Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary: Birdfair Musings, Rutland Water, 20 August 2017

Jus, Andy and I attended the Rutland Birdfair yesterday. Sometimes we go, sometimes we don't but there wasn't mkuch else doingbthis weekend so we thought 'why not'. Well, maybe I'm getting a bit jaded but it seems to be little more than a retail opportunity for those with more money than sense or the chance for sad people to fawn over the so-called celebrities. I've never got that whole scene and it seems to be getting worse. We had a few words with the unassuming legend DIM Wallace who truly is an inspiration.
We generally go to nab a few bargain books, attend a lecture or two and actually (god forbid!) do some birding! Sadly we are in the small minority of attendees who did any of the latter which is rather depressing.
I'm not knocking the good work done at the fair, all the money it raised for conservation and the awareness of issues it helps to spread. To me it seems to have degenerated into a huge retail event though with lots of self-congratulatory back-slapping going on - gag!

Anyway, to the birding! On a walk around a few of the hide we managed to see a few nice bits and bobs - an eclipse drake Red-crested Pochard, a strange aythya hybrid, 2 Little Grebes, c500 Gadwall, Black Tern, 2 Great White Egrets, c25 Little Egrets, 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, Greenshank, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Reed Warblers, 2 Red Kites and of course Osprey!