Old friends and old haunts.

One of the first people I met when  I started at Manchester University was Andy Swash. I vividly remember sitting in the bar with Andy one Friday evening, soon after I'd joined the bird club at freshers week at Owens Park students residence when in rushed a highly excited Paul Jepson with news of an Arctic Warbler in Hartlepool cemetery. At that time they were a really rare bird in the UK.  The conversation went something like this:

'Andy theres an Arctic Warbler at hartlepool cemetery. I'm leaving tonight to get there for first light. Are you coming'

Followed by: 'who are you'

Introduction from Andy.

'Are you coming as well'

'Umm,yes! "

Four of us crammed into Pauls VW Beetle and duly arrived outside the locked cemetery gates at stupid O'clock the following morning. Three of us settled down in the Beetle to get whatever sleep we could and Paul slept in a sleeping bag alongside the car in the gutter...........

We didn't get any rest. A nearby dog kept us awake all night. A voice from the gutter uttered the immortal words we were all thinking:

'Can't somebody kick that f***ing dog in the b*ll*cks!'

Sometime after a council official came and unlocked the gates and I was soon watching my 1st Arctic Warbler. I seem to recall seeing my 1st Yellow-browed Warbler the same year.

After that introduction I soon became a regular member of the twitching team and another trip took us to Tregaron Bog in mid-Wales which, at the time, was the only place to see Red Kite in the whole of the UK! How times have changed! Another trip took us to Falmouth Bay for Forsters Tern while another saw us at Loch Ryan for King Eider! A longer trip took me to Vorran Island, South Uist for a long staying male Stellers Eider that eventually stayed for 12 years!

We also took regular planned trips to Suffolk, Scotland and Wales for birding weekends with the Manchester University Bird Club. Roll forward to the end of 1981 and Andy, who was a year above me, graduated and moved away. I graduated a year later and moved abroad and so we lost contact. We finally met again at one of our old University lecturers, Dr Mike Hounsomes, funeral in Devon about 5 years ago

Thanks to local birder Steve Holmes, who's been friends with Andy for many years, we finally got to meet up and go birding again. 41 years after the last time! 

We met at Parkgate on a cold and blustery day made all the more bearable by a fabulous display fro mthe wintering raptors on site. Fly by sub adult male Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Merlin and Short -eared Owl were the highlights but large numbers of Pinkfooted geese whiffling down to settle on the flashes in front of us and several Great White Egrets were a close second. Along with the biggest flock of Lapwings  (probably 2,500+ )  that I've seen for many years it was a great few hours birding and reminiscing.

sub adult male Hen Harrier

female Marsh Harrier

Pinkfeet

Short-eared Owl

Andy's career path took a different direction to mine and he's now a successful author with a number of books to his name. I was really touched when he presented me with a copy of his latest book complete with a lovely inscription in the front.

After so many years it was great to catch up and hopefully well have many more birding trips together in the future.