About me

My name is Gary Vause, I am 33 years old, married to Helen with a two year old little girl called Megan. I have always had an interest in birds and wildlife for as long as I can remember. My birding has taken me to the USA, France, Greece, Cyprus and The Gambia but I always find myself coming back to the place I love more than anywhere else in the world, Yorkshire. I was born here and it is here where my roots lie. Where I was raised, where I went to school and where I got married. I do not have a favourite place for watching birds, all the named sites are special to me and have all given me some very special memories and will hopefully do so for you.

Some of my more notable birding finds include Barred, Icterine, Subalpine and Pallas's Warblers, Rough legged Buzzard, Ring Necked Duck, Firecrest, Bluethroat and Red Breasted Flycatcher to name but a few. Why would I encourage anyone to come to Yorkshire? It has some wonderful scenery, from rolling hills and countryside to wonderful upland moors, sheer cliffs, estuaries and picturesque towns and villages, steeped in history. There is the historic city of York and some great shopping malls for those wanting souvenirs. Then of course, there are the birds.

I live in a town called Pontefract. We have a castle where Richard the II once stayed and the outlaw Dick Turpin passed through on his exploits of robbing the rich. What Pontefract also has to offer is that it is central to some of the best bird watching in Yorkshire and arguably in England. I have a good knowledge of the birds that reside here that are both common and locally scarce. Rarities may also be found with some good fortune, especially while searching in the spring and autumn.