Memories of Jimmy

It was with great sadness that I learnt that Jimmy R had passed away this week. A great loss to all who knew him and the elder statesman of Lowestoft and Suffolk birding. 

It was always a delight to bump into Jimmy and his wife whilst out birding. I was pleased to get him onto 2 Savi's warblers I had found once. 

I remember a time in the early 1980's/1990's when I'd often bump into Jimmy whilst out birding the local patches. Jimmy would always let you know what he'd seen and give 

One of my fondest recollections of Jimmy was him recounting his witnessing the "Great Fall of 1965" when on the 2nd September a great fall of migrants had been seen on the North Suffolk and East Norfolk coast. I remember Jimmy telling me about seeing scores of Wheatear dropping onto the roads and pavements in Lowestoft and in particular many Redstarts dropping into Sparrows Nest park and even several alighting onto his arms and shoulders while he was out birding there.

Jimmy was an excellent field birder who found many rarities and the initials JRR were always in the Suffolk Bird report against many rarities in the Lowestoft and North Suffolk area in the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and 1990's reporting the many rarities ie: Honey Buzzard over the the Oval at Lowestoft  that he had found. 

However his one source of regret in birding was that his best find a Blue cheeked Bee-eater at Covehithe (it definitely was one, his description was spot on) which inexplicably the BBRC rejected as a single observer record for such a great rarity.