Incredulous devastating news - ALAN AMERY has died

It is with great sadness that I have to report the really devastating news that ALAN AMERY of Derbyshire (and more latterly of East Yorkshire) died suddenly on Sunday afternoon, after being very recently diagnosed of suffering from liver cancer.

Alan was truly one of birding's gentlemen, with not a bad word to say about anyone and was one of my association's greatest supporters. I had known him and his wife Christine and their two sons (Lee of course being also a very keen birder) for a very long time and I considered Alan one of my closest and most cherished birding pals. Carmel and I had spent some fantastic foreign holidays with Christine and Alan and I was always very impressed with Alan's enthusiasm and keenness to learn. He was just so friendly, kind, placid and gentle, and was always incredibly jovial and cheerful

Since his retirement only relatively recently, he had increasingly spent time (virtually every weekend) at Spurn Point, where Christine and he had invested in a caravan adjacent to Beacon Lane, and I remember receiving a particularly excited (and rather anxious) phone call from him just last autumn, after he had watched a Black-browed Albatross fly north past the hide there

I find it hard to believe that I am never going to see his cheery face again. I will miss him so much

My thoughts are with Christine, Lee and Andrew at this unbearable time. I know many hundreds of you knew Alan and if you would like to send your condolences, the address is 63 Ashfield Drive, Moira, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 6HG. I will email details of the funeral arrangements as and when I hear of them

Lee Evans