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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fozzybear" data-source="post: 1755561" data-attributes="member: 69297">'k' Dave - my problem is I was in a foul mood for a bit, which is why I got a bit hot under the collar. Just the Out-of-work blues I think - I've mostly been pretty up-beat but every so-often I have a few days where I'm in a bit of a temper. |<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite3" alt=":(" title="Frown    :(" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":(" />|Wildlife has always been a passing interest of mine, but very much an armchair background interest - I'd watch nature programmes on the telly and sometimes look at the ducks and geese in the park but never anything more. It was only when my brother and I went on some holidays in very wildlife packed places (Pembrokeshire and north Norfolk) that the bug really bit and I got properly interested. Probably there are a lot of people who in a similar way 'like' nature and wildlife but in a vague, non-committal half-interested way. Can take a bit of a push to turn that into a passion.It's like how people can suddenly get a passion for playing the piano or hang-gliding or rambling I guess - you could ask why anyone gets an interest in anything later in life really. For a few years before I got into wildlife I'd been exploring the footpaths around my local area, spending more time out in the countryside rather than just going to towns and shops. That interest in getting out and about in the wild probably led me towards being more amenable to expanding my previous half-interest in nature but I was still blinkered and went out not really seeing any wildlife unless it was right in my face. It took the push from my brother dragging me off to Norfolk and all the wildlife we saw there to click the final piece into place. That trip was the catalyst, I was really changed by it and when I came back I started looking more - it still has taken a couple of years for me to learn to really look and even now I'm definitely not the most observant person - I have to put a lot of effort into looking for birds.</blockquote>

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