Peregrines nesting in Bury...............................................Chris Gregory

Thatcher ’ s Government duly passed the Bill. As compensation conservationists were to receive Trimley Marshes Nature Reserve.

BTO Rep for over 20years During the mid-1980s, we decided that SOG should focus our own projects on those chosen by the BTO. To help with this aim, Mick was asked if he would take on the role of Projects Officer for SOG and BTO Rep for Suffolk. Mick agreed and initially managed the BTO Rep role in partnership with his close friend Ray Waters. Sadly, Ray passed away at a relatively young age in the early 1990s and Mick has carried on as the sole BTO Rep for Suffolk ever since.

On the Orwell

Also in the 1980s, an opportunity arose for Mick to leave his engineering job at Ransomes (which incidentally he hated) and to take up a new career in conservation, working for SWT as the Site Manager for the new nature reserve at Trimley Marshes. There couldn ’t have been a more fitting appointment than Mick for this job, but he was forced to make some tremendous sacrifices. The salary being offered was pitiful and I remember discussing this with him. However, Mick had just paid up his mortgage on his home and he was determined to make the sacrifices that would enable him to do the job, but still provide for his family. I can only admire such dedication.

Mick is a quiet man and very humble, often not wishing to be in the limelight. He has lived in Ipswich all his life and married his school sweetheart Lynn when they were both teenagers. They have shared a home together ever since and Lynn has provided Mick with tremendous support throughout over 40 years of married life.

Mick and I together have been involved with many campaigns in the interest of preservation of wildlife on the Orwell Estuary. SWT’ s reserve at Levington Lagoon was once a rubbish tip and there are a number of developers that have been taken to task for carrying out operations illegally on Mick’ s beloved Estuary. Opposition to the proposed link road through Pipers Vale is one of Mick’ s recent victories. Mick spends countless hours ringing waders on the Orwell, he has for many years organised WeBS counts, low-tide counts, monitoring of bait-digging, litter picks –you name it, Mick has done it.

Worthy winner To my mind, the biggest coordinated conservation survey ever taken place in the world has been the BTO Atlas Project and Mick has managed this for the BTO and for all Suffolk ornithologists. I dread to think of the number of letters, emails, meetings and telephone calls that Mick has had to make to ensure this project was a success – and what a success it has been.

It is for all of these reasons that I am proud to hand over the Denis Ockelton Trophy to Mick Wright. ”

News

Peregrines confirmed (?) breeding in West Suffolk

Chris Gregory writes: I now feel this is an appropriate moment for this information to be made available to the wider birding fraternity. A small team were involved in this project, all SOG members – namely myself, Simon Evans and Steve Piotrowski. Simon, being an exemployee of ‘the major company ’ concerned, led the negotiations