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| Amy-Jane - purest stuff of life |
THERE was a pleasing musical backtrack to Amy’s fascinating talk at Birdfair - the dawn chorus as recorded by her from 3.45am one day in July this year.
"It was the purest stuff of life," she enthused. "Just the sort of thing I enjoy - a potent mix of thrill and peace."
At the time, Amy-Jane, a biologist, was monitoring turtle doves, and her night-time accommodation was . . a hedge.
She went on to reflect on the importance of nature, quoting, as testament to its benefits, the validating thoughts of other female commentators such as her friend, Nicola Chester, who was in the audience.
For women, being outdoors in relatively remote locations poses challenges not much experienced (or understood) by men who, though often well-meaning, can sometimes be irksomely patronising in their attitudes.
Should a woman really be in this sort of environment on her own? That regularly tends to be the stock response.
Aren'y you being a bit reckless? This looks like an accident waiting to happen . . .
And so on, and so on.
It is, of course, true that, as in many aspects of life, the world of birding and wildlife is still dominated by men.
As Amy-Jane wryly observed, year on year most of the speakers at Birdfair are invariably "somewhat male".
When one year she was invited to be on a panel of experts for a question-and-answer session, she was the only female out of six.
Another time, when she was invited to co-judge a wildlife photography competition, she was the only female out of 15.
At Birdfair at least, things are gradually becoming more gender-balanced, but Amy-Jane does wonder if she would have had the opportunity or inclination to have done more if she had been born a boy.
Although her presentation was primarily upbeat, she could not disguise a trace of resentment.
Her birding outings are few and far between because she feels guilty about neglecting family.
"I’m a kitchen-window birder,"she said. "A school-run naturalist."
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