Nature Connections Festival and meeting Chris Packham

On Saturday 10 September 2016, I had a brilliant time at the Nature Connections Festival organised by Derby University. I gave a talk "Born to Bird" about being born into a birding family, finding my own love for birds and nature, my journey to becoming the youngest person to see 4000 birds in the world and 450 birds in Britain, the importance to me of promoting conservation projects and getting young people and ethnic minorities interested in nature. 

BBC's Chris Packham with Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig
Copyright Mya-Rose Craig

It was also fantastic to meet Chris Packham from BBC Springwatch, who remembered me from meeting me last year which was amazing. It was also good to catch up with Jini Reddy was talking about her new book.

It can be a real frustration arranging to do something at the weekend like this day, as that day it meant that I was not able to go to see a Cragmartin on the Isles of Scilly, which would have been a new bird for me.

About the Author

Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig in Antarctica
Photograph copyright Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 14 year old young British Bangladeshi birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent.

Mya-Rose was a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. She organised a conference in June 2016 aiming to increase the ethnic diversity in nature. Please connect with her on LinkedIn (Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig) so that she can invite you to join the Race Equality in Nature LinkedIn Group and be part of the change. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter

Cory's Shearwater at Porthgwarra, Cornwall

Thursday 1 September was a long day. Mum and I still needed to see Cory's Shearwater. They are annual from Cornwall but during late July and August when we are away birding abroad. This yer, we were home a week earlier than usual, with a week left in August. This was the week we had to try for for one.

We got up at 3 am, travelled down to Porthgwarra, Cornwall to seawatch. We were hoping to see Cory's Shearwater, one of 4 birds that occur in Britain, that are non rarities and which I haven't seen. However, no luck and after a bit of birding in the area, we headed home only to be stuck in post holiday traffic on the motorway. We arrived home 14 hours after leaving, exhausted. We're decided to try again the next day as the winds are looking good, if Dad could face the traffic again.

It was lovely to be back at Porthgwarra, where in 2009 we saw a very rare Black-browned Albatross come in from the sea and fly around in a circle and then on past us.

Chris Craig and Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

We were back down to Porthgwarra in Cornwall this morning, leaving at 3am. We arrived at the same time as our good friends John Pegdon and Dan Pointon. By the time we got to the sea watching spot, they had already seen a Cory's Shearwater! Luckily Dan called another one and got us into it, so big thanks to him. That was the first of 12 Cory's Shearwater that I saw as well as a couple of Great Shearwater, Manx, Balearic and Sooty Shearwater. Cory's Shearwater was Mum's last British non rarity, so we'll done. Thanks Dad for driving us down there, especially with all the post school holiday traffic.

About the Author

Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig in Antarctica
Photograph copyright Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 14 year old young British Bangladeshi birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent.

Mya-Rose was a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. She organised a conference in June 2016 aiming to increase the ethnic diversity in nature. Please connect with her on LinkedIn (Mya-Rose Birdgirl Craig) so that she can invite you to join the Race Equality in Nature LinkedIn Group and be part of the change. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter