NEW FOREST 'BIRD TRAIL' EVENT, 2010 - WITH CHRIS PACKHAM

A review of the day - provided by Ian Julian, Hampshire Ornithological Society, Newsletter Editor.

On Sunday, 16th May, for the third year running, the ’Bird Trail’ event was held at Bolderwood in the New Forest National Park. Organised by the RSPB and Hampshire Ornithological Society (HOS), 120 children and 60 parents and guides made this an informative, fun day as groups of youngsters competed to see or hear the most species of birds.

Chris Packham, President of HOS, as always generated enormous enthusiasm amongst participants - whether speaking to one person or 5 million, Chris never fails to put over his love and unsurpassed knowledge of the natural world. Speaking to 8 year olds and adults of all ages, and still generating smiles and loud laughter after 6 hours - that really is an art that few possess. Getting children to whoop and scream with joy, and all without dumbing down, is a gift indeed.

May is usually a good month for watching birds, a month when many species can readily be seen as they court, maintain territory, nest build and feed ever-growing broods of chicks. And on this occasion they appeared right on cue to delight our 'Bird Trail' participants. Tree Pipits, for example, stood out on the topmost branches before engaging in ’parachute display flights’ to the ground. Dartford Warblers, Skylarks, Goshawks, Crossbills and Swallows were also conspicuously present, and so were a wide range of other colourful feathered friends.

The real stars of the show, however, were a female Cuckoo and a pair of Stonechats that put on a rarely seen piece of natural theatre that will remain ingrained in the memory of all those privileged enough to witness it. The Cuckoo tried to lay her egg in the Stonechat's nest, positioned in a gorse bush just 400 yards from where the children were watching, which in turn prompted the Stonechats, accompanied by a pack of other small birds, to chase the Cuckoo into a nearby tree. For fully 40 minutes, a battle of attrition ensued - at one point, a Stonechat actually rode on the back of the Cuckoo, pecking away in primeval fury, fighting for its life, or rather its genetic offspring’s lives.

The children behaved impeccably, too! There was not a tear drop shed, not a disagreement of consequence, not a cry of ‘I’m bored’ or a call of ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ Instead, all watched out intently, learnt and listened - and, of course, from time to time, climbed trees and explored before enjoying the end-of-day picnic.