DONATE to The RSPB and Give a Pin Badge to a Rwandan Child

RSPB Pin Badge JustGiving Donation Page 

As part of my tenth Biking Birder adventure, BBX Rwanda 2026, I am trying to fundraise for the RSPB and I have arranged that for every £2 of each donation I will take a beautiful RSPB pin badge to Rwanda to give to a child.

Last year in Rwanda I met so many children who had never had a toy; who didn't know what simple bird stickers were.

Taking these children a RSPB pin badge would be wonderful.

To give each child a small gift, a RSPB pin badge, at the same time as helping a favourite and vital charity, well this is perfect and I do so hope that you will be kind enough to share my JustGiving page. Thanks.

The following video on YouTube gives some details of my long ago first ever Biking Birder adventure.

Back in 2010, I cycled from January the first to December 31st, visiting every RSPB nature reserve and every W&WT visitor's centre.

So thank you to you all for following my adventures and supporting the charities I support.

Please donate to the RSPB and fill my suitcases with RSPB pin badges.

For other charities and things that interest me scroll down the right hand side for a plethora of links.

Maybe hear the real Patch Adams talk about his favourite letter but be warned, tears will flow.

LOVE not hate 

BCNU and make your life SPECTACULAR.

 One month from today I will be sleeping in Kigali, Rwanda.

Before I get there I have so much to do, including posting 15 videos detailing so much about my adventure.

Here are the first two . . . 

Wonderful to think I will soon be with the fantastic bird recorder and inspiration Rwandan birder, Mgonibanga (Remy) and his secondary student birding group; The Kivu Hills Birders.

An emotional video, BBX No. 1, concept of the video . . . 

Family.

"Derby!"

My sadly long gone, little brother, Chris.

Second video . . . BBX No. 2 concept, well too many themes discussed so just watch it!

BBX No. 3 will be about Aston Villa and its links with Rwanda.

Have a spectacular life, everyone.

Love to you all and remember . . . 

Tickle My Feathers.

Gary aka THE Biking Birder

Long time no . . . post. SO . . . ANNOUNCING BIking Birder X, Rwanda 2026 - my tenth Biking Birder adventure

 

If you know, you know!

I adore the film Up and maybe because my own wife, Karen died and I miss her still, I have changed what happened to Ellie in the film to this . . .

Ellie did NOT die. Ellie divorced Carl because he didn't take her to Paradise (Angel) Falls, despite his promise.

Ellie is alive and well and living in the Amazonian areas I love so much, Manu and Tambopata, in my beloved Peru! The clue as to her whereabouts is the Blue-headed Parrot on her shoulders when she is working in a zoo.

Blue-headed Parrots are one of the commonest Parrot species in the Manu and Tambopata, two amazing National Parks in Amazonian Peru.

I want to go and search both areas again (and again) and find Ellie. What am I saying? I have been a number of times to both wonderful places, spending months at a time searching but not finding the elusive Ellie.

Ellie, like Olaf, is a pure soul. She is an incredible nature-loving, adventure-loving individual, who faced sadness, after making nursery preparations, had a miscarriage and both were told Ellie would never be able to have children, with fortitude, dignity and love for Carl.

Their adventure was in being with each other.

I want to bring her from the jungle, bring her back to Carl and show her how their love other, after her disappearance, changed a cantankerous, old man and seemingly Ellie-obsessed man, into a man capable of giving love to a child, and a dog!

                             

Love conquers all, especially evil.

😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰

Of course mine is a silly scenario.

Ellie sadly and oh so poignantly died, as did Karen, my Spanish, Irish Gypsy from Bolton and so incredibly beautiful wife. As did my little brother Christopher (Derby!) and two of the BEST friends one could ever wish for in life; Gordon Barnes and Alex Barter!

So at this ridiculously early morning hour of 1:45am, (1:45am! I should be sleeping!!!) I am awake, writing this and writing notes about my next Biking Birder adventure to Rwanda, my TENTH Biking Birder adventure.

BBX

I like that.

BBX

The adventure will feature a most beautiful real life Ellie, another pure soul. It will be a privilege so precious to talk about a real life Ellie, who, as with Ellie in the most beautiful of Pixar films, Up, is sadly no longer with us.

Adventure is Out There!

Get ready for your Ellie badge.

Love to you all and please be prepared to follow maybe the most important Biking Birder adventure ever!

Give Love Each Day by Yes

😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰

One last comment. For those who know me and say that I was punching about my weight with having such a beautiful, stunning looking wife, well I may have changed over the years, I was 37 when I met Karen and this June I was 70.

Seventy!

This is a photo of both of us, very much in love, on the occasion of our marriage, July 26th, 1997.

