Another great British Bird Fair...in the bag.

Well that was a weekend and a half. Saturday was an eye-opening adventure to Rutland Water. The 25th British Birdfair took place over three days and I was invited by Lee Valley Park to help man the stand they have along with five other members of the Park team including my good friend Brenda who taught me how to womble for freebies.

You sure can collect a vast amount of 'stuff' at these fairs but there are a few gems as well. I’m well made up with the double (two stuck together) mousemat(s) I secured from the Butterfly Conservation chaps and this means I can donate one to myself when I’m in the Bittern Information Centre. Win win as they say. Got a million brochures from bird trip companies that think I’m a millionaire. You should see the cost of some, no, all of them. Certain people managed to find free alcohol too but I restrained myself as I wanted to remain the consummate professional that everyone knows me for.

Dawn showing excited fair attendees where they can find me at weekends.
There’s most of the British Bird Fair in Brenda’s bag you know..
One of the things about being at the fair and focusing on selling the delights of LVP is that you forget you’re at a premier bird reserve (I know there are a thousand bearded gentlemen walking around decorated in optics) and that one of Britain’s major birding success stories is all around you. We do of course get plenty of time to take in the bird fair and we had 40 minutes to find Ospreys.

We didn’t find Ospreys. We did pick up Little Gull, Green Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper but Brenda couldn’t fit them in her bag so we had to leave them there. So an excellent adventure and a great reward for volunteering for something I love anyway. Another win, win.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Digiscoping DIY Adaptor

Image
Thought I would take this opportunity to explain and illustrate the way I digiscope. I have never bothered to invest in a purpose-made adaptor because I’m never sure which one would be best and I suppose I’m a bit stingy. Instead, I have experimented with different joining mechanisms which have include fruit juice bottle tops, paint roller tubes and plumbing joints. Over the five or so years I have digiscoped, the results have been unpredictable. This has been caused by the light conditions, the mobility of the subject and invariably, the distances between my camera and the bird. probably worth noting here that I also tend to focus through the scope before attaching the camera. The most successful adaptor for me has been the paint roller tube. I discovered if I strip off the furry bit, I’m left with a perfect basis for an adaptor. Depending on the camera lens width and the telescope eyepiece diameter, I wrap insulation tape inside the tube. Measure the depth and width of the ca...
Read more

Scotland day 6: Look out. Look up and look where you’re going!

Image
Oh my days! Is it Friday already? This was our last full day with Heatherlea and it was destined to be a big one. Correction: The big one. Do these birding tour operators plan this? Do they always save the best for last? I don’t know. Some would say the Capercaillie caper would have done it and it did in many ways but this day would match it or in some eyes surpass it. You be the judge. Another full fat breakfast! My only thoughts during this now routine ceremony was whether I would still fit in the minibus. To be honest, I thought we would be doing a bit more walking on this trip but apart from the odd amble up a hill, we were never far from the transport. The birding day began with an excursion to Roseisle and initially around some of the farmland minor roads where we picked up a couple of corn buntings just sitting on fence wires. Looking out from a viewpointon the Moray Firth at Burghead Bay there were velvet and common scoters, eider and a few red-breasted merganser. Telescope out...
Read more

Scotland Day 1: A few 'grouses' about the weather

Image
We woke in the morning to discover the beautiful sunny evening that met our arrival had turning into a cold, grey dreich. We caught up with our guides and fellow adventurers early so that we could could visit a black grouse lek before breakfast. The visibility was poor and the air damp. When we arrived at the site, it was very difficult to see the birds. A few bobbing backsides – the white of the male tail feathers was about all I could see.  Black grouse, what Black Grouse? Lesser redpoll called as they went over and the inevitable willow warblers sang from various trees. Everyone got poor views to be fair but at that stage, we were all happy. A bit later at breakfast we discussed the weather, as you do and Dave and Chris, our guides for the tour laid out plans for local birding in Abernethy forest, primarily for crested tit and the magnificent capercaillie. The excitement was clearly audible. We arrived and parked up near Loch Mallachie and made our way down through the incredibl...
Read more