I used to go birding

I used to go out birding!

I was a birder from a very young age living in a house very close to the river Roding I'd often be found walking the field enjoying the birds from a very young age. Back then we'd swim in the bomb holes of the Roding and I was a child when the M11 was build and remember spending many a happy hour swimming in the gravel works which is now the Roding Valley lake. We had no fear back then. The lake was eventually opened once the motorway was completed and we were promised all kinds of local events and past times. A guy used to come and use the lake for Windsurfing lessons and the owner would encourage a couple of us to use the boards to encourage others to pay which was good as we got free time on the boards almost daily. 

The RAF camp where the the David Lloyd centre now sits was another source of entertainment as we'd go down into the old bunkers often finding the odd item of interest in them. We'd dig the sand pits from the old disused firing range and always found a few spent shells to take home along with the odd live round or two which again worried us not. This was our life and it was always outdoors, we went home to eat and sleep but if we could get out we were out. My old Chopper bike was almost a part of my anatomy I spent that much time on it.

As I started work, got married and had children my birding days were forgotten and although the interest never left me my time was taken up working and running my boys to various sporting events and I managed a football team for ten years too with all the after work and weekend commitment that involves.

So the above hopefully illustrated that A) I have always had the birding bug and that B) I put the boys before my birding for almost two decades. So they've grown and they've flown the nest and since 2010 I've been year listing and enjoying the trips the ticks and not so much the odd dip but I've had more time and it's been great seeing some lovely places, great birds and the odd bit of company along the way has been great too. Move on a bit and my wifes health starts to fail needing more time and care from me, my mother in law moves into a care home and my father in law now needs more of my time. Then my children start to have children and my time now is very much split between caring for my wife and my father in law and playing with the three grandchildren I've been blessed with and my birding is now once again falling way back down the list. 

I'm left instead enjoying the garden wildlife and dreaming of finding more time to get out and about again. 

This year the House Sparrows have been successful and the first broods are out pumping up the numbers coming to my daily offerings. The Robins managed to get a single fledgling but sadly it collided with a window on day one and they have started a second brood. The Magpies now have two fledglings and the Blue Tits are busy in the nest box so I hope for some youngsters soon. The Foxes are visiting the garden more regularly and earlier in the evenings allowing for some images to be captured but we're still waiting to see the youngsters. All this is giving me a small fix to keep my eye in with nature and that's where I'm at!

I'm a lucky man to have these drains on my time I know but I really would like to find the time and to some extent the motivation to get back in the saddle with my birding adventures. Maybe a decent life tick is what's required or maybe just a really good day out like Bempton time will tell.

Oh and I've been sketching again, I'm not particularly keen to share the results but here's a couple of teasers..........

Cormorant

Now where's that day out I'm so desperate for?