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I was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire and moved over to Sheffield in 1977, when I first joined the SBSG. After over 20 years in Sheffield I moved back to the Chesterfield area and now live in the village of New Whittington. I have been a member of the group for 32 years now and have been the groups recorder since around 1987, although in recent years this task has been a team effort. I have now seen over 250 species in the area, with local 'finds' including Red-throated Pipit, American Golden Plover, Least Sandpiper, Two-barred Crossbill, and Great White Egret. I have always had a fondness for gulls and, along with Ashley Fisher, found and identified the area's first Caspian Gull.
My local patch these days tends to be Rother Valley CP, where I have been fortunate to see many rarities including Black Kite, Purple Heron, Spoonbill, Pomarine Skua, White Stork and Leach's Petrel. Despite the rapid growth of trees in the park this is still my favourite place to be in spring, where anything can, but usually doesn't, turn up! The winter months will also see me putting in many hours at Poolsbrook CP where the constant turnover of gulls requires constant effort in order to pick out the less common visitors.
The most memorable birds I've seen in the U.K. were probably the White-phase Gyr Falcon in Devon in 1985 and my first ever Alpine Swift at Fairburn Ings in 1978. Nothing beats the buzz of your own rarity however, and the Red-throated Pipit at Poolsbrook certainly takes some beating. |
Abroad, I think the North American warblers take some beating, my own favourites being Blackburnian and Cerulean. My favourite places visited abroad include southern Israel, Texas, and Point Pelee, Ontario, all in spring, and memorable for the sheer volume of migrant birds. I have also developed a great fondness for Extremadura in Central Spain, and have now visited the area on five occasions.
I suppose my favourite bird book is still Discover Birds by the legendary Ian Wallace. Both inspirational and educational, this book is now long out of print, but well worth seeking out and coughing up a few pounds for. If this book doesn't whip up your enthusiasm for birding, nothing will. When someone asked me recently if I would like to see any changes in birdwatching in the future my reply was simple. I'd like to see more people actually out birding, counting birds, looking at them, and actually learning how to identify them. Too much use of technology now ensures that any minor rarity will draw a crowd almost instantly, with birds being put under more pressure from over-zealous photographers etc. I can fully understand why local patch-workers become over-protective of their discoveries. Finally I really would like to see more money and resources put into the conservation and creation of habitat instead of the seemingly pointless re-introduction of species that disappeared from their preferred habitat many years earlier.
Kevin Gould |
