Charity boost
How one man has used Bird Watching’s fun and flexible challenge to raise cash for charity WORDS: CHRIS PLACE
How one man has decided to use our #My200BirdYear challenge to raise money for charity
As a regular reader of Bird Watching, I have been following the articles and letters about #My200BirdYear and decided to have a go at achieving this target, but with a difference.
As a 67-year-old retired prison officer, I had sadly witnessed some friends and colleagues succumb to a life with Parkinson’s disease. So, why not raise some money for a Parkinson’s disease charity, while enjoying my pastime of watching birds? I contacted Parkinson’s UK, obtained the sponsorship forms, and then pestered friends and relatives for sponsorship (minimum 10p per bird identified).
I began birdwatching comparatively late in life, after walking with some birding friends on Holkham beach, in north Norfolk. When I noticed a large bird drifting over the pines, I asked my friends what it was, and they informed me that it was a Marsh Harrier.
That moment and that magnificent sight left me with a great curiosity about our avian friends. It enhanced my enjoyment of the outdoors, and set me on the long journey towards learning to identify the natural history around me.
Today, I guess you could call me a bit of a ‘dude’, the guy with all the gear and no idea! To enhance my identification skills, I have availed myself of the best equipment, but these skills still remain wanting in certain areas.
However, I am lucky to have many
friends who have a lifetime’s knowledge of birdwatching, and their vast knowledge is helping me in my quest to reach my goal this year, and to raise as much money as I can for my charity.
I live in Suffolk, just outside of Ipswich at Martlesham Heath, and consider myself to be very fortunate, as living here gives me great opportunities to visit some of the country’s best birdwatching venues within two hours of driving, from Minsmere in Suffolk to Titchwell in Norfolk. But travelling further afield to North Wales, the south coast and the Isle of Mull in Scotland has already been done in the search to achieve my total.
Accompanying me on my trips closer to home is my retired drug dog Rusty, aged 13 – he likes to think he’s helping (but he’s always on a lead)! The assistance of some of you more proficient birders along the way has been much appreciated, too, so if you come across me in my Crocodile Dundee hat accompanied by an old spaniel, and we’re both looking a bit bemused, please lend us a hand!
I have noticed how diverse a bunch birders are! I have been so pleasantly surprised by conversations and meetings I have had with complete strangers who are happy to give me the benefit of their knowledge and experiences. However, I have also met some of the elitist types who, when I’ve sought help or advice, have met it with either a sigh or a grimace and an air of “you should know what that is!” Come on guys, lighten up.
My year so far has gone reasonably well. Locations have been very varied and a few rarities have been identified. My total today stands at 202, – I am very pleased, but I intend to carry on and add to my current list, thereby forcing my sponsors to dig very deep into their pockets at the end of the year. The more birds I can identify, the more Parkinson’s UK will benefit.
I hope that next year the idea of a 200 target for charity might be taken up across the country. Why not? Get outside doing something you enjoy, and raise money for charity at the same time. A win-win scenario.