I wasn't a Brad Pitt but I wasn't too Quasimodo.

Karen saw Quasimodo's heart, the man, in me. I married my Esmeralda.

Ooooh sweet love of mine!

Biking Birder in Rwanda 2025, Rugezi Ornithology Center Interview No. 2 Irakoze Roger

 Another interview video from my Biking Birder adventure from 2025, this one features Irakoze Roger.

The Rugezi Ornithology Center is based in Musanze, North Rwanda and is adjacent to the Gorilla National Park.

https://www.rugeziornithology.org/

Please click on their website link and see the vital work they do and please give a donation so they can do more.

https://www.rugeziornithology.org/

Next video in the series will be with the effervescent Ian! 

Be aware that Ian's name means  . . . The Chosen one!

Biking Birder in Rwanda 2025, Rugezi Ornithology Center Interview No. 1 Niyonkuru Josiane

 

In November last year, 2025, I went to Rwanda in order to cycle and bird and meet amazing people, who are involved in Nature and Bird Conservation.

In the north of Rwanda, near the Gorilla National Park, is the city of Musanze and there I met with three wonderful young birders who work for an organisation called the Rugezi Ornithology Center.

Three incredible young people whose love for birds and with a passion for involving young people in birding and habitat restoration projects, it was a privilege to not only to meet these intrepid, wonderful three but also interview them.

The first person interviewed was Niyonkuru Josiane, pictured above; a fabulous sunshine woman who tells her story, tells of the work carried out by the Rugezi ornithology Centre and of birding in Rwanda.

I hope you enjoy the video.

Please like, comment and subscribe.

More interview videos will follow so please watch out for those.

Charities mentioned include :-

Rugezi Ornithology Center -

https://www.rugeziornithology.org/

and 

Planet Birdsong

https://www.planetbirdsong.org/

LOVE not hate

Tickle my Feathers and BCNU,

Gary xx

On the right is Joseph Lionceau, a Rwandan Green Birding Megastar and in the middle can be seen Ian Gad Philipe Fidel. Their interviews will be posted asap.

Almost May - The Urban Birder, Ponc Feliu Latorre and I interview

 

Belfast Lough RSPB Reserve, Biking Birder 2010

                          Hello everyone!

                        Long time no type.

https://www.facebook.com/david.lindo.946/videos/917572851259558?locale=en_GB 

Last Thursday I had the privilege and immense pleasure of being interviewed by the wonderful Urban Birder, David Lindo.

It will be available on YouTube soon but until then please take enjoy the interview by watching on Facebook . . . 

https://www.facebook.com/david.lindo.946/videos/917572851259558?locale=en_GB

Of course the over an hour long video of the interview was about Ponc & I's long rivalry over the European Big Green Big Year (BIGBY) competition, which has been so much fun, providing inspiration behind many of my Green Birding - Biking Birder adventures.

A full year BIGBY is a year when a birder tries to see as many bird species as possible without using any fossil fuel transport.

In the world maybe the best example of this was in 2014 when Dorian Anderson cycled around the USA, seeing 618 bird species.

                Dorian's book is a truly inspirational read!

Ponc Feliu Latorre did a European BIGBY in 2024, an immense BIGBY; he saw 457 birds that year!

Take a look at Ponc's blog from that year, so phenomenally inspiration stuff.

https://www.greenbigyear.com/en/blog/

My own Biking Birder adventures which have involved The European BIGBY record are . . . 

2010 - a whole year cycling tour of all the RSPB and W&WT nature reserves and centres.

https://www.ecosia.org/images?q=biking%20birder%202010%20blog&sr=1 

Biking Birder 2010 Scarfell Pyke, Lake District

Biking Birder blog 2010

2015 - a repeat of the 2010 whole year cycling tour of all the RSPB and W&WT nature reserves and centres.

2016 - an attempt at beating Ponc Feliu Latorre's European BIGBY record of 304 bird species seen.

2022 - another attempt at beating Ponc with, this time, a whole year of cycling and NO FERRIES! In fact not one bit of fossil fuel transport did I use that year. So becoming, to my knowledge only the second person in the world to do a PURE GREEN, no fossil fuel transport BIGBY; the other person being of course, Dorian Anderson.

Maybe you know of other Biking Birders. If you do, or if you do your birding by bike, then please comment below or message me on Facebook.

It would be fabulous to hear from you and to hear of your own biking birding adventures.

So Tickle My Feathers or, if you prefer David Lindo's motto . . .

Keep Looking Up!

Love to you all . . . LOVE not hate.

Gary

https://www.facebook.com/david.lindo.946/videos/917572851259558?locale=en_GB