Nature boy

Despite being brought up in the country I was never interested in nature as a boy. I lived in a group of three houses about a half mile from the nearest village. Although my mother made intermittent efforts to interest me in natural phenomena I just wasn’t very interested. I was far more interested in machines, cars, trucks, and planes. In that environment most particularly tractors

There was a huge variety of tractors but my favourite was the Fordson Major sitting proud in gleaming blue( it didn’t gleam for long ) Although a technological marvel the grey Ferguson was the most dowdy. My first choice of what to be when I grew up was to be a farmer, which I saw as tractor driving all day. Incidentally children then, particularly boys, always knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. I was to go through several choices as I grew up. I asked the children as the local primary school recently. Among the boys about half wanted to be footballers! ( mind for the pay it is not a bad ambition )

There were some things which drew my attention. I remember on a walk being fascinated by a rabbit warren in a field teeming with rabbits. I suppose this was pre disease when rabbits flourished and were major pests. My mother always said her favourite bird was the skylark for its wonderfully melodious song. I recall one summers day lying on my back in a meadow listening to a lark as it hovered and trilled its song.

It is sad that the lark is so rarely heard these days. When we visited Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve for the first time it was wonderful approaching the cliff side across a meadow with skylarks singing. The reserve is famous for its sea birds particularly gannets but I thought it sad to near the cliff where the raucous seabird cries drowned the larks singing.

I realise now that I was privileged to see phenomena that most will never see. I recall a bird luring me away from its nest by pretending to be injured and then flapping out of reach at the last minute. I was completely fooled at the time and only later did I find this is a known aspect of behaviour.

Annette is interested in nature especially birds. Some of this (a very little ) has rubbed off on me. When we took a holiday in Majorca it was interesting to go a little way out of town to an olive grove and sit waiting to hear the characteristic triple call of the hoopoe We never did see it but its call was rather magical. Periodically I have been involved in chasing down unusual species such as bitterns booming, and a special warbler on the south coast not to mention osprey nesting in southern Scotland.

At this time of year we watch Springwatch and Springwatch unsprung on TV. This series has gone from strength to strength and Chris Packham brings an unrivalled expertise to the programme. The fast moving “unsprung” is always interesting but I can have too much of going over to nestcams in Springwatch.

I don’t go on bird trips particularly since I disgraced myself on a Sutton RSPB trip to Lake Vyrnwy. As an RSPB party we had a RSPB guide around the local area. I dressed the part with binoculars slung around my neck. The only problem was that while the group were training their binos on something the guide had spotted I was looking in the opposite direction. My comeuppance happened when we came across a pied flycatcher. The group duly stopped and stared and oohed and aahed. Eventually the bird flew away and a group member seeking to include me in the group enquired if I had seen the pied. With the confidence born of ignorance I airily replied “ ah yes the pied wagtail” ( the only pied I had heard of). Pied wagtail are fairly common while the flycatcher is rare. The birder looked at me with a mixture of bemusement and horror and making no response re-joined the group. I’ve never been again.