The British Birdwatching Fair has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1989. The idea evolved from a local event held in 1987 at Rutland Water Nature Reserve called “The Wildfowl Bonanza”. The event was a great success and after much deliberation, in the local pub appropriately named The Finch’s Arms, the idea of a birdwatchers’ fair was hatched by the organisers Tim Appleton and Martin Davies. The Fair takes place on the nature reserve at Rutland Water which itself is a huge water storage reservoir owned by Anglian Water. The nature reserve is a RAMSAR and Special Protection Area and is managed by The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.