Do you have an old pair of binoculars that you no longer
use and would like to find a good home for?
Earlier this year we launched a binocular, telescope and field guide appeal. We regularly meet enthusiastic reserve wardens and up-and-coming local guides in developing countries that cannot afford optics. The fact that we regularly travel gives us a great opportunity to get your old equipment back into the field, where it will be used and cherished.
The response we have had so far has been fantastic, and in early July we passed on our first pair of binoculars to a guide in Bhutan.
If you have a pair please contact us and we will try to arrange collection.
We also have close contacts with a local reserve, Rodley Nature Reserve. When we found out that they needed a couple of pairs of binoculars for a children's open day we were happy to help. Here is a photograph of the binoculars (and kids) in action.
The following people have kindly donated used binoculars, telescopes and field guides since 2009.
We apologise for any omissions. Please contact us if your name is not included.
Fran Evans
John and Freda Topham
Lawrence and Eileen Bennett deceased
Bradford Ornithological Group
Shaun and Julia Radcliffe
Pam Powell
Elizabeth Johnson
Lynn and Trevor Andrew
Ian Willoughby
Sue Ferrington
Trevor Lovett
Julia Mayne
Richard and Linda Ebbs
Eric and Veronica Hudson
Anne Strahan
Audrey Summersgill
Jeremy Clare
John and Anne Bowers
Telescope suppliers TDI www.TDI.co.uk kindly donated three new telescopes for our appeal.
Below is a photograph of Lloyd Fernandez in Goa. We gave Lloyd this pair of binoculars a few years ago and he has transformed from an excellent driver to a top bird guide and driver.
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Trevor Lovett on our 09 Gambia trip donated an excellent pair of binoculars to Kebba Ketah a local guide at Tendaba who has been looking forward for a year to getting his own pair of binoculars after Bird Holidays promised him a pair when they saw his potential in 08.
Kebba also got this field guide donated by Bird Holidays customer, Karen Hargreaves. He had been struggling with a pathetic pair of plastic, borrowed binoculars and no field guide when we met him last year.
Lamin, our apprentice guide, got a Gambian field guide donated by Pam Powell. Last year he had borrowed my book each night. We were also able to upgrade his binoculars thanks to Julia Mayne's kind donation of this pair of Minoltas.
Chris and Didge Brooking visited the Gambia with us last year and very kindly sent us a cheque to convert in to Dalasis and donate to the school at Tendaba.
Thank you very much for all the donations, binoculars and field guides.
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In Ecuador, Roger passed on a pair of binoculars to one of the reserve staff at Yanacocha.
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In Nepal this year (Feb. 2010), Paul met up with many old friends and was able to give a home to some old but still useful binoculars, as well as a new telescope donated by TDI www.TDI.co.uk
Babu has been our local guide for over ten years now, and his birding skills are amazing, bearing in mind that he managed with a pair of 16x binoculars! Paul gave him an old but excellent pair of Bauch and Lomb 8x42's
Hari KC (seen here in the grounds of Fishtail Lodge, Pokhara) lives in Pokhara and co-ordinates the annual duck count on Phewa Lake. This lake holds a large wintering population of the globally threatened Ferruginous Duck. Hari has done this over the years without the aid of a telescope. A new scope we gave him should help immensely.
Bishnu was the first to receive a pair of binoculars from us, in 2008, when Bird Holidays bought him a pair to replace his old ones that had encountered one monsoon too many!
Anne Strahan kindly gave this chap, a member of the Chitwan birdwatching club, his first pair of binoculars. They belonged to her father, and had seen it through two world wars! Nevertheless, they are still in perfect condition.
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