I gave a talk to an audience of RSPB members and started by asking them to close their eyes and imagine they could be transported to one of their favourite places. Now, asking your audience to shut their eyes is a risk - especially after lunch on a warm afternoon, but most appeared to open them again. So, to where had they transported themselves? Calls of Minsmere and Leighton Moss came as a relief - 'my local shopping centre' wouldn't have worked nearly so well! Real places, full of wildlife and loved by many - these special places can be described in the dry formality of nature conservation, as Special Protection Areas designated under the Birds Directive, for example, or as the place the hair on the back of my neck stood up as I heard my first bittern booming. The love of nature, the inspiration of wild places and a passion to protect them has driven generations of conservationists, the baton has passed on and this blog tells the stories of the men and women at the centre of our work to ensure that nature still has a place in our crowded world.
I hope you will become a regular reader and, perhaps, share you thoughts and experiences.