Bird Fair Day 2

I’m back home again after Day 2 of the Bird Fair and we are all having a cup of tea before opening the wine – I knew you wanted to know that.

Ten good things about today:

1. The queue to get into the Bird Fair before the gates open at 9am is a great place to get signatures for our Icelandic whaling petition.  Bird Fair should employ jesters to keep the waiting hordes entertained and I am up for such a role.
2. I enjoyed Tessa Boase’s talk about the female founders of the RSPB – just as I enjoyed her book (reviewed here).  This was one of the most ‘different’ talks I’ve heard at Bird Fair – let’s have more of them.

3. Thank you to Iolo Williams for signing the petition asking Iceland to stop whaling (and Mike Dilger, David Lindo, Chris Packham, Tim Birkhead, Stephen Moss, Mark Carwardine and many others).

4. The Hambleton Bakery‘s locally produced food is delicious and some of the best value at the Bird Fair.

5. Several people came up to me, and I don’t know who they are, and wanted to shake my hand and thank me for what I do for wildlife. This is very nice but not really warranted, and what we are doing, we are doing together!  But who doesn’t like being thanked?  Thank you!

6. Nice earrings – don’t you think? Four years ago there is no chance that Hen Harrier earrings would be at the Bird Fair.  From Waderquest.

7.  I did use my binoculars today – there was a Buzzard with a very tatty tail over the Events Marquee for a while.  And talking of birds, and I always notice this, the calling Chiffchaffs are very loud at the Bird Fair.

8.  I sat down for a break and a man sitting nearby noticed the Hen Harrier T-shirt that I was wearing today.  He asked what it was all about – so I told him and found that he lived on the edge of Bowland and knew nothing about Hen Harrier Day although he did know about Hen Harriers.  Never forget that it is only when you are getting tired of saying the same things over and over again that you are truly beginning to get the message across.

9.  I did a couple of short pieces to camera for a student who asked me whether the law was working for wildlife  and what I would like to see happen.

10.  Heatherlea gave a talk about trips to Iceland and Andy Jones and I popped up to ask people to sign the petition – and lots of people did.

There were lots more good things too – meeting more friends and people soon to be friends.  I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow if I am to keep my promises to various people to have chats with them – I’m looking forward to it. 

Nice cup of tea – where’s the corkscrew?:

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