I once read a derogatory tweet from someone about mingling with the dudes (*) at Titchwell and from that moment decided I didn't want to become like that person and their attitude towards birders who may not be as experienced or knowledgeable. This is probably because some would accuse me of being a dude but to be honest dude or non dude I would far rather be nice to people than superior and judgmental. Also, if it wasn't for people who love the outdoors and a spot of birding (even though they may not know what they are looking at all the time) then places like Titchwell may not exist, as membership fees do come in useful! So, our visits Titchwell are always a positive experience by assisting so-called 'dudes' who ask for identification of different birds and by talking to them instead of just growling and of course my #Birderswife always enjoys meeting different people.Unfortunately due to strong WSW winds the east coast appeared pretty quiet during our stay but then we couldn't really complain about seeing Spoonbills, Great Egret, Turtle Doves, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Black Tailed Godwits, Knot, Grey Plover, Arctic Skuas, Gannets, Eider, Dunlin, Avocets, Bearded Reedlings, Water Rail, Merlin and Marsh Harriers (to name a few).
Probably the best news we had when away for the weekend was that our friend Jack Bradbury had won the Best Young Birder award at Spurn Migfest in his age category. Congratulations to him on such a great achievement.
(*) Dude is a pejorative term sometimes used to refer to birders who have all the equipment but don't actually know a lot about birds.
