It was with sadness that I learned on Monday of the passing of David Cobham, author, film-maker and conservationist. My sympathies are with his wife Liza Goddard.
David was an enthusiast on birds of prey and wrote two good books on the subject, A Sparrowhawk’s Lament (2014) and Bowland Beth (2017).
I will miss the occasional phone calls I would get from David, usually at around 10 in the morning. His plummy voice was utterly characteristic and his manner was always warm and friendly. He was a fellow enthusiast for nature and that is how I will mostly remember him, but also as a charming and civilised man. For many, his most memorable output will be the film Tarka the Otter.
What the Hawk and Owl Trust say.
BBC.
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I’ll miss the phone calls too. Sometimes he’d just say who he was (though it was obvious from the voice) and then nothing else. It was as if he was phoning just on the off chance I might have some interesting news for him. We didn’t always agree on the best way to help hen harriers but he was genuinely passionate about their conservation. And his books have really helped the cause. I’ll never forget him telling me that he once came home to find a dead marsh harrier had been nailed to his garden shed by someone not keen on his passion for birds of prey.