Thursley Common (Day Trip)

It all started with a bamboo butterfly net, sweet jars from the corner shop and buddleia bushes in his grandma’s garden. Chris’s childhood fascination with all things natural was ignited by the Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals, Peacocks and various Whites that were found in profusion in those days. He can still recall the excitement of seeing and catching his first Painted Lady late one summer, having no idea that the creature’s origins were far to the south in North Africa. Chris grew up in Nottingham and spent many happy hours birding the gravel pits and woods of the Trent Valley with his father. This was a time when Willow Tits were common and the purr of the Turtle Dove was a familiar summer sound. Family holidays were spent mostly on the east coast and visits to Gibraltar Point and the reserves of north Norfolk served to inspire his love of birds and the natural world.

Chris is a lifelong birder and has been fortunate enough to have travelled the world in pursuit of his passion. He has birded extensively and independently in the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Central America, South America and Australasia. While birding in the UK, he has been fortunate enough to have found a few rare species, the best being White's Thrush, Western Orphean Warbler and Fea's-type Petrel. He was also lucky enough to have been on a Cornish headland when a Red-billed Tropicbird flew by. In addition to his passion for birds, Chris is a keen and active naturalist and organises nature walks on the heaths, on the downs and in the woodlands of his home county of Surrey. He is particularly interested in butterflies and moths and spends a lot of time in search of the UK’s scarce and rare species. When not leading a group, he may be found deep in a Surrey woodland keeping a moth-trap company!