Global Bird Fair 2022 - Great to be back in Oakham.

 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.

https://raptor3et.com/  

 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 

People's Walk For Wildlife

  September 22nd 2018, a date to remember.On this day 10,000 people from all ages and all walks of life congregated in Hyde Park, London in support of an inspirational idea.An event conceived by conservationist and TV presenter Chris Packham in an attempt to stop the War on Wildlife.
  Build it and they will come, and despite the rain, we did, in our thousands.
A day that brought together numerous NGOs, conservationists and celebrities and would end with the first draft of the People's Manifesto For Wildlife being delivered to 10 Downing Street.
  Peoples Manifesto For Wildlife(link at end of blog to download, read and print your own copy)

  We arrived in Hyde Park early when only a few people were just starting to mill around.Mike Dilger was the first person we bumped into and as he went off to do a podcast we spotted Charlotte Corney.It wasn't long before the NGOs started arriving, setting up stands and the crowd began to swell as the rain commenced.
  Some of the NGO stands being set up.

  The crowd starting to increase.

  Meeting up with other wildlife loving friends.
With Karen Elizabeth and Jo who is hiding behind the camera.

  Before the main stage events some amazing young people were interviewed by Lucy Cooke as to why they were there and why was it so important to them to save our wildlife.Among them was Rebecca from Rebecca's Butterfly Farm.I'm not too embarrassed to admit that some of those youngsters were more articulate than myself ;) Lucy also spoke with one of the leading environmentalists Tony Jupiter.After a bit of wordplay with Mike Dilger and Rob McFarlane, Chris arrived on stage to address the already slightly damp ten thousand.
  Lucy Cooke with Tony Jupiter

  Mike Dilger & Rob McFarlane

  Video clip No.1 starting with Chris addressing the sodden ten thousand and introducing Billy Bragg and Grace Petrie.

  Video clip No.2 with Chris, Ecologist Derek Gow talking about rewilding, Beavers and Water Voles and author Dr. Rob McFarlane speaking about getting Nature back into Education.

  Video clip No.3 with more from Chris, 16yr old environmentalist Mya-Rose Craig talking about visible minority ethnic(VME) people being given more opportunities to engage with Nature and Dr. Amy-Jane Beer telling us about social inclusion and working together for the sake of Wildlife.

  Video clip No.4 with Ruth Tingay speaking about Wildlife Crime and Dominic Dyer about the Badger Cull and shooting of Scottish Seals to protect Fish farms.

  Video clip No.5 begins with a heartrending rendition of "What A Wonderful World" by Scottish singer Saskia Eng and followed by some of the most inspirational young conservationists in the UK, Dara McNulty, Georgia Locock, Bella Lack and not forgetting 11yr old Findlay who was sacked for standing up for Sharks against Bear Grylls.

     

  The event was ended with Billy Bragg singing "Where have all the flowers gone?" which had quite a few of the sodden ten thousand in tears.

https://www.facebook.com/sally.stewart.3766952/videos/2167248573555294/?t=1107

  It was time to leave Hyde Park and head through the city to Downing Street.

  We walked along with Chris for a bit in Hyde Park til he was ushered forward to head the 10,000 strong procession on to the roads of London.

  The crowd filtering out of Hyde Park.

  A peaceful march to show our Love for our Wildlife with the beautiful Nightingale birdsong emanating from thousands of mobile phones with banners raised high.

  Kate Stephenson with her fantastic sign.

https://kateonconservation.com/wildlife-blog-home/

  Traffic was halted as the Police safely ushered us along, horns were tooted and cheers were returned from the Wildlife loving parade.We stretched the length of Pall Mall and beyond.

  We were by now somewhere around the middle of the massive wave of people and so by the time we reached Richmond Terrace, Chris, Mark Avery and George Monbiot had already spoken.However we were able to watch as Chris and the six young conservationists crossed over to gain access to Downing Street and hand over the Peoples Manifesto For Wildlife to Sir John Randall.

  Outside Downing Street with Wildlife heroes and friends, Sally Stewart, Peter Egan and my partner Majella Fox.

  Chris, after delivering the Manifesto to end the War on Wildlife.

  The crowd slowly dispersed, (some of us into nearby pubs) but with renewed hope that together we still have time to save our wildlife and even bring back into the UK some of what was already lost.Surely the government cannot continue to ignore the voices of reason and must start to implement the proposals from the Manifesto.

Download and read the Manifesto here..

http://www.chrispackham.co.uk/a-peoples-manifesto-for-wildlife

  

A massive, massive Thank You to Chris and his team for imagining and organising such a colossal event, one that we were so very proud to be a part of.

Thank you for reading and please join and support these events if possible.