He was a friend and a birding colleague. He was very family orientated and had a great sense of humour, generally a nice bloke who got on with most people.
Together we covered Cholsey and were always in contact whenever out birding, which was frequent. He would often say to his wife, “just popping out for an hour” and get back 3 hours later. I’m sure most of you have been there.
Our paths would cross frequently when we discussed what we hoped would turn up and also solving the world’s problems. Whilst his family dog Bella, would sit patiently waiting for one of us to throw her the ball she always carried around with her.
Alan found 2 firsts for Cholsey recently, a Rock Pipit and a Sanderling, as well as other scarce species. Also, a 1st class Dragonfly finder with a good knowledge of Butterflies.
Alan took some great photos which he would always send to me along with his records.
A prolific contributor to the Cholsey Wildlife blog, Cholsey Wildlife Facebook page, and appreciated by many.
He will be missed greatly by his family, friends and Oxon birders… and I’ll miss you mate. Cheers!
Paul Chandler.
Alan's last image. A Grasshopper Warbler.
A lovely and fitting tribute Paul. Condolences to his family and to all his close friends. From my occasional meetings with Alan, he seemed a gentle soul who carried his considerable knowledge of the natural world lightly and shared it widely. May he rest in peace
ReplyDeletePaul, so sorry for your loss. I don't believe that I ever met Alan but he has become very familiar to us readers of your blog with his often excellent photos. He'll be missed by many I am sure.
ReplyDeleteOh no!!!! I didn't know Alan other than knowing his name, but I'm so sorry to hear this - many condolences to all his family & friends.
ReplyDeleteI only knew him through his and your birding reports around Cholsey, but I feel the loss. Fellow birder of Benson.
ReplyDeleteReally shocked and saddened to hear this news Paul. Condolences to you and Alan’s family and close friends. We were in touch a bit over the years about various bits of patch birding news and he was always happy to share info and help where he could. I’ll miss his monthly patch updates.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Aly really well but, whenever we met on a walk, it'd seem like we'd known each other for years, because he was extremely affable. Aly was knowledgeable about the local avifauna and much more. Sincere commiserations to his family and, of course to Bella. 🐕 He'd will be badly missed. No doubt he'll find a rarity perched on the pearly gates!
ReplyDeleteShocked to hear this, what a loss
ReplyDeleteStill finding to come to terms with Alan’s loss missing his regular phone calls to chat about local Birds , Dragonflies, and Butterflies and occasional trips to the coast
ReplyDeleteBrian
Thanks for the tribute Paul.
ReplyDeleteAlan was such a wonderful person and a super naturalist. Always ready to stop and chat, and so supportive of all the conservation efforts in Cholsey - keeping an eye on summering waders in some of the wetter places nearby.
And he joked that he'd blame me about being "an hour late home" after he'd walked a couple of miles to photograph the recent grasshopper warbler! But, then when I bumped into him, I so much enjoyed the chat that I was often late home too!
Lately, he spent most of his birding time around Cholsey, and he made some cracking finds from his hours upon hours in the fields around here (some of which I managed to see!). And he loved this time of year because he had such passion for dragonflies. I think he saw more Clubtails in Cholsey in recent years than anyone else did in the whole of Oxfordshire, and made some other great finds.
I'll miss him a lot.