4. The Food and Drink
Things changed this year and the main, central, ‘foodhall’ area was completely different. Several outlets selling noodles, burgers, fish and chips, churros, bacon baps etc. I can’t say I sampled them all – nothing like! – but what I did have was pretty good. I’d say, in food quality terms, this was a step forward. It was certainly quicker to eat!
And there were several more food vans near the main events marquee too – I had some stuff from there and that was good.
What did you think of the food? What did you think of the prices?
Being vegetarian only four days a week (as I am), I just don’t bother for the Bird Fair (or the Game Fair, or the Cheltenham Festival). How is it for veggies at the Bird Fair?
There was also a local produce marquee which looked as though it had some nice food in it – I liked the look of the fruit pies. But they were only selling whole pies, not slices, otherwise I would have sampled them.
I didn’t have a beer – and that’s unusual. It’s always been very good in the past – how was it this year?
5. Birds or Nature?
Given that the RSPB has a magazine called Nature’s Home (yuk!) and its partner in the Bird Fair is the Wildlife Trusts, are we heading towards a Nature Fair? I think that we are, slowly, anyway – but is there a direction on this subject? What do you think? What would you like?
6. Here or there?
Should it always be based in the same place? Rutland Water is pretty convenient for many people (or equally inconvenient for many) but it is clearly not in any of the corners of the UK, and it can’t be remotely described as being in the north of England nor Scotland.
How feasible, or infeasible, would it be for the Bird Fair to move around? I can see lots of problems and issues – but is it impossible or just difficult? Just asking.
I love the Bird Fair – I meet so many friends, and make some more each year.
I’ll see you there next year?
Will Henry be at his second Bird Fair next year? Who knows? There are a lot of dangers out there. Ban driven grouse shooting.
Everyone I spoke to agreed that the quality of the food was much improved although some thought that prices were a bit high.
One downside was that there were no carts touring the marquees from which exhibitors could buy drinks and snacks. Those of us who were stuck on a stand for three days missed them.
Peterd – good point about the trolley.
And weren’t there fewer rubbish bins too?
See – the Bird Fair does change!
Since you raised the subject I volunteered at the Scottish Birdfair in 2013 and 2014 to try and improve their inhouse recycling. It was very basic in 2013, only rubbish and mixed recycling bins, but in 2014 they went backwards and just got a ‘recycling’ company to take away the rubbish and sort out it out for them. Even if they did this, then the resulting recyclables would be very low grade indeed. By the sound of it the Birdfair isn’t doing any recycling either. Really bad form for any conserv/enviro organisation, specially as the RSPB is doing work in Harapan, Sumatra which has been very badly hit by conversion of rainforest to acacia plantations for pulp. Disappointing.
Hi
I thought the food prices were quite high and as such brought lunch for myself. The water was especially pricey especially as it was so hot. I don’t mind if it’s more of a nature/wildlife fair as long as it focuses on conservation and the important matters and isn’t just a place to book a holiday! I thought, like you, that perhaps holding iron different wildlife trust venues around the UK would be useful as it would spread the word about it more and enable more people to attend. Different regional issues could also be highlighted.
Katharine – welcome and thank you.
This was my first Birdfair, stupidly only managed the Friday. The food was pretty good, we ate from the local produce tent a number if times, would’ve been nice to have better quality coffee.
Rutland seems a ideal location so should probably remain there. As for nature fair I currently work for an organisation that claims to be the biggest conservation charity in Europe, it has a leaf as a logo & about 4million paying members, they were no where to be seen. Not taking the opportunity to engage it’s members about it’s conservation work, recruit new members or promote it’s family activities like the other big & small charities did at birdfair. Missing a trick?!I didn’t bothering looking at the holiday stands but liked the social aspect and the range if talks .
Anyway I’ll be attending next year for the full weekend, regardless of the coffee
Jon – thanks for your comment and I’m sure you’ll be back at the Bird Fair often.
Good point about the NT – and strangely, it has never occurred to me before!
