The oriental turtle dove that turned up in a garden in Chipping Norton back in February is still being seen. This is a very rare bird in the UK and February seems a pretty odd time for one to turn up.
But hundreds of twitchers have paid £5 to get the chance to see the bird and got a thrill out of it. The home owners, the Akers family, have been brilliantly tolerant and welcoming to all those birders who have queued up to see this rare bird from their kitchen window. It's all a bit odd in a way but it's all a bit inspiring in other ways.
And bird conservation on Malta and in the UK is benefitting from this lost bird and the enthusiasm of all those twitchers.
A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.
Im not really a twitcher, but I'm glad they are enjoying themselves! For me this post raises a point I've been considering for some time. I'm well aware and fully support the open reserve policy the RSPB has, with many of its reserves being free to visit all year round. But I wonder if there isnt a niche market in eco-tourism which the RSPB isnt fully exploring. It could provide revenue, as well as build strong public awarness and vocality towards conservation issues and habitat protection.
Well managed eco-tourism (which im very lucky to write for) is doing amazing things the world over, providing interactive biophilic experiences which create a lot of media interest and have a net positive effect on local ecosystems and communities. I know its the Royal Society for the Protection of BIRDS, but is there not a deeper ecological setting that could be celebrated in a socially inclusive way, providing income for private land owners and the RSPB, and working to bring those two groups closer together?
£5 for a dove, I'd want it to perform Shakespeare for that! :)