RETURN TO . . . Emsworth Wildlife - Homepage. . Havant Wildlife Group -main page RALPH HOLLINS 1931-2021 The news that Ralph had died aged 90 was very sad, but not totally unexpected. He had been poorly and had moved away from our local area in 2019 to live near his son in Castle Douglas, Scotland. Since then he had been largely out of touch apart from an occasional e-mail in which he told me about the birds, plants and various other wildlife he had discovered around his new home.   My last communication from Ralph was on 1st August 2020 in which he said he had started to build a record of the wildlife of the Carlingwark Loch area - sadly never completed.  Ralph, A remembrance service for Ralph Hollins took place at St Faith's Church Havant at 11am on Friday 20th August 2021. His ashes were interred at Warblington Cemetery (extension) in his wife's grave. I have set up a tributes page on the Brook Meadow Conservation Group web site. This page also has Ralph's comprehensive daily nature notes from 1997 to 2018 when he closed his blog and web site. Go to . . . https://www.brookmeadow.org.uk/tributes/ralph-hollins-1931-2021/   RALPH HOLLINS CLOSES HIS BLOG - 2018 Tribute from Brian Fellows Wednesday July 18th was the 87th birthday of Ralph Hollins and as he says, . . . "as a present to myself, I am ceasing to update this blog". His final blog entry is as follows . . . Wed 18th July 2018. Today is my 87th Birthday And as a present to myself I am ceasing to update this Blog Although I am still in reasonably good health both my mental and physical abilities are dwindling with the result that I cannot cover as much ground as I would like and cannot remember the names of common species without searching through reference books and the internet. So, to quote the Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe, all the remains for me to do now is to say "Goodbye and thanks for all the fish" ... I will not, however be heading into outer space, but will be staying in touch with the internet and will continue to enjoy all your observations and photos for which I must express my sincerest thanks for the reminders they bring of the pleasure I used to get at first hand from the natural world and which I will continue to enjoy at second hand for a few more years. Ralph has been writing his daily wildlife diary (or 'blog') for at least 20 years and I have been an avid follower all that time. In fact, I have copies of all Ralph's diary notes since 1997 stored on my computer and have frequently made good use of them for local sightings. Ralph's meticulous recording of all aspects of wildlife, not only his own observations, but those from other sources too, has meant his web site has become a first port of call for local naturalists. On a personal note Ralph has been a major inspiration in my own more modest excursions into the field of wildlife recording with this Emsworth wildlife blog of mine. Our relationship has been very much teacher and pupil and Ralph regularly checks my blog, offering comments, criticisms and corrections, which I have always valued and learned from. I hope these will continue even though his own blog is ceasing. I first met Ralph through the Havant Wildlife Group which he set up in 1995 with meetings on Monday evenings and nature walks on Saturday mornings, both run by him. In 1997 Ralph retired from the group, but the group carried on under their own steam and it is a testament to Ralph's vision that the Saturday walks are still carrying on 20 years later. We all owe Ralph a deep debt of gratitude for opening our eyes to this wonderful world all around us. I have deliberately kept up a special page on my web site for the Havant Wildlife Group (renamed Friends of Wildlife) and on it there is a brief history of the group along with reports of walks and lots of photos. Go to . . . Havant Wildlife Group There are not many photos of Ralph but here is one I particularly like of him explaining some tricky plant identification to Ros and Caroline during a Saturday morning walk in 2007. Ralph has always been keen to share his knowledge with others, to inspire them to look and learn for themselves. I am unashamedly a big Ralph Hollins fan and have a quote of his on the index page of my own web site . . . "Whatever your problems or mood let wildlife brighten your day". That sums him up perfectly! Other tributes I have received the following tributes from members of the Havant Wildlife Group to Ralph Hollins following his announcement that he would be closing his wildlife blog. . . . from Caroline French I would like to pass on my thanks to Ralph. Although I wasn't there when the group was set up, I have benefited hugely through its continued existence. I really think the group was responsible for rekindling my interest in birds. More importantly, through the combined knowledge of those in the group, I was able to broaden my interest and understanding to include other taxanomic groups. The whole experience has been and continuavg freees to be life-enhancing! So I am extremely grateful to Ralph for setting up the group all those years ago, sharing his vast knowledge and enabling others to appreciate the wonders of the natural world around us. . . . from Fay Durant As one of the original members of Ralph's group , I'd like to say how much I appreciate being introduced to the wonderful world of wild life by this extraordinarily knowledgeable man . The fact our group is still existing ,twenty three years after its conception , says a great deal for the enthusiasm Ralph instilled into us . He opened our eyes to the world around us and encouraged us to observe and learn . We owe so much to Ralph and offer him our sincere thanks and wish him many more years of enjoying the natural world. . . . from Heather Mills We were indeed fortunate to have Ralph initiate the beginning of a wildlife appreciation class in 1995. Many members have come and gone, but have benefited from Ralph's dedication to freely impart his fantastic knowledge on such a vast spectrum of natural history. I am sure many who have met Ralph over these 23 years will join me in sending our very good wishes for his continuing good health. Our sincere thanks. PS I am quite happy to publish any other appreciations of Ralph's web site and blog or anything else to do with the great man. December 2019 - Ralph's new home On Dec 23rd Ralph Hollins sent me this view of his new home from across Carlingwark Loch in Castle Douglas in Scotland. When he walked round this loch this morning he saw 8 Goldeneyes!!