The Biggest Twitch About UsAlan DaviesBirds are my passion, always have been. From a very early age, birds have been the focus of my life. The reason to suffer altitude sickness in the Andes to see an Ecuadorian Hillstar, trek across the Karoo desert in 45°C to glimpse a small grey Eremomela, empty my stomach over the side of a small boat with engine failure just to see an Isabelline Wheatear it has always been birds. To see birds in wonderful places is what I live for.
Birds have always played an important role in Alan's life, from his first job cast adrift as a warden alone on Llandwyn Island off Anglesey at the tender age of 16, to paddling about in dinghy off the North Norfolk coast protecting a huge tern colony. For six years, Alan was the Site Manager of the RSPB reserve at Conwy on the North Wales coast, and oversaw its development into a popular visitor attraction as well as a haven for wildlife. Although this was the dream job for a keen birder, Alan gave up his job with the RSPB to travel the world and fulfill a lifetime ambition with The Biggest Twitch.
Alan gets up close and personal with the wildlife in Namibia
Ruth MillerRuth is a relative rarity in the UK: a female birder who goes birding regularly herself for the sheer pleasure of looking at birds. Already a keen outdoors girl interested in wildlife, Ruth met Alan through their mutual work at the RSPB, and her passion for birds has grown under his influence.
Having left her job as the RSPB’s Head of Trading and moved to North Wales, Ruth works as a freelance marketing consultant which allows her the freedom to escape the office if a good bird shows up. When not writing marketing plans, Ruth can often be seen walking and birding in the beautiful Welsh countryside. Combining this with her third passion of drinking tea, Ruth has written the popular “Birds, Boots and Butties” guides to the best places in North Wales for birding, walking and enjoying a good cuppa, with other regional editions on the way.
"I’m always looking for something new, to see what’s just around the corner. I walk along looking at life rather than where I’m putting my feet, and if it’s flying, crawling, growing or flowering, I want to take a closer look at it, even if I don’t know its name.
When I’m old, I want to be able to look back on my Big Adventure. The chance to see exciting destinations and wildlife is irresistible, and if it means going birding round the world with Alan seeing the most bird species ever in a single year, so much the better!"
Ruth watching the seabird colonies on the cliffs of North Wales | |