Birders’ Choice Awards: the winners
The results are in! We announce the big winners and losers from the 2020 Birders’ Choice Awards.
1 Conservation Hero of the Year
With a whopping 88% of the vote, this year’s clear winners are Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin.
The TV presenter and his step-daughter kept the nation’s spirits high during lockdown, setting up the Self-isolating Bird Club and broadcasting via Facebook every morning. They also – among other things – presented the BBC’s Springwatch and Autumnwatch, highlighted the damage to our countryside that HS2 is causing and found the time to write a new book, Back to Nature.
None of this would have been possible without support, though, and this award really belongs to the whole team, so along with Chris and Megan we would also like to congratulate Fabian Harrison and Cate Crocker. Turn to page 8 for a comment from Chris and Megan.
2 Young Conservationist of the Year
The winner of our first-ever category dedicated to the inspiring youngsters out there is Mya-Rose Craig.
Well known as Birdgirl, this 18-year-old has had quite the year, not letting lockdown or studying for her A-levels get in the way of her activism. We look forward to seeing what she does next. Turn to page 8 for a comment from Mya-Rose.
3 Local Hero of the Year
This category is your chance to recognise the work of someone you know who might otherwise go unsung. The winner is selected by the Birdwatch/BirdGuides team. It’s always a difficult decision and this year there were some outstanding nominations. But one nominee really caught our collective eye, with several entries.
This year’s Local Hero is Matt Prior, who is known in Wiltshire and beyond for his work to save Tree Sparrow in the county, “singlehandedly saving Wiltshire’s Tree Sparrows”, as one reader put it.
Another commented: “Matt is the driving force behind the Tree Sparrow restoration programme in the hills of Wiltshire and beyond. He has generated cash and food from farmers for the birds, built nestboxes and ringed the fledglings. The project is wrapped up in the Marlborough Downs project of which he is the driving force. Wiltshire would not have Tree Sparrows for all to see if it were not for Matt Prior.”
In recognition of the award, Matt will receive a year’s subscription to BirdGuides News Pro.
We will be celebrating more of your Local Heroes in our March issue (on sale 25 February 2021).
4 Campaign of the Year
Taking almost 50% of the vote, your Campaign of the Year was Saving our Skydancers.
Organised by Wild Justice, this ‘e-action’ mobilised more than 120,000 people across the UK to email their MPs, highlighting the plight of Hen Harrier and calling on the UK Government to take urgent action to protect the wildlife and habitats of Britain’s uplands.
5 Guano Award for Environmental Harm
HS2 is certainly unpopular with Birdwatch/BirdGuides’ readers – and with good reason. This high-speed rail line linking Birmingham, London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow and their regions has caused the destruction of ancient woodlands, nature reserves and even a memorial garden. The development has cost hundreds of millions of pounds already and stories have emerged of both police and HS2 workers attacking protesters.
This massive transport project is the recipient of our least-wanted award: that for Environmental
Harm.
6 Birding News
This was a very close-run category, with the success story of wild White Storks breeding at the Knepp Estate battling it out with the news that the EU has banned lead shot at wetland sites for the top spot. The latter story just edged it, though.
Eighteen of the 27 member states voted in favour of banning the use of lead ammunition at Europe’s wetlands. The move could potentially save millions of birds’ lives and was welcomed by environmental campaigners.
7 Rarity of the Year
There could really only be one winner of this category. The long-staying Bearded Vulture, nicknamed Vigo, took 90% of the vote.
The young female that took up residence in Derbyshire for much of the summer was arguably Britain’s most popular avian visitor this year. She headed home in October, and was possibly reported from Lyon and Paris; genetics have revealed that she originated from the French Alps. It’s no surprise that this outstanding bird has been voted your Rarity of the Year.
8 Site of the Year
This was our closest-run category, but just taking the top spot was Holkham NNR in Norfolk.
The reserve enjoyed an excellent year, with a record number of 56 Eurasian Spoonbill chicks fledging from the breeding population there. Western Cattle Egret bred for the first time, joining Great Egret, which first bred in 2017. Holkham is an excellent example of a site sensitively managed for wildlife and a worthy winner of Site of the Year.
9 Product of the Year
Imagine having the nine volumes of one of the world’s most comprehensive regional avifauna in your pocket. With the new Birds of the Western Palearctic app for iOS that’s exactly what you get. So it’s no surprise that this easy-to-use app took 35% of the vote to be awarded Product of the Year for 2020.
Described by reviewer Josh Jones as “a genuinely phenomenal resource”, the app covers 1,014 species and is packed with digital features such as video and sound recordings, alongside the expected images, diagrams and maps.
10 Book of the Year
Congratulations to Dara McAnulty. The 17-year-old published his first book this year and it has gone on to win several awards, including this one. Diary of a Young Naturalist took an incredible 86% of the votes.
A chronicle of a year in Dara’s life, the book explores the natural world from the perspective of an autistic teenager juggling homework, exams and friendships alongside his life as a conservationist and environmental activist.
11 Discovery of the Year
Endemic to Australia, Night Parrot was feared extinct just a few years ago. However, it was recently rediscovered and this year another site for this hard-to-see nocturnal bird came to light. While it remains Endangered (it is described as “one of the most elusive and mysterious birds in the world”), it is now known from five locations in Western Australia.
This heartening find garnered 30% of your votes to be named Discovery of the Year.