I have to say I was shocked by the prices, two bacon rolls cost £11.80 and a single crepe (with Nutella) was £5.50! If you ask me, that is way too much. I also missed the roving carts, it made grabbing a drink through the day, while working the birding for all stand, that much easier.
It has to be said though I have always been impressed by how good the toilets are, with so many people you would expect a whiff or two over the few days but it always seems to remain fresh.
Ashley – good point about the loos!
Some really great comments on this year’s Birdfair, Mark, both in this post and yesterday’s.
I’m veggie and I brought a couple of cheese and marmite rolls with me as I wasn’t sure what the vegetarian options would be like. A quick wander round the fair seemed to reveal that what was on offer was very meaty. Although the cake stall in the local produce tent was very much appreciated!
The birds or nature question is an interesting one. Can we conserve just one lifeform or should we be more all-encompassing in our approach? After all birds eat insects, plants, fruit, they need trees and plants to build nests in. Wildlife doesn’t work in isolation, so maybe we should be looking at ecosystems as a whole.
4. Food and drink.
Prices at this type of event are invariably high and often seem higher than would be justified by the extra costs. I always vow that I’m going to ‘bring my own lunch next year’ and, with depressing regularity, forget to do so. I missed the sandwiches – although, they too, tended to be expensive in the past. I bought water and soft drinks from the WT Visitor Centre – their prices were normal (£1 for a bottle). Oh – now I’ve gone and given that away!
Not enough picnic tables, though!
5. Birds or Nature?
The Birdfair ‘brand’ is well established. Stick with it.
6. Here or there?
There are smaller bird watching Fairs and Festivals in a number of places – Martin Mere, Middleton Hall, Norfolk, Edinburgh. The attraction of Rutland Water is its central location and I think that to move it around would be potentially to dilute its impact, as well as making it even more inaccessible if you happen to live at the opposite end of the country. For overseas visitors (of which there are many at Birdfair) the location within the UK is perhaps less critical.
So, yes, high prices and ever-increasing crowds notwithstanding, I’ll be back (as someone once said). And I’ll no doubt be attending a talk by Mark Avery, even if I do have to sit on the floor (again).
Over the past few days since the Birdfair ended I have seen quite a few comments (it happens every year) from people saying – “there are far too many holidays!”.
Just remember, that whilst these certainly are “holidays” they are geared around wildlife watching and eco tourism, which means they are probably giving jobs to local people and encouraging them to value their wildlife – aiding conservation. There is 1 or 2 marquees geared towards “holidays” and I think that is fine. These countries need us to visit them to provide much needed wildlife tourism and in turn we also get to see some amazing wildlife that needs conserving!
I have no problem with them pitching up and trying to get our business for 1 weekend a year.
In terms of food and beer, pricey but no different to a festival or music gig and the calamari and chips was really really tasty as was the pint of Stowford Press I had! : )
I liked the new style ‘Food street’, having several outlets certainly kept the queues short and the experience was much nicer. However, I do agree that the cost of the cheapest options was still a bit on the high side, I think that there should have been somewhere where one could buy a simple sandwich and a piece of fruit, and there were no real ‘healthy’ options nor much choice for veggies. Not having the sandwich carts was a definitive mistake, as many of the exhibitors relied on those. There should also have been drinkable tap water available if it is possible to find a way to bring it on site.
As to moving it, I feel the same as when the subject was raised last year. This is the brainchild of Tim Appleton and Martin Davies with the Leics and Rutland Wildlife Trust and it is held on a LRWT reserve. It’s essentially their fair and this is where it’s held. It’s like saying why not move the Glastonbury festival? Err, because it wouldn’t be Glastonbury? Other parts of the country can run fairs, and do, and they seem to be becoming increasingly successful, but for me this is the Rutland Birdfair, I love visiting such a beautiful part of the country and spending some time on such a fantastic reserve (and I’m one of those for whom getting there is not the easiest). So I say, please don’t move it.
