Bird Fair is upon us!

Stress and excitement fill the Wader Quest crew in equal measure. Will everything be ready? (Usually no.) Have we forgotten anything? (Usually yes.) But, prepared or not, we are looking forward to one of the birdwatching world's biggest events the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water and we hope to see many of you there at our stand Marquee 7 Stand 67 and at our talk at 1:30 PM on Friday in lecture Marquee 1.

This year we have some great prizes for our competition, raffle and Prize Draw. We will have our usual items for sale and information about coming Wader Quest events including Wader Conservation November.

The Raffle this year has been supported by Richard Allen who has donated a superb signed print of the Calidris juveniles plate from Concise Birds of the Western Palearctic. This fantastic artwork will not only serve as a thing of beauty, but also as a work of reference when dealing with those tricky juvenile stints and sandpipers. 

Juvenile Calidris sandpipers by Richard Allen

We have also been supported by another great artist Jan Wilczur who has donated two signed original line drawings to add to the raffle's attraction; one is of a Pectoral Sandpiper and the other, pictured below, a Long-billed Dowitcher, they are superb and would look good in any collection of bird art.

Long-billed Dowitcher by Jan Wilczur

Finally in the raffle we have a pair of Savanna 8x23 compact porro prism binoculars donated by Opticron to be won.

Opticron Savanna 8x23 compact porro prism binoculars

Raffle tickets will be just £1.00 each, a great price to pay for a stunning piece of art or a new pair of binoculars.

This year we are reinstating our competition, but with a diffrent angle this time. How good are you at estimating flying bird flock numbers? Well here's your chance to test your skills with a 'guess the number of birds' competition. Come and look at the print and make your guess. The winner will be the guess closest to the number counted by the judges (whose decision is final). Should there be two or more equally close or spot on guesses, then a draw will take place to find the winner.

Obviously this is not the print, that would be too easy and we're not THAT silly!
Black-tailed Godwits: photo Elis Simpson.

The prize is another artwork, this time from the talented Steve Cale who has presented us with a stunning Ibisbill print which he has signed. 

Entry to the competition will be £1.00 per entry.

Ibisbill by Steve Cale.

For those that are signing up as new sponsors at the Bird Fair you will be automatically entered into our Prize Draw. The winner of this draw will receive the tremendously popular Lars Jonsson poster of waders which he has signed. 

Wader poster by Lars Jonsson

Richard Allen will also be displaying an original artwork of the flying lapwings plate from the same volume of Consise BWP on the Wader Quest stand. If we are successful in selling this masterpiece Richard will donate a percentage to Wader Quest.

Please come and see the prizes first hand and have your chance to win one of these superb items to enrich you birding life.