Today marks ten years since the passing of Simon James Aspinall. Few people have impacted the trajectory of my career as much as Simon has. When I was 13, I developed an interest in natural history, which gradually turned into an interest in birds. I suppose it was an evolutionary progression since I was quite interested in dinosaurs when I was younger and memorized the names of many of them.
Around the age of 14, I attended a talk on birds by Simon at a meeting of the Emirates Natural History Group (ENHG) in Abu Dhabi. I was mesmerized by the photographs and number of birds one could see in the UAE and that was the first of many ENHG talks I attended. Some time after that initial experience, I took a taxi to the offices of the National Avian Research Center, where Simon worked as an ornithologist. I went by myself, 14-year-old me, and sat in his office to express my interest in birds and listed some of the ones I have seen around the island. He was very encouraging and to this day I remember what he said to me because he used a word that was new to my English vocabulary. He said, "Abdul, you seem to be a keen birdwatcher". I didn't know what "keen" was, but I thought it must have been good since he said it with a smile 🙂
My two birding mentors when I was growing up: Steve James (left) and Simon Aspinall (right). True legends of UAE birding.
That was my initial encounter with Simon, and the first of many. We went birding several times but usually on weekends since I had school. I learnt a wealth of knowledge that would otherwise have taken me much longer to learn on my own. He was very encouraging and his enthusiasm was infectious. He is undoubtedly one of the reasons why, 27 years later after my first meeting with Simon, I still have a keen interest in birds and their conservation. In addition to imparting knowledge about birds, both my mentors, Simon and his best friend Steve (pictured above), provided me with material support when I was ready for undergraduate education: they wrote letters of recommendation on the letterhead of their respective institutions to the admissions offices of my chosen universities. It was mentorship in every sense of the word, and something I will never forget.
In 2015, the Simon Aspinall Wildlife Education Centre was opened in Simon’s memory at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Cley Marshes Visitor Centre. The purpose of the center is to help visitors “explore, discover and be inspired by wildlife”, which I think is something that Simon would have been very pleased about.
Rest in peace, Simon. Your legacy lives on and you are not forgotten.