Please include more ‘minority’ groups in your magazine

When I read the Grumpy Old Birder in the January issue, I was reminded of something that irritates me. Bo’s theme concerned the lack of diversity in the birding community. He mentioned the obvious categories but neglected to mention women until the very end! I’m not trying to play some ‘feminist card’ here but, truly, women are seriously regarded as second-class birdwatchers! The stories I could tell you! Generally, in ‘birding’ publications, the most you see of women, is in adverts or attached to a bloke (usually several) in a reserve feature. Just looking at your intro page, despite there being some amazing women naturalists around, there is not a single one on your team – nor any obvious one writing the articles that follow. This totally reflects my experiences as a lifetime woman birdwatcher. I am not saying I have never met exceptions to the rule – including honeymooners both choosing a birdwatching break. I was always aware of it but it became most evident when, years ago, I treated myself to a decent telescope. When I could persuade my non-birder husband to come out with me, I used to make him carry it, as it is difficult to manage and I needed to scan for stuff with bins first. I can see why everyone spoke to him rather than me – either about the quality of the scope or had he seen anything interesting? He had no idea! He would try to pass them on to me – but I was still regarded as the ‘foot soldier’. The ‘straw which broke the camel’s back’ came a couple of years ago. My youngest son moved to a London location close to loads of wetlands. “Mum, you are going to love this!” The area is vast and, time-limited, I thought the best way to sort a decent visit was to contact, (via email) the local birdwatching group about where to park, best viewpoints/birds etc. No reply. About two months later, I got a message inviting me to one of their walks. All blokes, their wives never came with them but, if they explained the situation, (helping a poor old lady to see some birds) it might encourage them to come along and make me feel welcome! You can imagine how I felt. I did send them an evil reply, with the bird list I managed without their help, plus a couple of good other sites I discovered on my own. Please try to feature my minority group a bit more.

Ed: We sympathise with your plight, Judy. However, it is not really fair to say BW does not have women in the team. For starters, we have monthly contributions from Ruth Miller and Clare Howcutt-kelly, plus regular female UKBS, Go Birding and feature writers.