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| Lord Heseltine - lifelong bird enthusiast |
IT'S many happy returns of the day to birdwatcher, former Deputy Prime Minister and Tory grandeee Lord Heseltine of Thenford.
He is 91.
His interest in all things ornithological started as a boy in Swansea where the family lived in a house with a spacious well-planted garden that was full of birds all through the year.
"From an early age I enjoyed both watching them and listening to their calls and songs," he recalls.
"I have no doubt I also took inspiration from the rugged beauty and sandy bays of the nearby Gower peninsula where I spent many happy times.
"When I was at school at Shrewsbury, I also was allowed to keep birds in an old farm shed in the grounds.
"Among them was a jackdaw which I coaxed into becoming finger-tame."
Very occasionally, Lord Heseltine's interest in birds and wildlife overlapped with his political career.
He was a key figure in framing and promoting the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act.
He recalls: "The RSPB was one of the main consultees.
"I remember telling the society how much it was to their benefit to have a Secretary of State for the Environment who had a keen interest in birds. It was as if all their Christmases had come at once!"
Any downsides of the legislation?
"It has unleashed a population explosion of magpies which, I fear, have almost cleaned out many migrant songbirds that were once much more widespread than they are today.
As a minister, Lord Heseltine always sought to squeeze in a spot of birding during his overseas travels.
He says one of his most unforgettable memories is of a visit to one of the Falklands Islands.
"It was carpeted with rockhopper penguins and black-browed albatross.
"One of the joys of birdwatching is that it is a hobby than can be enjoyed anywhere in the world.
"I have met many like-minded bird enthusiasts at foreign embassies and the foreign commands of our armed services."
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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