|
I suppose I have always been interested in wildlife, but my interest in
birdwatching really began in the Sixth Form at 'King Ted's'. The Biology
Department had formed a Natural History Society, and I was friendly with some of
the members.
There was a trip to a place called Bempton one week-end, there was a spare place on the mini-bus (actually a converted ambulance), and did I want to come? I said yes, even though I had no bins, no suitable clothing, and only a vague idea which coast it was on. I can honestly say that the place took my breath away. The noise, the smell(!) and the sight of thousands of sea birds was amazing. I could not wait to go on the next, more local trips, my birthday present five months later was a pair of 8x40 Greenkat binoculars ( a fortune at £20), and I was hooked. The other defining moment in my local birding came nearly two years later, in March 1974. I had heard of a site on the moors in North Derbyshire not far from the south-west of Sheffield, and so, one Saturday morning, caught the bus to Owler Bar. I then trekked the mile or so to this place: Barbrook Reservoir. The first bird I saw was a ringtail Hen Harrier (a tick), and I decided that this would be a good local patch. |
This place took up many hundreds of hours of my time over the next twenty-nine years. I first met local 'celebrities' such as Roy Frost and Mick Taylor here, together with a keen motor-cycling birder from Chesterfield with amazing long range eyesight (now your Recorder). I also found my only current 'BB' rarity there (Baird's Sandpiper in September 1983). More recently, as family commitments have drastically reduced my birding, I tried to spend a few hours here on a Saturday or Sunday, invariably finding that John Atkin was there already. Sadly, the site is a shadow of its former self following drainage by Severn-Trent Water.
Involvement with SBSG began in the mid-1970's, when meetings were held at the Museum. The main reason for going was the Recorders Report, and to meet other , like minded birders. (young birders today forget that there were no pagers, no 'Birdline', few young people with their own cars and, in my case, no home telephone!). In 1992 I was asked to join the Committee, and have been a member ever since, becoming Treasurer in the mid 1990's. It is not too onerous and has the reward of helping to run an organisation which I think is the best £14 worth a South Yorkshire/North Derbyshire birder can buy.
Ron Blagden |
