The further north I headed, the brighter the skies, and as I pulled into Rutland for my first Global Birdfair, I was treated to an overhead sighting of a lapwing, the purple gloss of its iridescent scapulars glistening in the morning sunshine. It was in that exact moment that the smile arrived on my face, and did not fade until long after the event was over.
Arriving onto the Leica stand, I was met by a mixed team of ambassadors, product engineers and marketing members from across Europe. All armed with specific knowledge in their area, I became a sponge for the first hour of the day, absorbing as much as I could about the product specifications, variables and nuances between the optics, and any additional titbits of information that I could loan from their knowledge. Leica products are referred to as artisanal – they’re finished by hand, so, not only are they beautiful to hold, but these products are aspirational, lifetime purchases. Over the course of the weekend, we had guests come in with binoculars over twenty years old. That is the element of storytelling that resonated most with me; all the firsts, the lifers, the special trips and holidays the binoculars went along with. To me, Leica optics are like little vessels of memory, nostalgia and discovery.
And on that note of discovery, I was introduced to my co-host on our birding walks for the weekend, Harry Read. Harry’s passion and excitement for the natural world is nothing short of infectious, and being paired with him for our nature walks was the perfect fit to my overflowing cup of enthusiasm and eagerness. Armed with optics from Leica, we set out on one of four walks with guests from the event, and slipping off site into the Rutland Nature Reserve meadow, it was eyes to the skies. Throughout our walks, it wasn’t just the birds that we saw, but an abundance of butterflies, invertebrates and insects. Linnets, kestrels and terns were interjected with red-legged soldier beetles, marbled white butterflies and jumping spiders.
Later in the afternoon, I had the privilege of being a panelist at “Gaia Girls: Women in Conservation” in the Young Conservationists Hub. Run by the Osprey Leadership Foundation, the hub showcased young conservation professionals who led a range of interactive panel discussions, workshops and events with young and aspiring conservationists in mind. Speaking on the subject of being a woman in the space, the difficulties and barriers to access and experiences that led us to where we are today, was a challenging and emotional undertaking. Listening to others experiencing so much resistance, and being able to relate to having our voices quietened for the comfort of others was testing, but I felt it was such an important step to profile a female-led panel at an event like BirdFair, and my hope will be that this will become the new norm.
From a more serious platform, to the absolute thrill of ‘Nature Room 101’, I headed over to the Osprey Stage to feature as a guest on Ryan Dalton and Nadia Shaikh’s brilliant podcast ‘Into the Wild’. Alongside Mya Bambrick and Nick Acheson, we threw out nature dislikes out with gusto, and with the crowds remarkable audible participation, added some universal nature-nuisances into the vault.
As the day drew to a formal close, some of us nature-nerds remained for a well-earned drink. It was in these unfiltered moments I was able to reflect on the joy that I felt being part of this conservation community. And all thanks to Leica for inviting me to host over the weekend.
Sunday was a quieter day itinerary-wise, though mine and Harry’s excitement hadn’t shifted gear at all. With the most wonderful, engaged groups with ages from little to longstanding, and including a special visit from the family at Wild Finca, we were treated to the osprey sightings all of us had covertly been hoping for. The optics gave us perfect clarity as this beautiful bird soared overhead, and I have to say, it felt rather symbolic at the end of a weekend full of conversation and activism. Engaged, inspired and impassioned, I do not believe there was one person who left BirdFair who didn’t feel even more allied to our natural world, and who didn’t harness a deeper and richer connection to why our planet is worth saving.