CMO Birding

I apologise for a particularly self-indulgent blog - you have been warned! A family member passed away this week and I’ve struggled to process how I feel.  Not about my relative, who I mourn for and am filled with sadness, but about other family members who are dealing with grief in their own ways.  It’s been an exhausting and difficult few days and I have had to constantly be alert to how others feel and curate my own emotional responses to care for others. In that context, birding yesterday was freeing and illustrative, and I’m grateful to my friends for allowing me the space to let my grief guide part of the day. The birds yesterday seemed to either simply be waiting for us as soon as we started looking, or make us wait hours to put in an appearance, with nothing in between.  Tree Pipit at Wykeham Raptor Viewpoint carpark showing as well as any I’ve ever seen (until the ones we saw at dusk while looking for Nightjar), Crossbill and Spotted Flycatcher at their respectiv...

  “Which is your favourite bird?” Was the question I was asked by my daughter the day before my birthday.  Aware that she was asking in the secretive way that an 8 year old with a surprise in mind asks, I weighed the question up and played for time.  A single favourite bird?  A difficult question at any time, let alone when thinking of a bird that, preferably, can be drawn in a sweet hand made card by a child in single figure years.   My mind went to eagles - but a friend recently said to me that all men choose birds of prey when they’re asked their favourite bird, and that made me shy away from eagles and falcons; I don’t want to be predictable, or conform to a stereotype… I thought of ducks, and the colours and elegance of winter flocks, but the yearning for summer made me look again.   In hindsight, it was obvious that I would pick terns.  What’s not to love?  Contrasting bold colours along with soft transitional plumage; the twisting flight of...