Birdfair Saturday

Starting what was probably my best Birdfair experience ever, in five years of attending, a morning bacon butty was called for! 'A Question of Stork' followed; the quiz for birders, featuring Tim Appleton, Martin Davies, Bill Thompson III, Sharon Stiteler, Matt Merritt and Mike Dilger. This was hilarious as ever, then the day would take a more powerful, emotional, heart-felt turn in the form of Chris Packham's Malta Massacre lecture. He would introduce us to Nimrod Mifsud, Ruth Peacey and Luke Massey; a team who were already familar to us who followed this Spring's YouTube reports. The lecture ended with a standing ovation, the first i've ever witnessed at Birdfair – need I say more? Following this, recovery was needed in the form of lunch and more meeting, chatting, viewing and perusing. The early evening brought myself, my fellow housemates and others to the Rutland Belle, with Mike Dilger (here with relatives) and Lucy McRobert (from A Focus on Nature) for company, sharing some good advice and information. The highlight? an Osprey diving and barely taking off again with an enormous catch!