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Unfortunately, some conservationists seem to
encourage various unwelcome labels - "introverts",
"weirdo's", etc. Do we deserve it? Frankly
sometimes, alas, yes. It's true the majority of us
are happy in our own company walking through the
countryside with 'scope or net in hand (and heaven
help us if everyone became extroverts leaping about
the undergrowth Bellamy fashion), but should we not
examine ourselves a little more closely? As the
saying goes, "Oh to God the gift to give us to see
ourselves as others see us". For instance, do we
bother to acknowledge a fellow wanderer or offer
friendly encouragement to the beginner? As a bird-
watcher, I have experienced the "put down" when, brimming
with excitement at spotting a rare species and wishing
to share the moment with one you feel may also like to
see the bird, of having the whole experience shattered
by a cursory, smug, self-satisfied "Oh, I know .....
there are three more around here somewhere", or just
a plain blunt "I know". How much kinder to have asked
the locality of the bird and to comment on its field
markings or habitat. Why boost the ego further?
Visiting reserves can be an odd experience, too.
Wardens, it appears, are shy, retiring creatures,
sometimes found in the bushes, shunning human contact
if at all possible. We are all aware that managing
a reserve is a tough job, often undertaken in inclement
weather with little financial reward, but when stumbling
across this species you are often met with a look of
total disinterest; the interpretive centre is
usually closed and there is no sign of a list informing
the visitor what birds/plants/insects etc. are about
Again, just a friendly welcome and a few words about the
reserve would be all that is required to make one feel
less of an intruder. This sounds very facetious, but
1 believe, as many do, that public relations are sadly
neglected in the warden selection process. It should