Blogger: Steve Rowland, Public Affairs Manager

I passed a pleasant 50 minutes the other day on a long train journey listening to one of the Conference Calls put together by Charlie Moores on his Talking Naturally blog. In these Charlie gets a bunch of birders together on a conference call and they chat about topical issues to do with birds, birding and conservation.

In the podcast I listened to on the train, David Lindo, aka the Urban Birder, who maybe familiar to some of you from his occasional appearances on the BBC TV programme The One Show, talked about his new book The Urban Birder which documents his life growing up as an urban birder searching for birds on his local patch of Wormwood Scrubs in London.

This struck a cord with me as I too grew up in London and served my birding apprenticeship at ‘Ally Pally’ [Alexandra Palace Park and Wood Green Reservoir for the uninitiated]. Something that I always took for granted was that you could find wild things in the big city, that pockets of nature and self willed land would find a way amongst the concrete and fumes and that in these places were amazing things, from brightly coloured butterflies to glistening slow worms and exotic looking woodpeckers.

I have many great memories of birding Ally Pally. I remember once watching a great crested grebe raise itself onto its haunches on its nest on a floating mat of vegetation and lay an egg. Or fighting my way through a thicket of Buddleia scrub to look at the parks single Bee Orchid spike.

In one respect at least though mine and David’s experiences differed, for whilst both of us were able to keep hold of our innate fascination with the natural world, David had to nurture his interest in birds alone. I on the other hand was lucky to find a mentor and role model in a local birder and now long time friend Neil Bowman.

I don‘t think I would have lost my fascination with birds without the presence and encouragement of adult birders like Neil, but I do know that he was an important influence in helping me to develop my interest. I also know from talking to friends that many of them had similar adults that they too looked to for encouragement and support.

I found my role model informally, something which not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do. But as an adult through the RSPB’s Wildlife Explorer Community Groups you can volunteer to lead groups of young children in an exploration of the natural world. Of course as a child these community WEX groups provide great opportunities to share and develop a passion for birds.

To find out more about RSPB Wildlife Explorers and how to get involved visit www.rspb.org.uk/youth

David Lindo will be signing his new book in the Norwich Waterstones this evening - see you there!