Birding etc: Dominic Mitchell
Flawed guidelines during lockdown have disadvantaged birders, says Dominic Mitchell, because we don’t have a collective voice.
Flawed guidelines during lockdown have disadvantaged birders because we don’t have a collective voice.
The network of reservoirs that straddles the Lea Valley in Walthamstow has long been one of London’s top birding areas, and in recent years the site – a former local patch of mine – has evolved into the pioneering urban nature reserve of Walthamstow Wetlands, under the stewardship of London Wildlife Trust (LWT).
Oases like these are important at the best of times, but during the current pandemic, with its necessary restrictions on movement, social gatherings and time away from home, they have become absolutely vital for local people to stay connected with nature.
In the most recent lockdown, however, Walthamstow Wetlands became a talking point for the wrong reasons. Despite being open for exercise, its website announced that “Birdwatching is not permitted onsite [sic] until further notice” – an alarming edict, and possibly the first time a nature reserve has banned birding.
Or so it seemed. My social media posts on the subject went viral, and as pressure built the Trust responded on Twitter, claiming that it was referring to permit-holders who normally access restricted areas. It added that “all are welcome to walk and enjoy birds (with/without binoculars)” and reworded the ‘rules’ on its website which had said the opposite. Let’s give it the benefit of the doubt this time.
The only way in Essex
But there is some context to this. A few days previously in Essex, a retired birder taking his exercise walk in a country park a mile from home was stopped by police, reprimanded and told he was lucky not to receive a fine.
His crime? Looking through a telescope – according to Essex Police, while “walking is considered as exercise stopping frequently to view birds would make this activity a recreation”.
In contrast, no restrictions have been imposed on anglers and shooters – groups with powerful friends in Westminster. Both were given the green light to continue as normal throughout the latest lockdown, creating the ludicrous scenario whereby it is fine to stand still and catch fish or kill wildlife with a gun, but not to look at it through a telescope.
Unsurprisingly, the story made the national press, and the RSPB was quoted as saying it was seeking urgent clarification – as well it might, given the potential consequences for its 1.1 million members should they dare to use optics while exercising.
I contacted the society to find out what it had established, and also to ask if it had made representations to government on behalf of its members’ interests ahead of lockdown. Disappointingly, I discovered that it hadn’t in fact asked for any specific clarification, and previously had only sought to “clarify the guidance for our visitor operations and reserves, to ensure the safety of our staff and visitors”.
As fundraising machines and protectors of nature, wildlife charities are at the top of their game. But, broadly speaking, they don’t see a wider role for themselves campaigning on related issues. This is in stark contrast to the Angling Trust, which lobbied cabinet ministers directly last October, protesting that “it would be absurd for ministers to unnecessarily restrict healthy activities like angling which are demonstrably beneficial for our health and wellbeing at this critical time. We firmly believe that largely solitary, outdoor, socially distanced, activities like angling, golf and cycling should not to be
[sic] restricted under any new lockdown provisions …”. For ‘angling’, read ‘birding’. Sadly, birders do not have the same collective representation. It shouldn’t have to come down to a birding flash mob on Twitter to address issues such as lockdown guidance. The national and local conservation organisations we all support, with their memberships in the millions – and importantly membership revenues in the tens of millions – should be the voice of birders as well as birds. ■
❝A retired birder taking his exercise walk in a country park a mile from home was stopped by police, reprimanded and told he was lucky not to receive a fine❞