Birds - Coping with an Obsession
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Derek Moore is one of those larger-than-life characters who make a big impression when you meet them for the first time. I must have been six or seven years old when I first met him at Minsmere, Suffolk, in the early Sixties. In this book he writes with great passion about his early birdwatching days in Suffolk, intermixed with stories of his other passion – for sport, particularly cricket and football – as well as his time playing keyboards in a band.
For the Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT), the organisation he used to manage, Derek was the right man at the right time. The trustees took something of a risk by employing someone with no conservation qualifications, but his background in accountancy in industry was what was needed. As it turned out, his time spent working as a volunteer at Minsmere under the guidance of Bert Axell and his obsession with birds more than compensated for the lack of professional training in that area. I sometimes wonder if conservation bodies miss out by not doing what the SWT did in 1985 and looking a bit beyond the remit. When Derek moved on from the SWT after 14 years, he left behind a strong network of reserves, a sound financial base, growing membership and a team of dedicated staff.
Never shy of head-on confrontation and recognising Derek’s planning skills, the Royal Society for Wildlife Trusts put him to good use in their headquarters. Those who have felt Derek’s wrath should know he’s nature’s fixer: stand in his way and he will bulldoze through you – it’s not personal, but nature comes first. His organisational skills were recognised by the Welsh Wildlife Trusts, where he moved on to help plan their merger. In retirement Derek has travelled extensively and taken on consultancy work, where his years at the cutting edge of conservation can still be put to good use. He has also renewed his obsession with birding.
It’s important that books like this are written and read. His story is part of the bigger picture of our developing conservation history, and the views he expresses in the last chapter are ones that should be digested by those in a position of influence who are planning for the future. Derek’s skills as a photographer have improved greatly since he retired, and it would have been nice to see more of his pictures in the book. An index would also have been a great help for those looking for a quick reference, or to see what he’s said about them!
• Birds – Coping with an Obsession by Derek Moore (New Holland Publishers, London).
• 272 pages, 100 black-and-white photos.
• ISBN 9781847739520. Hbk, £14.99. Birdwatch Bookshop from £12.99
For the Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT), the organisation he used to manage, Derek was the right man at the right time. The trustees took something of a risk by employing someone with no conservation qualifications, but his background in accountancy in industry was what was needed. As it turned out, his time spent working as a volunteer at Minsmere under the guidance of Bert Axell and his obsession with birds more than compensated for the lack of professional training in that area. I sometimes wonder if conservation bodies miss out by not doing what the SWT did in 1985 and looking a bit beyond the remit. When Derek moved on from the SWT after 14 years, he left behind a strong network of reserves, a sound financial base, growing membership and a team of dedicated staff.
Never shy of head-on confrontation and recognising Derek’s planning skills, the Royal Society for Wildlife Trusts put him to good use in their headquarters. Those who have felt Derek’s wrath should know he’s nature’s fixer: stand in his way and he will bulldoze through you – it’s not personal, but nature comes first. His organisational skills were recognised by the Welsh Wildlife Trusts, where he moved on to help plan their merger. In retirement Derek has travelled extensively and taken on consultancy work, where his years at the cutting edge of conservation can still be put to good use. He has also renewed his obsession with birding.
It’s important that books like this are written and read. His story is part of the bigger picture of our developing conservation history, and the views he expresses in the last chapter are ones that should be digested by those in a position of influence who are planning for the future. Derek’s skills as a photographer have improved greatly since he retired, and it would have been nice to see more of his pictures in the book. An index would also have been a great help for those looking for a quick reference, or to see what he’s said about them!
• Birds – Coping with an Obsession by Derek Moore (New Holland Publishers, London).
• 272 pages, 100 black-and-white photos.
• ISBN 9781847739520. Hbk, £14.99. Birdwatch Bookshop from £12.99
