Can you believe it - 2006 already...only seems like six years ago that we were lighting the blue touchpaper on a new millenium and sending the fireworks of hope and optimism shooting into the midnight sky...

And look how the optimism has been repaid: we've rediscovered the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (or perhaps not) and we've not lost a single species of any sort in the meantime (or perhaps not); we've got some of the most environmentally-friendly world-leaders in our history - George "Friend of the Arctic" Bush, Tony "let's settle this with diplomacy" Blair, a Korean premier with the guts to stand up to big business and cancel the Saemangeum reclamation, a whole raft of Chinese politicos who've recognised that development shouldn't mean poisoned rivers and denuded forest, and - at long last - those lovable scamps in south-east Asia have decided to protect their remaining rainforest by tearing it all down and replacing it with much more suitable oil palms...(or perhaps not)...

But that's just the bad stuff. Yes, there's plenty of it - but don't forget that there are also thousands and thousands of us "little people" out there counterbalancing the steps backward and making a difference every single day of the year. It may not seem it sometimes, but we're having an impact. It's true - there'd be no discussion about the future of the planet if we weren't out there talking about it; there'd be no discussion on global warming if there were no pressure groups; there'd be no organic foods in supermarkets if WE weren't demanding it; there'd be no Nature Reserves, hybrid cars, low-impact energy initiatives, no wildlife at all if we weren't fighting to protect it - and don't forget we (or at least most of us) have the VOTE: we can get rid of the muppets we don't like and give power to the people we do ("long live King Charlie Moores" etc etc - why thankyou, my friends :-)).

In 2006 let's not forget that it's up to us...keep the pressure on and things will change! The sky may have darkened a little since those fireworks went up six years ago but the sparks are still there! ("Fan the flame in 2006"? It's an idea, but don't tell the Government in Kalimantan perhaps...)

As I'm on a roll, I'll expand on this a little. Conservation/campaigning at our level is all about "roles". What we really need to do is to understand our limitations and adjust our roles accordingly. We need to do the most that we possibly can, and to do it with great passion and great heart. Not everyone can go and work in South Korea like my brother Nial or in a remote Nigerian village like my colleague Pierfrancesco Micheloni, or set up a research station in the Amazon; not everyone can meet with politicians and demand change; not everyone has the technical training to work on computer programming or hybird car engines. I certainly haven't. What I decided my role should be is to "inform", to give the one thing I can give - and that's my time. I'm lucky enough to be able to write quite well, and I can use a camera. I can make a basic website, and I can try to work out ways to get people to read it.

Am I having much impact? I sometimes wonder - but then I remember I'm not alone. I provide data, I provide some inspiration, and I provide support - and so do thousands and thousands of other people. And in itself that's important for everyone to know - mailing letters of protest, words of support, small donations, talking to our friends - these things ALL count. They all feed into the great swell of conservation work being done all over the world.

Business/governments have only started to take into account what the "green lobby" is saying BECAUSE of the huge number of people supporting the very few people they actually get to meet. Without the soldiers, the generals can't fight a war - to put it very simply. So - in 2006 - let's not feel that we don't do enough or that our efforts are not worth anything - because if we all do what we CAN and we do it to the BEST that we can - we will be helping! Support, cajole, push. Yes, it feels like we have a small voice - but so does everyone I know who works at the level we do: trust me, you - me - all of us make a difference - and that's the plain and simple truth...

Hurrah for us and hurrah for effort! 2006? Bring it on...!

Well, I need to be more informative (about what I've done obviously, is anyone interested in anything else?) - so as a recap in the last few days I've posted trip reports on Mauritius, Singapore, and Melbourne, posted a poem about how tall a tree is that will surely win prizes (or perhaps not), posted a photo gallery of Pink Pigeons, and over on the Birds Korea website we've just posted our fourth annual Bird Review - which even if I say so myself is a great piece of work and has some stunning photos (none of which I took, I hasten to add) and is well worth a look...

And I've made a few New Year resolutions (which I'll keep - unlike the one I've already broken about being more cheerful, darn it).

1. First and foremost, I'm going to be clever, witty and positive when I write about birds and birding - no more wry looks at the world around me, or comments on things I know nothing about... Actually that sounds a little difficult, so I think I'll carry on pretty much as before...conservation, Poultry Flu, the bird trade, senseless destruction of habitat etc etc - but I'll do it with a smile this year
2. Secondly - and this is more important - I want to turn part of this blog into an online space for any deserving conservation project/group/organisation who thinks that they can reach a different audience by being written about on it. I'm serious about this: beneath the grumpy exterior I'm actually quite a passionate and helpful sort of guy. I care - a lot. Mail me and let's talk.
3. Thirdly, I'm going to cheer up and not be "so intense" (oh, darn it...give me another chance, I'll try I promise)
4. Fourthly - after some consideration - this year I'm going to keep a "Yearlist": not a 'Hell for leather, can't sleep, must drive hundreds of miles every day' sort of list, but just a 'by-product' list, a 'look, there's a new bird' sort of "low-impact" list. No bashing around, no "listing before conservation" - just a little list of about 1000 or so species. Why? People keep asking me how many species I see in a year, and "Less than a Tour Leader but more than someone who doesn't work for an airline" doesn't seem to answer the question very well. So, I'm going to try and find the time to keep a page updated with a current list...it'll be at Charlie's Checklist 2006 (there's not much on it right now, of course, but it's only Day One).

5. Fifth - and finally - I need some advertising on this darn thing (ethical of course - furriers and shotgun salesman needn't bother getting in touch). Server space is costing me a fortune... I'll put up the details later, but how about an ad for just 25GBP/year? Great eh...or perhaps not...

So that's that. I'm going outside to see some birds and get away from this computer: Have a great 2006 - and let's save some birds this year!!

Jo and I went out for a walk along a local by-way this afternoon, and it was beautiful. I really like this time of year in Wiltshire. The land is soggy and dark-brown, and that rich smell of wintery decay fills the air. Life is wound right down. The afternoons are just starting to lengthen again here in the UK - and that's what the "New Year" is all about really: the darkest days of the winter are behind us, and life can relax a little. A corner's been turned...

 

Like I say, nothing too spectacular, but I love this area. It's invigorating...and who doesn't need a little bit of invigoration on January 1st?

Tomorrow the birding kicks up a gear as I'm due to fly out to San Francisco for two days - that year list should really start to climb! Oh, and following that I'm supposed to be going to Johannesburg, Madras, and Tokyo - all by the end of January...could be quite a year for a whole host of reasons...