Here we go then, as a Bird Fair Beginner (I don’t think I can be classed as a newbie after 4 visits now) this is my four penneth worth for both blogs.
1. Henry was a hit and a very visual representation for Hen Harrier persecution. The number of hen harrier T shirts in all formats on show over the weekend was very impressive, if it wasn’t 50% of visitors it was certainly pushing towards that amount. I did witness a little bit of “un-comfortable-ness” of him visiting an NGO stand (which will remain nameless). They were happy for him to photographed on the stand, but didn’t want to be in the photo. If that “un-comfortable-ness” is a good thing or a bad thing is a debate for elsewhere.
2. There will definitely be more women involved in the coming years .. times they are a changing, and not before time!
3. The idea of having more panel based debate style “talks” in the marquees is excellent. The fringe lecture marquees should be used for this. Take a leaf out of the Hay Festival book (all puns intended). Having authors in conversation or debating the issues in their new book is far more interesting than them just plugging it endlessly. Your Behind The Binoculars “talk” was one of the best “talks” I visited over the weekend, as it was more stimulating (oo-er). There is certainly scope to put a handful of these type events on across the fringe marquees over the entire weekend I think.
4. The food was vastly improved and vastly over-priced. I don’t begrudge paying £5 for a burger as you expect that. I am a veteran of a thousand gardening shows I visit with my illustrious father. You know you are going to get over-priced food. £5 for 6 donuts is not on though! I agree with the water comment above too. Again, taking a leaf from Hay Festival and RHS shows, they have drinking water available free on the very hot days. We also missed the sandwich trolleys, but the improved quality of the food area and the increased availability did negate it somewhat.
5. I don’t think there will ever be a big move away from it being a bird watching fair, but with a far greater understanding of all the inter-connectivity of species it is inevitable it will become more nature based. No point conserving a bird species if its natural habitat is under-threat and you don’t explain how all the bugs and beasties in the food chain underpin that conservation work.
6. It ain’t broke .. don’t move it! ;o)
Besides how the hell else will I get your latest book signed, you’ve not been spotted in Cardiff Waterstones! ;O)
Great weekend, and nice chatting and stalking you for two days! ;o)
I thought the food prices were high too. It put me off buying food at the Bird Fair and I ate off site. Drinks were dear too. A bottle of water and a soft drink cost £4.30 which seems a high price.
Any major event will have minor negatives, food prices etc. Bottom line is that it is successful and raises vital funds for conservation. So prices too high – bring a sandwich, flask, hamper. Agree totally with opportunity missed for RSPB/Wildlife Trusts – more emphasis by these bodies to confront real time issues, rather than solely generating income via sales and membership. The volunteers are awesome and really deserve a BIG shout-out for the their unstinting efforts.
Location I hope it will remain at Rutland, it’s almost the centre of England.
Good job Birdfair 2015, and a MASSIVE THANK YOU.
The food situation isn’t quite right yet. There was nowhere to pick up a sandwich, fresh fruit or a salad. Nothing much available for the veggies either. And I had a very disappointing salt beef roll. But apart from that, Birdfair was brilliant!
Interesting comments and echoes much of what I was thinking in discussion with my husband and son. I did start out a birder (at the age of 7, many years ago), but am now interested in everything! We have been coming to Birdfair for over 20 years.
1 Food and Drink
Agree that this year was a vast improvement – I thought it was expensive before, and very dull. So great to have more choice, and shorter queues. Liked the food hall – they had some snack foods (slices of pie, foccacia) but it sold out quickly. Agree that the carts were missed by the stall holders. It was possible to refill water bottles, but maybe this should have been more widely signposted By the way it was possible to get great coffee from the World Land Trust stand!
