BBC Twitching Documentary (1 Viewer)

[Gill Osborne]

I actually enjoyed it :-O

Never met Lee but spoken to a few who have and TBH they've all said he's a canny guy who will help anyone with id or finding a bird :t:

As regards a series about 'normal' birders.....didn't one of the other channels do a series about British naturalists about a year or so ago? I distinctly remember one woman who was passionate about adders and knew each individual snake by it's zigzag pattern :t: Sadly I don't think it ever made it to mainstream tv channels as they only seem to cater to 'normal' folk who are obsessed with reality tv/pathetic wannabe 'talent' shows/soaps and other such braindead rubbish :smoke: These 'normal' folk may call us birders/twitchers/naturalists sad but I'd rather be sad and actually seeing stuff outdoors than stuck in front of a box night after night!

I'll be recording it on Thursday night so hubby can watch it when he's home on Friday night.....it'll show him that my obsessive need to be outdoors at every given opportunity is perfectly normal :-O

 

[Lee Evans]

John

This is the very nature of debate that I find so irritating and the reason WHY I left Birdforum the last time (and the very reason you will not get virtually any other long standing birders to contribute). It has absolutely nothing to do with the subject matter and all you are trying to do is create conflict and offence - PLEASE STOP IT.

Steve Webb tried to play this card when he attempted to undermine me with the creation of his 'truth about LGRE' website (which, incidentally, he agreed to remove three years ago, but never did). As a result of his complaints, representatives of the Data Protection visited Chaffinch House and sat with me at my desk and looked at the type of data I was holding on people - details of what birds he or she has found over the years or been involved with - and found that I had no case to answer for. I was provided with an exemption certificate. Furthermore, the information I hold is for my purposes only and is no different to the records held by other Bird Information Services - they all now log who is making the calls and claiming such and such bird or update. If I had my way, I would add the names of informants following each bird sighting, but I suspect news flow would then largely dry up.

John, as you know, I would always be willing to help you, but please don't try my patience with your unnecessary nit-picking. I rarely check my Facebook account so any message left there would not be answered - last time it was checked was in September

 

[Ppedro]

Watched the programme last night and personally thought it was quite entertaining and enjoyed it. Obviously documentaries are cut, pasted and slashed sometimes in a quite ruthless manner so long as it serves the producers well with no thought of how the main players come out of it. The same goes on in interviews with politicians, sportsmen, entertainers etc unless they have strict control through lawyers etc. on the final product. I remember a similar documentay on people who travelled around the world to look at eclipses being shown many years ago with many of the participants coming across as over fanatical and a little odd when in fact they were probably very well travelled, intelligent and with a passion for all things celestial
The only person in the documentary i have ever meet is Lee. I doubt he would know me off the top of his head but speaking as i find he is always pleasant, talkative and usually cheerful. Sadly there are a lot of uncommunicative and snobby people in the ' higher echelons' of the birding world. I first meet Lee as a newbie on the Scillies in 1983 when he took time out, despite going in a hurry in the opposite direction, to tell me the whereabouts of a Rosefinch. Not everyone would bother. The world would indeed be a lot more boring without mavericks like Lee Evans
As for the other participants they are not evil people they are merely pursuing a hobby in a free world bothering no one else. How Mr. Bagnall gets away with it being a family man i don't know, fair play mate and good luck to you all.

 

[htcdude]

This thread must have the most posts posted in one day surely!?!


I enjoyed the programme. Have heard lots about LGRE but never seen him, Lee you surprised me! I expected an old guy, lots of grey hair etc... no idea why :-S

Lee
Lee, when watching the programme I did have a lot of criticism to throw at you, but glad I've read through the thread to see your repsonses TV/newspapers etc like to take things out of context (deliberately or not).

One thing I didn't enjoy hearing was the fact you coined birding as your "salvation" It seems birding is more than an obsession to you, would that be right?


Garry
Someone already mentioned earlier, Garry seems a great guy, but his family appeared unintrested to be part of the programme and his daughter unimpressed at the fact he's not around much. It's like he puts birding above family...don't understand that.


The Craig family
I think it's brilliant that they're getting their daughter involved, I want my daughter to be intrested in birding as she grows up, but I agree with The Sniper, I don't think it does her any good constantly taking her away from friends etc to something she doesn't even look intrested in.

Nige

 

[bernie b]

But do you comply with the Data Protection Act?

What do you have on me Lee? Finder of Swainson's Thrush on Shetland 2010?

Bernie, I'd suggest writing to the Information Commissioner via the website and ask for a full disclosure...

Cheers John,if that all he has on me birdfinding wise alone,its a mystery

 

[Gill Osborne]

Sadly there are a lot of uncommunicative and snobby people in the ' higher echelons' of the birding world.

Tell me about it! :smoke: Met a few in my time (birding since 1984) and it IS offputting!!! I think these numpties forget that they too were once beginners and probably had help from others to id stuff! I'm no expert but always try to help anyone who is just starting out as I can still remember my first day out in May 1984 with my first pair of real binoculars :t: Sketching a Little Grebe and doing a full description in my notebook and then looking it up when I got back home.....oh happy days :t:

 

[John Hague]

John

This is the very nature of debate that I find so irritating and the reason WHY I left Birdforum the last time (and the very reason you will not get virtually any other long standing birders to contribute). It has absolutely nothing to do with the subject matter and all you are trying to do is create conflict and offence - PLEASE STOP IT.

Steve Webb tried to play this card when he attempted to undermine me with the creation of his 'truth about LGRE' website (which, incidentally, he agreed to remove three years ago, but never did). As a result of his complaints, representatives of the Data Protection visited Chaffinch House and sat with me at my desk and looked at the type of data I was holding on people - details of what birds he or she has found over the years or been involved with - and found that I had no case to answer for. I was provided with an exemption certificate. Furthermore, the information I hold is for my purposes only and is no different to the records held by other Bird Information Services - they all now log who is making the calls and claiming such and such bird or update. If I had my way, I would add the names of informants following each bird sighting, but I suspect news flow would then largely dry up.

John, as you know, I would always be willing to help you, but please don't try my patience with your unnecessary nit-picking. I rarely check my Facebook account so any message left there would not be answered - last time it was checked was in September

So, without wishing to nit-pick are you agreeing that you were wrong to imply I was instrumental in getting you removed from BF? I am not trying to create any conflict or offence just asking for clarification. Please can we see the exemption certificate or can I request a copy from the Information Commissioner?

I'm quite a capable birder Lee so your help there isn't needed but I would like to be able to chat with you amicably in the field - though we so rarely meet anymore - we have always been able to chat in the past. As I say, you know what's needed but if you've forgotten PM me. I do sometimes make mistakes in the field, we all do, and as well as finding a Swainson's Thrush (incidentally this didn't make your news page despite being twitched by around 100 birders and photographed by me) I was involved in buggering up a PG Tips, something I am not ashamed to talk about.

So how about it taking up my olive branch? I won't promise not to make fun of you and won't mind you doing the same.

 

[Jonathan Williams]

- after all, I have been helping others out since at least 1976.

Dear President, or should it be Prime Minister of whatever the BBA is,

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for offering to help my plane drop out of the sky in September 2008.

Best regards,

Jonathan

 

[graham catley]

Not sure what it says about my wife's life list but she had the same thoughts about Gary's stair carpet as previously noted --- having been involved very briefly in a TV prog it seems inevitable, that like the popular press, the facts are quickly subjugated in the desire to present unbalanced extremist views / actions which are seen as more entertaining for jo public who has a very limited interest in anything of wildlife interest other than big cats, elephants and mere cats

 

[John Hague]

Cheers John,if that all he has on me birdfinding wise alone,its a mystery

Bernie, are THE Bernie Beck we used to chat to in the Bishop and Wolf on Scilly? If so what happened to you? We'd thought you'd dropped off the end of the world... the place isn't the same without you.

 

[Jonathan Williams]

Cheers John,if that all he has on me birdfinding wise alone,its a mystery

Thank you very much for finding the Short-billed Dowitcher in 99 in the North East.

 

[DunnoKev]

Lee is Lee. He's a birding celebrity, and in this celebrity-obssessed world we all love to watch wannabe public celebs being, well, human, in their car-crash worlds they allow to be filmed for ITV2 or photographed for 'Hello'. It makes us feel better about our own sad little lives (as the makers of these docs and publishers judge us).

I'll joke about him on here, sure. All 'celebs' get ripped by the great and the unwashed, turn on any comedy show (for same reasons as above). I've also carried a quote of his on BF under my signature for years, because I know it'll confuse listers and I find it reassuringly funny- but what it does also underline is that Lee's always believed he's been about putting the birds above the list, and I've personally seen it happen in the past and I've personally seen it happen this year. So, publicly, thanks for all of the off the radar stuff you do in the background Lee.

His commitment to lists goes waay beyond what 99.9% are capable of achieving in any element of our lives, so it's no wonder many of us can't appreciate how much stronger he feels about birds per se, regardless of whether we agree with him or not.

I know I'll feature on his 'naughty list' somewhere for sure, probably something about fabricating a nice set of curtains, or for Gollum-ing away precious sightings for ever and a day. Maybe even a black mark for the first time he ever spoke to me, on Scilly, giving me a rollocking for being out without me bins (at a quarter to midnight!) But his debit scoring don't worry me half as much as there are plenty out there who are more caught up in the petty elements of birding.


