Common sandpiper - watched by the Prime Minister in St James' Park, a short walk from 10 Downing Street |
He is the slightly-built man standing at an aerodrome, simultaneously waving a piece of paper in his hand and proclaiming something about peace in our time.
That is the image most people have of
Chamberlain - surely one of the most ill-regarded prime ministers of the past
100 years.
Ever since 1939, his apparent readiness to
'appease' the territorial aggression of Hitler has been roundly condemned as
spineless and shameful.
The extent to which that unkind perspective
is justified is entirely another matter.
In any case, a single episode in his
political career should not be allowed to obliterate all other considerations
of Chamberlain - a decent, shy and misunderstood man who, in his 71 years, made
an enormous contribution across a wide spectrum of human activity.
Before entering politics, he was a sisal
farmer in The Bahamas, then a successful businessman at an engineering works in
his native Birmingham.
Less well known is that he was also a
skilful angler, entomologist . . . and birdwatcher.
Chamberlain kept records of his sightings, including hawfinch |
He kept diligent records of the birds
(including red-backed shrike and hawfinch) he saw in and around Birmingham, during his
time as a pupil at Rugby
School and on holidays,
both home and overseas.
Kestrel
Barn owl
Red-backed shrike
Spotted flycatcher
Pied flycatcher
Mistle thrush
Fieldfare
Song thrush
Redwing
Blackbird
Hedge sparrow
Robin
Redstart
Stonechat
Sedge warbler
Grasshopper warbler
Whitethroat
Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Willow warbler
Wheatear
Whinchat
Up to February 6, 1917 , these were the 55 species he had managed
to record in the grounds of Highbury Hall where he grew up:
Kestrel
Barn owl
Red-backed shrike
Spotted flycatcher
Pied flycatcher
Mistle thrush
Fieldfare
Song thrush
Redwing
Blackbird
Hedge sparrow
Robin
Redstart
Stonechat
Sedge warbler
Grasshopper warbler
Whitethroat
Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Willow warbler
Wheatear
Whinchat
Blackcap
Great tit
Blue tit
Coal tit
Long-tailed tit
Pied wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Meadow pipit
Skylark
Yellowhammer
Bullfinch
House sparrow
Great tit
Blue tit
Coal tit
Long-tailed tit
Pied wagtail
Yellow wagtail
Meadow pipit
Skylark
Yellowhammer
Bullfinch
House sparrow
Greenfinch
Linnet
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Starling
Carrion crow
Rook
Jackdaw
Magpie
Jay
Green woodpecker
Linnet
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Starling
Carrion crow
Rook
Jackdaw
Magpie
Jay
Green woodpecker
Lesser spotted
woodpecker
Treecreeper
Wren
Nuthatch
Cuckoo
Kingfisher
Swallow
House martin
Swift
Sand martin
Treecreeper
Wren
Nuthatch
Cuckoo
Kingfisher
Swallow
House martin
Swift
Sand martin
Of these, the most notable is probably red-backed
shrike, a bird now lost Britain
as a breeding species but one he had also once spotted in the fields of nearby
Kings Norton.
In the Bahamas, he is credited with having found a new species, the Bahama oriole.
Even as Prime Minister, he found time to
‘escape’ from 10 Downing Street
in order to track the species (including scaup and common sandpiper) in nearby
St James’ Park.
Scaup - unusual visitor to London park |
He learnt the craft of taxidermy, and some
of the birds he stuffed while in The Bahamas are held at the Natural History
Museum's collection at
Tring in Hertfordshire.
This study explores the life and
enthusiasms - especially for ornithology - of a most intriguing man.
It is available, price £1, as an Kindle e-book from:
It is available, price £1, as an Kindle e-book from:
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