Ave atque vale
Over the years that I have been visiting Upton it has always been a pleasure because of the warm welcome and friendliness of the regulars. As my wife, Jan, and I are moving out of the area my visits will inevitably be fewer so I would like to acknowledge those who have provided good company, directed me to birds I would have missed, shared their optics and had the tact to ignore my gaffes. Realise this is a risky procedure but here goes: Adrian, Alan, Alan, Alex, Andy, Bill, Bob, Brian, Chris, Craig, Craig, Dave, Dave, Dave, Dennis, Des, Gert, Graham, Ian, Jared (sic), Jean, John, John, John, Margaret, Mary, Matt, Matt, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Paul, Phil, Phil, Phil, Phil, Rich, Rita, Roger, Sarah, Simon, Simon, Simon, Stuart, Tim, Timmy, Trace and Yvonne. Apologies to anyone I have forgotten, or whose name I never knew (such as the cheerful family who visit on Sunday afternoons) or whose name I have misspelt.
My especial thanks go to the members of the Tuesday work party, who are so cheerful and entertaining and such good companions: Bob, Bob, Bob, Charles, Dave, Gary, Janet, Janette, Jim, John, Jonathan, Keith, Len, Neil, Nick, Ray, Rob, Paul, Peter, Terry, Terry (he won’t read this so please pass on my best wishes), Steve, Steve, Sukie, Tony, Tony and Vern. Then there is our gaffer, Paul, a wise and gentle man to us but a Stakhanovite who carries on working after the rest of us have gone to lunch and so often misses a piece of cake.
And now the man who never misses a piece of cake, John Belsey; he has been tireless in answering my ornithological questions, helping me to see new birds and appreciate the possibilities of the reserve.
To you all, thank you and good wishes.
Some of you may be wondering what the title means; as that fine scholar Vern could tell you (he does always tag his pictures with the Latin names of birds), it is the opening of a Catullus poem and means “Hail and Farewell”.
Peter
A plug for the work parties
If we were to let nature take its course the reserve would largely dry out and become overrun with willow, bramble and reed; we would lose our waders and many waterfowl. That is why we need the work parties to keep the invasive plants in check, create suitable habitat for the waders to breed, to maintain the fox-fencing and keep the paths open to visitors. I would therefore urge anyone who is free on a Tuesday morning or a winter Sunday to come along and help. You will have the satisfaction of giving the birds the help they need even if some – like the Sand Martins and Wigeon – don’t yet appreciate what has been done for them; you will see parts of the reserve normally out of sight; most of all you will enjoy the experience. It is all very relaxed: you come when you like, you stop and have a chat when you like, and you finish when you like. When you have finished apart from some aches you will have a real sense of achievement, as should be clear if John remembers to take the before-and-after photos.