When the news broke in 2020 during the pandemic that Rutland BirdFair 2019 was to be the last one, I like many was devastated. It was always the best three days of the year, meeting up with people that we only ever saw at Birdfair and I always hoped that something would be done to create a similar event. Fast forward through 2.5 years of feeling very isolated from everyone to 2022 and the hopeful rumours of a new birding festival event began to emerge.
As soon as we received confirmation from Tim Appleton that it would indeed go ahead in July, we booked our accommodation and waited for the ticket release date. Our 3 day tickets booked, we eagerly awaited for July 15th, which would be day 1 of the new Global Bird Fair at it's venue of the Rutland Showground.
We drove down to our accommodation near Oakham on Thursday in anticipation of the opening of Global Bird Fair the following day. We were staying in a new place, not the A1 Travelodge we had been using for so many years. Our room window overlooked a small area of grass behind the hotel surrounded by the bushes and the hedgerow of the adjacent field. Watching out of the window, numerous birds flitted in and out of the hedge, Blackbirds, Robins, Blue Tits, Wood Pigeons, Dunnocks and also a couple of playful Hares.
We ended up leaning out of the windows, watching and photographing them each night and morning. They were totally unperturbed by our viewing of them.
Friday morning was here and it was time to get ready for Global BirdFair (in between rushing to the window every few minutes to check for the Hares). It was only a 15 minute drive to the showground and we arrived early, at the same time as some of the exhibitors. Tickets were scanned and at 9am the growing queue was finally given access to Global Birdfair 2022.
Entering the first Global Bird Fair with organiser Tim Appleton(in the blue shirt) greeting people on the way in.
The new site was, as expected smaller and more compact, with the events marquee (osprey stage) holding less attendees of around 350.There were 3 main exhibitor marquees along with a slightly smaller Art marquee and with the Optics marquees along the boundary.Add an auction tent, BTO bird ringing tent, bars, food stalls, a large covered seating and eating area, a podcast tent and 3 more smaller lecture marquees, it created an extremely well laid out venue with plenty to see.
As soon as we walked into the nearest exhibitor marquee it just felt so good to be walking back among a wildlife oriented crowd at a Birdfair.
I could go on for ages about how great the talks were, and how amazing it was to see so many people again after all his time but the blogpost would just go on forever so I will do it in quicker sections together.
Firstly though here is Tim & Penny officially opening the inaugural Global Bird Fair and receiving a cake (which didn't survive too well in the heat)
Some photos from the lectures we attended in no particular order.
Nigel Marven - Harpies & Hummers Guatemala, Costa Rica & Panama
Stephen Moss - The Best Of Birding with Bill Oddie
Sara Frost (Naturetrek) - St Kilda
Jonathan & Angie Scott - Sacred Nature
Nigel Marven - Feathers & Scales
Peter Howe - 3rd Eye Technology Camera Satellite Tags.
Martin Hughes-Games - Finches Friends Bird Feeders
Jonathan & Angie Scott - The Marsh Pride Lions
Ruth Miller - Birdwatching, not just a man's world
Enough Is Enough Wildlife Crime Panel with Dominic Dyer, Kate Stephenson, Martin Sims, Mark Jones, Craig Fellows and Jenna Jones.
Even though it is a smaller event than previously for now, it is still worth attending all 3 days for the varied and interesting lectures on each day.
A few of the people that we were able to catch up with and who had made it such a wonderful event to attend.
With Tim Appleton MBE, without whom there would be no Global Bird Fair.
With Kate On Conservation, Kate Stephenson.
With Sara Frost of Naturetrek.
With TV presenter and producer Martin Hughes-Games
With Naturalist, TV producer and prolific Author Stephen Moss
With Global Bird Fair host and all round awesome guy Nigel Scott
With Naturalist, TV presenter, author Nigel Marven.
Cooling with a beer with Spurn Bird Observatory friend Jonnie Fisk.
My partner Majella with our birding friend Jo.
With conservationist and Naturalist Peter Howe. Founder of 3rd Eye Technology.
Please check out the following web page and support this vitally important project to save our Hen Harriers and other illegally persecuted Birds Of Prey.
Besides just making a few donations to several wildlife charities and buying a Finches Friends Bird Feeder I managed to restrict my purchases.
I did however get these books from a couple of amazing conservationists.
Connections With Nature by Kate Stephenson and BirdGirl by Mya-Rose Craig.
We did spend several hours browsing the many unbelievable birding tours and optics stands, mostly crying at what I could never afford, so if Canon want to upgrade my 12 year old camera and lens then please get in touch 😉😂
Lots of exhibitors on the stands were saying how well their days had gone and were hoping for confirmation of Global Bird Fair 2023. Personally we had an amazing 3 days of lectures, browsing stands and catching up with wonderful people that we had been missing since 2019.
We have to give a massive thank you to Tim, Penny and the whole team who must have worked so hard over the last 5 months to get this momentous event realised. Thank you so much.
Just before we left we had time at Rutland Water for a bit of birding.
Green Woodpecker
Great Crested Grebe
Greylag Geese
Common Tern
Distant Osprey
Thank you so much to all who took the time to speak with us over the course of the 3 days. It means so much to us after struggling for the last couple of years. Hope to see you all again next year at Global Bird Fair 2023.
Thank you for reading.
All the best
Stuart
