I am sure that many of you will have heard the very sad news that Cheshire birder Pete 'Pod' Antrobus died in his sleep overnight on Tuesday/Wednesday this week. I received a phone call with the awful news yesterday morning, but out of respect to Pod and thinking of his partner, Debs, I refrained from posting anywhere until today. Others have now put the news on Facebook so I feel Ok to post here, where lots of friends and colleagues will see the sad news.

Pod was a Marbury stalwart, living close to patch and spending much time on it, but he wasn't averse  to the odd twitch and loved his camping holidays in Norfolk too. The last time we spoke was at the Siberian Accentor in Easington where he was his usual ebullient self, bouncing up to me after having seen the bird and telling me exactly where to go to get to the site for it. Anyone who ever met Pod will remember him as a bouncy, larger than life, friendly guy, never too busy to help and a fabulous birder too. He was the finder of the Little Whimbrel in Norfolk, putting the news out from Nancy's Cafe as they did in those days! He also found the Black-winged Stilts that bred on Neumann's Flash and I bet lots of folk on here enjoyed those. I joined him for one of his 'Big Years' in 2005, when he, Malc Curtin & I all passed 350 for the year in Britain, what an experience, and probably not possible without Pod that year, his experience was invaluable and he didn't quite keep us all sane, just the opposite in fact - he was a bit mad.... in the nicest way!

Sorry, this was not meant to be an essay, I have just written from the heart as I sit here, I will miss Pod, as will we all, the Marbury Patch will be a sadder, and definitely quieter, place without him, Rest in Peace mate.