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The following is from the UK400 Website:

My uncle Tony lent me his pair of old binoculars in 1968 and took me with him on his visits to John O’Gaunt’s Golf Club at Sandy, Bedfordshire. It was on the golf course that I saw my first Green Woodpecker and I was so amazed at its bright colours and fascinated by its feeding actions, that I spent a whole afternoon watching it.

I used to spend hours at the RSPB’s headquarters at The Lodge, watching the nesting Sand Martins by the car park and the many woodland species that would visit the pond to drink and feed. Bonus birds came in the form of Great Grey Shrike, Stonechat and an unprecedented flock of Twite.

My obsession with dead birds culminated in an interest in taxidermy and in those early years, I soon amassed a large collection of specimens, ranging from Canada Goose, Common Sandpiper and Wigeon to Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch and Common Redstart.

My senior school education was at Denbigh High in Luton and from the age of 12 I soon converted a group of my friends in to keen birdwatchers and we would spend the lunch hour visiting Wardown Park or checking the grounds of the school. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was high on the menu then.

Tring Reservoirs became my special place, and provided me with my first taste of rarities, with a Pectoral Sandpiper in September 1969. My uncle Tony, who had a passing interest in birds, also took me to see the Black-crowned Night Heron at Lemsford Springs in 1970. The highlight of each week soon became the Saturday outing to Tring, and myself and 6 other keen youngsters would eagerly await the No.61 bus outside the Co-op in George Street. For just 54p return, we would be taken 42 miles, and would have nearly 7 hours at the reservoirs.

It was those early visits to Tring that provided me with my first keen car-load – Matt Andrews, Phil Rhodes, Paul Fuller and Dirk Nelson. It was also where I met Derek & Jan Toomer and from where the spark to form the South Beds RSPB Group was lit. Between 1973 and 1978, the Group was my life, and us five lads found friendship in John White. In his 30’s at the time, he was dead keen, and I managed to cajole him into travelling to the coast 3 out of every 4 weekends (the other weekend being utilised by the monthly field trip of the group of which I was in charge).

My first real interest in rarities started in 1974, when several of us would cycle to Norfolk and Suffolk for species such as Tawny Pipit, Black-eared Wheatear and Lesser Grey Shrike, and by 1976, the highlight of my year would be staying with Brian Mellow and Pete Maker in West Cornwall.

I left school in July 1976 with 7 O’Levels, and went on to 6th Form College where I took 5 further O’Levels and 4 A’Levels. Technical Drawing, Art & Biology were my forte, and with my qualifications was accepted for an apprenticeship with Vauxhall Motors in August 1978. I then took a diploma in Mechanical Engineering and later graduated at Hatfield Polytechnic with a degree. My initial career at GM was enjoyable and I joined the design team in AJ Block as a design stylist. The work was great and much of my time would be spent at the Millbrook test track where I was able to spend hours studying the likes of Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Turtle Dove and Long & Short-eared Owls. I was known affectionately as ‘the Bird Man’

My twitching career began with a vengeance in 1977, following two enjoyable holidays on the Scillies in late October 1975 and 1976. By 1978 I was totally hooked, and chasing every rarity that I could. Unfortunately that year, I had a very serious road accident, and lost my eye and spent many months in hospital including Christmas 1978, when most birders were busy enjoying the first Greater Sandplover at Pagham Harbour. My best birding pals at that time were Dave Holman, Graham Ekins, Dave Rosair, Arthur Livett, Barry Nightingale, Steve Williams, Stuart Warren, Paul Oldfield, Pete Smith and Martin Palmer and I was very grateful for their support through that difficult time.

Following recovery from my accident, I then became obsessed with listing and from 1979 onwards, I concentrated on year-listing and building up my British Life List. It was also the year that Matt Andrew and I spent all summer in Europe, traversing Austria, Germany, Greece and Turkey in our quest for European species. We arrived home in late August with over 320 species.

Through the 80’s and 90’s my life was non-stop birding, such that from 1987 I decided to take it up professionally. I left my job at Vauxhall Motors and started up the Bird Information Service with Richard Millington, Steve Gantlett and Roy Robinson. In the first five years, the business went from strength to strength, and I was generally acknowledged as the field member of the team. Although my horizons were focused on the publishing side, SJMG was keen on this and gradually nurtured Birding World into his own creation. I soon found myself isolated and parted from the organisation in 1994. I then concentrated on my own publications and my UK400 Club, and for many years successfully produced a catalogue of rarity-orientated books and a bi-monthly magazine.

From humble beginnings, I established myself as a successful author and guide, initially in the UK and then eventually throughout Europe and further afield. Israel was my biggest love, with no less than 23 visits between 1982 and 2000. My ‘Ultimate Site Guide to Scarcer British Birds’ and ‘Rare Birds in Britain 1800-1990’ quickly became best-sellers and completely sold out within 12 months.

As a guide, the most important skills that I can bring to a party is my deep-seated knowledge of birdfinding, knowing exactly where each species can be found at various times of the year. My 24 years of year-listing has given me that asset. I like to be in the field every day and you can read about my birding exploits in my Diary Notes section of the website that I try and keep updated as much as I can.

The services that I offer include all year-round personal guiding for individuals and small groups, and custom tours for small groups arranged at anytime to suit your schedule and objectives. I have worked with all types of clients from absolute beginners to hard-core twitchers and can help out with target birding or simply enjoying birds at a leisurely pace. I have an itinerary of annual trips, varying from specialised Lady Amherst’s Pheasant trips and comprehensive tours of Turkey, Spain and Israel to long-haul exhaustive trips to Goa, California, Arizona, Texas, Costa Rica and Gambia. All are designed for the keen and active birder who wants to get the ultimate out of their birding.

Whether you are just getting started or a seasoned birder just filling in those gaps, my goal is to help you find, learn about and enjoy the wonderful and varied birdlife that surrounds us.

Lee G R Evans