BACKGROUND
The series is called 'Watch the Birdie' for two reasons...
- The caches are placed within RSPB woodland - so plenty of birds to see and hear.
- In the early days of photography (around the 1870s), some records show that photographers used a small mechanical bird that would chirp to attract a person's attention and hopefully get them to look at the camera for the picture. These little devices were sometimes called 'birdies' leading to the phrase 'Watch the Birdie'.
The bonus cache used to contain a disposable camera, with which non-shy cachers snapped themselves.
Sadly the disposable camera idea has run its course, but the original disposable camera photos are still available on in the gallery on this page. May we please encourage you to add to the gallery by taking a picture near the nest as this is a photo-related cache :)
You will need to visit Watch the Birdie (1) and Watch the Birdie (2) to get the co-ordinates.
The (1) and (2) caches may be challenging to sign, HOWEVER the info required to find Nest is very easy to retrieve!
CACHE SPECIFIC INFORMATION
location: N 50 53.x E 0 29.y
where x and y are 3 digit numbers, and where
x = (51 x a x c) + 3
y = (26 x b x d) - 1
PAY ATTENTION TO THE ORDER OF THE LETTERS :)
The values of a, b, c, d can be easily found from Watch the Birdie (1) and Watch the Birdie (2).
WARNING
If you found these caches in order, and are now at Watch the Birdie (2), you may not want to 'follow the arrow' to the coords just yet. Doing so will take you along some fun (challenging, especially when wet) terrain! It is quite doable, but as many have found, far from ideal.
You will reach the Nest quicker by staying on the path and carry on heading north-east-ish (toward the railway track). Then join and follow a path that runs a touch north of west until your arrow starts showing just west of south-ish. By doing this you'll enjoy established paths and avoid neeeding climbing gear and a machette :)
LOCAL HISTORY SNIPPET
This cache is sited near an ancient bloomery where Romans smelted locally 'mined' iron ore dug from the side of the steep 'valley'. They used locally produced charcoal (from chestnut coppices) to produce wrought iron. Pieces of slag (waste material from the smelting process) are still visible in vicinity.
Please make sure cache is wrapped carefully, with 'belt' fastened
to provide maximum protection from the elements.
Sorry to all those who do this already...
but please make sure cache is suitably covered and hidden away in it's hidey-hole.
Thanks!
Have fun, and remember - Watch the Birdie!