‘Marvellous Marshlands’ - My first published feature

It’s been a little while since I posted, but quite a few exciting things have happened and I’m going to be sharing updates more regularly. From being invited on my first official press trip to making strides in my journey to publishing my first book, I’m beginning to accept that I am a writer. I began this blog four years ago as a lockdown hobby and now I’m being paid to go bird watching and write — wild.

Many updates are overdue so please bear with me as I play catch-up with myself, but better late than never, as they say (except I’m normally greeted by family with “for f**** sake Han, you’re late again!”)

With that, the first piece of four-month-old news: I had my first feature published in the July 2024 edition of Bird Watching magazine! AND it made the cover!

I had the privilege of writing the feature alongside Dominic Couzens, who has been incredibly kind and supportive of me this year. In this piece I discussed two of our marshlands’ greatest conservation success stories — and perhaps some of the greatest avian conservation successes of the 20th century.

Both Marsh Harriers and Bitterns faced extinction in the UK during the 20th century, but thanks to collaborative conservation efforts and habitat creation, both species are doing well.

As I write in the feature, at 24 years old I’m used to watching Marsh Harriers glide over reeds and feeling slightly disappointed when they turn out not to be Hen Harriers. And since I began birding around 15 years ago, the Bittern has become a reliable member of the Stodmarsh spring ensemble. But to my dad, who I go birding with 95% of the time, both birds are still a significant sight and he never fails to remind me that when he was my age they “were as rare as rocking horse poo.”

It’s a good reminder to never take our birds for granted. While many species, including Cetti’s Warbler, Bearded Tit and pretty much the entire Heron and Egret families, have done well in recent years, others haven’t been so lucky. I’m particularly concerned, as are many, about the Turtle Dove and Hen Harriers. But as the cases of Marsh Harriers of Bitterns prove, hope isn’t lost; populations can be restored with the right support.

If you read my feature or perhaps have the July edition of BW in your collection, I would love to know what you thought of it!