Chair Wren Holloway Started the Society after spending an hour watching a heron in a park world and realising she wanted company for the next one. Yes, she is called Wren. She has heard it.
Keeper of the log Corin Marsh Writes down every sighting, checks every identification and settles every jackdaw argument with a photograph and a sigh. Has the Society’s only rarity, a bittern, all to himself.
Head of hides Tamsin Reed Builds the hide on Fridays when a world has nowhere to sit. Takes it down again, every time, without a trace, which she considers the most important part of the job.
Newest member Jun Pell Joined three weeks ago to see what the fuss was about. Has since logged nineteen species, learned the wren’s song and sent four world creators a thank-you note.
Q. 01 Do the birds really count? To us, yes. Someone chose that bird, made it and put it there. Noticing it is the point.
Q. 02 Do I need to know about birds? No. Most members learned in the hide. The field guide covers the common ones, and somebody will always be glad to tell you which gull that is.
Q. 03 Which platforms? Wherever there are good worlds and somewhere to sit. The committee posts each Friday’s world on the Thursday.
Q. 04 Can I suggest a world? Please do. The best outings have all come from members who stumbled on a lovely bird somewhere and wanted to show everyone.
Q. 05 Does it help with real birdwatching? More than you would think. Every bird in the guide is a real species, and several members now carry binoculars on walks, which they were not doing before.
Q. 06 Is it very quiet? For about half the evening. The other half is people whispering “was that a chaffinch?” with great intensity.