Standards are rising!

Many years ago, a man who goes by the name of Badger, decided it would be good to bring the local community of birders together for a Christmas meal. And so it was. Over time this festive meal became an established part of the annual routine for Oxfordshire birders. Last year Badger asked me to say some words at the end of the meal and together we handed out a few prizes, in recognition of the work local birders do. Not so much after dinner speaking, but more of a gentle dessert.

This year we went all out and held a review of the year, together with a full on Oscar-esque prize giving ceremony. Some prizes were obvious, such as Best County Find and Best Local Patch Find. Others were more tongue in cheek: the Best Oxon Bird Photo included three appalling photographs of birds in Oxfordshire and there were prizes for the Best Dressed Birder and, my favourite, the You’ve Smashed It Award for the person who had broken the most equipment in the calendar year. 2017’s winner had accidentally damaged a staggering £16,500 worth of lenses, hence the award’s alternative name “The Thank God for Insurance Award”.

Above: myself and Badger at the 2017 annual awards, ©Peter Alfrey

It is always great to get everybody together and such an event allows us to thank Badger and Adam for the tireless work they do in running the Oxon Bird Log. The open, free exchange of information on birds in the county is not something that happens everywhere and we should celebrate the fact we have an open, friendly birding community.

Many thanks also to Peter Alfrey, who not only turned up, but won a prize, took some pictures (above, thank you!) and even wrote a nice little blog piece, here. We look forward to seeing more of him and fellow recent addition to the Oxon birding community, Mick Cuningham, out in the field in 2018. Both have already found good birds in the county. Standards are rising!