President

A message from Bill Oddie, President of Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory Trust:

I am totally addicted to Bird Observatories. Without any doubt at all, the majority of my fondest memories of early days birding were spent at observatories in various parts of Britain, and – equally certainly – it was at these places that I fully came to appreciate that there was far more to the study of birds than simply “ticking them off.”One of the most regrettable consequences of the ever-escalating obsession with “twitching” is that fewer people these days are prepared to spend time at observatories (apart from nipping in whenever a rarity is found). Fortunately, however, this trend has not meant that such places have had to close down.

If anything, I really think the people who do run and visit them have developed a newfound determination. The work that observatories do – ringing and studying birds continues to be of paramount scientific importance. So does the conservation effort.

In addition, I truly believe that there is no more satisfying way of developing birdwatching knowledge and skills. And finally, I happen to think that bird observatories offer a splendid social opportunity: people living, working and indeed enjoying themselves together. In fact, I believe that we are about to witness a resurgence of observatory popularity.

I have long been proud to be President of Sandwich Bay.

Bill Oddie.