Roger Norman

 I spoke to his non-birder son, Frank, on the phone on Friday. He is poised to ‘dump’ all his dad’s Lincs-related records, correspondence, records  reports etc which are contained in a couple of boxes. However, he is more than happy to donate them to any  LBC member  willing to collect them. However, they are all at Roger’s house in Hythe, Kent, so it would be a bit of a trek.  That or a courier. His Kent records are going to Dungeness bird observatory. If anyone is interested, shout out asap and I’ll let Frank know.

I was saddened to read of the death of Roger Norman in the newsletter. I was a member of CLAN (Cleethorpes area naturalists) which he ran during his time in Cleethorpes. There were 6 to 8 of us lads that he mentored and we met once a week at his house to discuss our sightings and learn bird identification. Also there would be annual minibus trips to places like Peakirk and Snetisham that he would take us on. 

My first rarity, although only a subspecies, was the Black-Bellied Dipper that he caught and ringed in 1967, mentioned in Lorand and Atkins, at Buck Beck, Humberston. To this day that is my only Lincolnshire Dipper.

The LBC did print a report on all the birds that he'd netted and ringed in his garden in Mill Road in the centre of Cleethorpes in one of its publications, and I was amazed at the number of species that he'd caught. 

The last time I saw him would be around 1975 when he and his wife Judy invited the just married Jackie and I round for tea. that all seems a long time ago!

Regards Pete