Haith’s remembers our friend Bill Oddie

Everyone astatine Haith’s is profoundly saddened by the passing of our person Bill Oddie.

Bill worked alongside Haith’s for much than 2 decades, initially arsenic our nonmigratory vertebrate adept and done the instauration of Bill Oddie’s Bird Food Recipes. What began arsenic a nonrecreational narration grew into thing overmuch much personal. Bill became a existent person of Haith’s, its directors, their families and the wider team.

He brought an bonzer substance of knowledge, curiosity, humour and mischief to everything helium did. Bill ne'er simply told radical the sanction of a bird. He helped them announcement its character, recognize its behaviour and consciousness that the earthy satellite was determination they belonged.

Through his enactment with Haith’s, Bill shared bird-feeding advice, wrote astir the wildlife successful his ain garden, answered questions from vertebrate lovers and helped america promote much radical to look aft the birds astir their homes, each twelvemonth round. His sanction appeared connected Haith’s vertebrate food, but his publication went acold beyond the packaging. He brought the food, the birds and the reasons for caring astir them to life.

Bill could surely support america connected our toes. His wit was arsenic speedy arsenic his birding cognition was deep, and fewer radical could marque quality consciousness truthful accessible, entertaining and important astatine the aforesaid time.

Although Bill had taken a little progressive nationalist relation with Haith’s during the past 10 years, our relationship ne'er ended. We remained successful interaction and continued to nonstop his regular bird-food order. It meant a large woody to america that the narration endured agelong aft the cameras, events and campaigns became little frequent.

Bill helped generations of radical stop, look and listen. He showed that birds were not simply taxon connected a list, but individuals with habits, personalities, dramas and stories unfolding each astir us.

He erstwhile told america that helium thought immoderate birdwatchers considered feeding birds beneath them. Bill ne'er did. He understood that feeding birds could bring radical person to nature, deepen their curiosity and assistance them attraction much astir the wildlife astir them. Whether helium was speaking oregon writing, helium had a mode with words, and his humour made birds and their behaviour travel vividly to life.

We volition retrieve him with tremendous affection and gratitude.

Everyone astatine Haith’s sends their emotion and deepest condolences to Bill’s wife, Laura, his daughters and each his household and friends. Our thoughts are besides with David Foster, Bill’s cause and friend, and everyone who worked intimately with him implicit the years. We volition respect the family’s petition for privateness astatine this precise bittersweet time.

Thank you, Bill, for your friendship, your humour and everything you did for birds and the earthy world.

You volition beryllium greatly missed. In the weeks and months ahead, we volition stock immoderate of our fantastic memories of the clip we spent with Bill. Today, though, we simply privation to say: we’ll miss you, Bill.