21/01/2012

The Y.O.C., yeah you know me?

Many many years ago ( actually more than 20! ), I used to be a member of the YOC, or the 'Young Ornathologists Club'. It was basically the kiddy-winks version of the RSPB and it was just another way of me getting out of the house and into the countryside. As I grew a little older and found the delights of skateboarding and biking I stopped going along and the binoculars ended up somewhere in the loft.
Fast Forward a couple of decades and not only have I found myself working on specific products ranges for birdwatchers but also finding that it is another great excuse to get out of the house with the family. So to get some practice in for the Big Garden Birdwatch next weekend, Immy and I headed over to our local Country Park ( we can walk there from our house ). Not only did everyone want to talk to us as we had telescope to play with ( maybe we can blame Stargazing Live for that? ), but we also found out that the local Ranger is building a Hide for a large area of wetlands off one of the trails.
 Ok, it's not an adrenaline sport, but you know what, it's still pretty awesome ( though call me a 'Birder', 'Twitcher' or 'Spotter' and I'll shove this telescope somewhere that birds don't nest...).