Barry? well, prior to the proggie airing he and I swapped a few pms, and he didn't mind the banter that was going on then; he just genuinely wanted everyone to get to see what he thought was going to be a great proggie. As he said previously, he'd already stopped posting any promos on here for other reasons. I hope he'll be back up for some cheery banter on here once his fifteen minutes of fame have faded away a little. Just remember, you have a camera follow you for a couple of months and see what bits they'd choose to make you 'interesting'.


Watching the show I actually felt Brett stole it, for bringing it all into perspective- that we're all immortal for a limited time only, there'll come a day when we all have to hang up our bins and stop doing what we enjoy the most, be it because finance, ill-health, or the reaper. Or, Lordy help us, arthritus stopping all us keyboard heroes from typing..

 

[bitterntwisted]

Garry... ...did not estimate the affect it would have. He is somewhat subdued at the moment and rather disappointed in the negativity being thrown his way.

Shame. Chin up, Garry. You came across as a nice bloke.

Graham

 

[bernie b]

Thank you very much for finding the Short-billed Dowitcher in 99 in the North East.

co found with Richard Taylor,pleased you seen it,bit of a trek for you

 

[bernie b]

Bernie, are THE Bernie Beck we used to chat to in the Bishop and Wolf on Scilly? If so what happened to you? We'd thought you'd dropped off the end of the world... the place isn't the same without you.

I also miss the patter,class days

 

[John Bullfinch]

Heres me getting excited about approaching 300 species after 25 years of birding when I watch a tv programme and see that a 7 year old lass has already seen more than me - blimey!!!:-O

 

[Lee Evans]

Jonathan, what a surprise, so glad you chipped in. As you very fully well know, you stole the aircraft that Chris Heard, Garry Bagnell and I chartered the previous day from Wick, along with Simon Slade and John Gregory.

I was in Ireland when news of the Cretszchmar's Bunting broke and immediately arranged with Charlie (the pilot) to fly next morning. At that time, news was on the verge of being released and Angus and others had the first flight out. We had the second and the following lines of departure that Charlie had agreed with others was written down by me. When you arrange a certain time of departure with a pilot in Wick and you have to drive all the way from Fishguard to near John O'Groats you certainly do not expect to meet five other planeloads gathered from dawn expecting and demanding to be taken first as served. You can say quite happily that I was far from impressed, particularly by the underhand way that proceedings were conducted......and Dan Pointon, John Pegden and Michael Frosdick will never be forgiven either.

I must admit to feeling as low as I ever had at that point....and seriously questioned my sanity and involvement in this hobby. It was Chris Heard that talked me round and by some miracle, both he and I eventually got to see the bird before it disappeared. Incredibly, both of us allowed Garry to take first opportunity to see it - and he scored 12 hours and one sleepless night before us.

But this seems to be the trait of some at the top - don't give a damn about anyone else but yourself and I believe the same stitch-up occurred by another well-known Bedfordshire-based Birdforum regular at the Eyebrowed Thrush on North Ron last autumn and his cards are marked too. Selfishness is rife amongst birding.

 

[dbradnum]

I don't think it does her any good constantly taking her away from friends etc to something she doesn't even look intrested in.

Or rather, something she was portrayed as not being interested in, by a TV production crew aiming to create an angle with maximum impact. I think there could well be a big difference.

Also, the program might cause people to think that every single weekend for Mya-Rose is like the ones shown (ie constantly taking her away from friends), but I reckon that's extremely unlikely. I think Chris said he'd never done a 'big year' with over 300 birds before, and isn't doing it again this year.

Even in 2009, OK they went for some serious twitches, but I bet there was also plenty of time birding locally, along with some longer holidays to Scotland and Scilly just like many of us went on as kids, or take their kids on now.

Edit: Just read through a load more recent posts, and Kev's point is spot on: "Just remember, you have a camera follow you for a couple of months and see what bits they'd choose to make you 'interesting'." Anyone choosing to slate the Craigs, or other folk on the program might do well to consider that.

 

[djprest]

Watching the show I actually felt Brett stole it, for bringing it all into perspective- that we're all immortal for a limited time only, there'll come a day when we all have to hang up our bins and stop doing what we enjoy the most, be it because finance, ill-health, or the reaper. Or, Lordy help us, arthritus stopping all us keyboard heroes from typing..

yep brett came cross as the most interesting person on the programme,a top bloke whenever ive talked to him

 

[bernie b]

yep brett came cross as the most interesting person on the programme,a top bloke whenever ive talked to him

Bretts been there and wore the teashirt on many occasion,and has a real passion for the birds he watches