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Michael Holdsworth

February 20, 1949 - September 9, 2021

It is with much sadness that we mark here the passing of Michael Holdsworth. He died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack while on holiday in France on September 8th. Our deepest sympathies are with his wife Sue and the rest of the family. His loss will leave a huge hole in the Cambridgeshire Bird Ringing scene and the Bird Club, Wicken Fen and the Spotted Flycatcher community he built up, to mention just a few of his achievements. He inspired and helped so many people advancing their skills in ringing and ornithology. Please use this space to share your memories of Michael.

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2021-09-23 15:39:22 wrote:

I didn’t know Michael for very long, meeting him for the first time after submitting records of spotted flycatchers for the geolocator project. From that beginning I was ‘recruited’ into the team helping to locate returning birds, and was later invited to join Michael and Lee (Barber) on trapping and ringing excursions at local sites. Michael’s enthusiasm was infectious (‘bish-bash-bosh!’ was the standard greeting for the successful ringing of a bird) and he was extremely generous in sharing his knowledge. He taught me a huge amount about fieldwork, ringing and migration in general – and of course about spotted flycatchers in particular. I doubt I shall watch another ‘spot fly’ without subconsciously checking for one of Michael’s red or blue rings….

2021-09-23 15:39:22 wrote: I didn’t know Michael for very long, meeting him for the first time after submitting records of spotted flycatchers for the geolocator project. From that beginning I was ‘recruited’ into the team helping to locate returning birds, and was later invited to join Michael and Lee (Barber) on trapping and ringing excursions at local sites. Michael’s enthusiasm was infectious (‘bish-bash-bosh!’ was the standard greeting for the successful ringing of a bird) and he was extremely generous in sharing his knowledge. He taught me a huge amount about fieldwork, ringing and migration in general – and of course about spotted flycatchers in particular. I doubt I shall watch another ‘spot fly’ without subconsciously checking for one of Michael’s red or blue rings….

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