About Me

I have been an active birder for some time now. Like most young lads of my generation I first developed an interest in birds through egg collecting, something which now I obviously regret, but it did give me a good grounding in ID skills and a knowledge of bird breeding biology. Once I was given a pair of binoculars I lost interest in eggs and concentrated on the birds more.

1968 saw my first foreign birding trip (2 weeks camping in the Camargue, southern France) my most recent (2008) 2 months in New Zealand. In between I have birded in most European countries. I have a soft spot for bird observatories. Not only are they invariably located at good birding hotspots but they offer a good opportunity to meet like minded people. My first bird observatory visit was to Spurn on the east coast of England in 1967, and my most recent the Miranda Shorebird Centre (on the north island of New Zealand). My nearest observatory now is Crookhaven Bird Observatory on Mizen Head, West Cork, Ireland. They say you never forget your first time, and for me Spurn remains my favourite. Shorebirds (waders) are my favourite birds. I began birding in the suburbs of Manchester, in the centre of England, and for many years waders to me were just pictures in books of birds at the coast. The first wader I saw was a breeding Common Sandpiper in the high hills of Derbyshire (my egg collecting skills enabled me to find its nest). Even common waders such as Redshanks did not come my way for many years but when they did I was hooked. So now I feel very lucky to live in an area with easy access to good wader estuaries. The south west coast of Ireland even attracts transatlantic vagrants, quite different to the Manchester suburbs! But Altringham sewage farm, near Manchester, did have its moments in the 60s.

South West Ireland is arguably the best place in Ireland to see birds. County Cork has the longest bird list, so living here gives me a great opportunity to get to grips with most species. There is not much that we do not have here except broad leaved woodland but this is available within 1 hours drive in the Killarney National Park. I also like sea birds and have a boat in which I can get out about 3 miles which is far enough to find enough birds to occupy me in the summer and autumn. S.W. Ireland is perhaps the best pelagic birding spot in Europe and I try to take advantage of the fact!

I started bird guiding mainly because I want to share and promote an interest in birding and conservation. It seems only fair to give something back to a pastime that has given me so much. I doubt that that I will ever be able to return the favour in full.