declared an exercise but I am unaware that the same has been done for birdwatching.”

So in other words, sitting still with a fishing rod is exercise, but walking around stopping from time to time to look at birds is not. On the whole, the philosophy seems to be that except for anglers, if you do anything you enjoy while exercising, it’s not exercise, but recreation. Next stop – joggers can’t have music systems plugged in because that’s attending a musical performance?

Enforcement of lockdown is essential to save lives, but I haven’t seen a police officer in a supermarket since the pandemic started and I don’t believe they’re visiting offices. Scientific evidence is that the vast majority of infections occur through sharing air with an infected person indoors.

The main fault, of course, lies with a government that produces vague and loosely-worded legislation; but as with any other law, police can use common sense.

On the plus side, I’ve had my first jab and it was all immaculately and courteously organised.