Readers have shared their own experiences of wildlife encounters following bereavement, in response to a recent Country diary column by Amy-Jane Beer about bird visitations after her sister's death.
Adrian Hughes from Castell Caereinion, Powys, recalled hearing a robin's song on the night his father died 30 years ago. 'This threnody that greeted our return from the hospital was heard in bitterly cold February conditions – and this was after midnight. As a seasoned birdwatcher, it seemed very unusual to me to hear this song at that hour, but I couldn't help attributing some deeper significance to it,' he wrote.
Jane Charteris from London described encounters with urban foxes after her husband died in October 2024. 'One settled in the garden for a few days, basking in the autumn sunshine and watched me closely. I saw them in the streets much more often. Then, in the frosty early morning of New Year's Day 2025, I came face to face with one rounding a corner. We locked eyes. I tipped my hat and said, “Happy new year, Pete”. He strolled off and hasn't visited recently,' she said.
Barbara M Foster from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, said she had long doubted a memory of a robin visiting her on the day of her husband's funeral nearly 20 years ago. 'Now I will stop doubting that memory,' she wrote, adding sympathy for Beer's loss.
