British Birds

Those lovely people at British Birds have just sent out the August 2014 edition of the journal (a must for any keen ornithologist) and included the full 80 page Official Programme 2014 to Birdfair which means that I can plan my visit well in advance rather than having to buy a copy on the day.

This will be the 26th annual Birdfair and this will be my fourth visit, staying as usual at the wonderful Crown Inn, Uppingham which has won many awards for the traditional ales it serves including Tiger Best Bitter brewed by Everards and serves excellent pub grub. I don't know what I look forward to most - the visit to the Birdfair or the Crown Inn!

Simon King Wildlife is an associate sponsor of Birdfair and I look forward to meeting him again along with many other personalities from the world of bird-watching and wildlife conservation. Simon King has worked in the field of natural history film making for over 30 years. He is the creator and presenter of many award-winning productions including Springwatch, Big Cat Diary, Planet Earth and Blue Planet. Simon is current president of the Wildlife Trusts.

Simon King

This year Birdfair has added a new Authors' Wildlife Forum Marquee offering the chance to meet the authors of some of this year's top titles. 

I just need to be careful not to splash out too much cash; easily done here particularly in the optics marquee. Nevertheless I shall have to take a look here: www.swarovskioptic.com and here: www.hawkeoptics.com .....

Celebrating 25 Years of Birdfair

The August edition of British Birds arrived yesterday, in the post, with a nice surprise. The 80 page Official Programme for Birdfair 2013 had been included. I usually purchase a copy when I visit the event and it is particularly useful to have a copy well in advance to be able to plan my visit.

This international wildlife event is celebrating 25 years 1989 - 2013 and this will be my third consecutive year of attending. The Fair runs from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th August and is held at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve. More information here www.birdfair.org.uk

For the third year I will be staying here: http://www.thecrownrutland.co.uk a fabulous pub with accommodation, quality real ales, a comprehensive selection of single malts, proper English food and a great atmosphere. The pub is located in Uppingham, a delightful market town in Rutland.