Fair weather

In the village where I grew up we had a summer fair every year. In fact, I recently learned it's been a tradition since the 14th Century, making it one of the oldest in the country, though sweating through your shirt in a marquee is a more recent addition. It's a key association for me, but I'll admit it did feel a bit extreme to set off for the Global Birdfair in the middle of a heatwave.

I've been going to this event on and off for more than ten years. While its location and exhbitors have changed, the basic offer of bird talks, walks, books, art and inspiration keep me coming back. I'll admit, I felt pretty frazzled this year but came home with two points to focus on:

Bring back the nature table!

Mary Colwell was in attendance for a talk about raising the natural world's profile in the media. Her conservation work, particularly highlighting the plight of the curlew, is really inspirational. Her impassioned plea to recognise the value of nature every day (especially in schools) was echoed by former geography teacher and naturalist Jon Mason @theearlybirder in his thought-provoking session about nature education.

Catching nature feelings

Birdfair has been criticised in the past for failing to represent women in nature, so it was gratifying to see so many women across various stages throughout the day talking about their diverse interests and activities. It was also great to meet Shell Clarke and Ali Marley who are doing wonderful inclusive things through their all-female network Birds and the Belles. It felt really supportive altogether this year, chatting to authors I admire and passionate volunteers about their work was a much needed reminder that I belong in nature. Perhaps in a pond when it's this hot!