Reports/Case studies

 

"What on earth could be so interesting?", I wondered. There had been no mention of anything on the TV or radio news, and one wouldn't want to embarrass oneself by joining the crowd in case it was a private gathering (I suffer from that well-known British reserve!).

 

However, it seemed to me that they were displaying obvious characteristics of "twitchers", otherwise known as very keen ornithologists.

 

Once a rare bird is sighted by someone, the twitchers' network spreads the word like wildfire and the whole twitching community descends on an area to catch sight of the elusive bird.

 

Not being a twitcher myself, but simply interested in discovering what they were looking at, I performed a search in Google, using "twitchers Hedge End".

 

Broadband is so fast! The results came back within seconds, and I found Ralph Hollins' RSPB local website which gave details of the 15 Waxwings from Scandinavia which had alighted in the trees and that they are not normally found as far West.

 

I then did a further search to find some excellent pictures of Waxwings, along with more general information about the birds, and e-mailed my father, who has a mild ornithological interest. Incidentally, I popped down to the car park in Hedge End and experienced the pleasure of observing the Waxwings in real life, knowing so much more about them thanks to my broadband.

 

Before broadband, I would not have wanted to spend the money on the phone call to find all this out.

 

Now the information is there for no extra cost other than my monthly subscription.

 

I have a new catchphrase whenever I have a successful internet search: "It's amazing what you can find on the internet!"