2 Authors Marquee
Really loved this! Could have spent all weekend in there. Apart from Mark’s excellent talks, I listened to Dave Goulson on bees, Patrick Barkham on Coastlines, and Matthew Oates on butterflies. So there is a wider wildlife focus which I welcome. I agree that forum debates on wider issues would be both useful and interesting
3 Birdfair v naturefair
I think it should remain as Birdfair as this is the established brand (but perhaps it could have a change to its formal title ‘British Bird and Wildlife Fair’) but I am disappointed at how few non-bird organisations are there. I used to volunteer at Birdfair for The Mammal Society, but they no longer attend (I don’t know why) and I noticed that Plantlife were not there either this year. I know the space is tight, and there is a waiting list; and I understand that the travel companies bring in money; BUT it would be wonderful if there was some way that the smaller charitable organisations could be encouraged to attend to represent the full spectrum of wildlife watching on offer in this country. Field Studies Council used to attend too at one time – shame that they don’t attend – they are responsible for getting my son into wildlife (moths and butterflies) and do a lot to encourage both biological recording, and young naturalists with their Young Darwin Scheme. (a link for AFON maybe?)
4 Location
Think it should stay where it is – pretty central really
5 Random comments!
I missed the NHBS this year – hope they will return next year
Queues to get in on the first day! Had an e-ticket – and this was the longest queue. I am sure that this will be sorted out for next year – need more staff dealing with e tickets on the first day to smooth this out. Some people were waiting over half an hour to get in
Prizes are expensive as its very very expensive to attend as an exhibitor., and that’s if you can get a space which I couldn’t. This was my second birdfair and for me I was surprised and underwhelmed by the lack of young people attending,( first day a handful of young birders), there is a huge opportunity here which has been missed by ALL the larger organisations, I attended the New Forest Show this year and the small nature discovery zone put birdfair to total shame.
Books on offer were mainly for older generation and you had to search for children’s books, and most of the technology was also aimed at the older generation. If this is the flagship event of the year there should be a real push to get this age group involved, daily competeions engaging and involving them, incentives on all days.
I’ve been at the Birdfair for about 20 of the last fairs and have always enjoyed them. This year I did a working stint on the Anglian Water stand on Sunday. Bit of a quiet day I thought, less visitors than normal and not many to the stand. But a quick wander in my lunchbreak, a tasty hotdog, not too bad on price and some good coffee. Then a walk to look at the stands that won the prizes, Wildlife Trusts worthy of No 1 I thought. Coverage of everything involved with wildlife would be a good idea, the environment as a whole needs looking after, no species will do well without it. And keep it at Rutland, you have a good landlord!!
Quick change of subject, I’ve just watched that video about Henry on Twitter. Brilliant, congratulations to whoever put that together
Hi Mark,
I did say I would try and comment as well as just reading…!
I really enjoyed Birdfair! The people you meet and the conversation there is brilliant – the bawc team were great fun, and the butterfly conservation stand with the moths were lovely too (especially as they had some garden tigers, which me and my sister still haven’t managed to catch in the moth trap!). Poor Henry looked hot – but was nice to see for real after all the pictures!
I would say it was a little disappointing that there didn’t seem to be that much food on offer for vegetarians – there was some good cake and doughnuts though! The prices for food were quite high but that’s sort of what you expect at these kind of events?
I missed the nhbs stand…
And we saw an osprey from the car park! Slightly gutted we missed out on a hobby though…!
Food was far too expensive. They obviously hike prices for events like this but I don’t like being taken for a mug and boycotted the food stalls. Apart from an ice cream. Had to have an ice cream.
Found the coffee at the visitor centre was reasonably priced (90p) and also got a flapjack from there which wasn’t a rip off.
I couldn’t get to the Birdfair this year so can’t comment on the food other than saying that in past years I found it expensive and lacking gluten-free options. Since whenever I have to head north or west I pretty much have to negotiate the M25, shifting it wouldn’t make much difference (assuming it didn’t head any further north). However, it’d be good to have it somewhere with a better link to a decent train service (i.e. only two changes rather than three from me). Personally, whilst I think it has to have ‘bird’ somewhere in its title, I suspect “… and Wildlife” might encourage other organisations attend.