I am producing a high-quality film to capture and promote the work of the naturalist William Condry
William Condry was a prominent naturalist and author with a life-long passion for the birds and wildlife of the Dyfi Valley. I want to produce a high-quality film including archive and new footage of the wildlife of the valley and interviews with those close to Condry. The film will be archived at the National Library of Wales and will be launched at the William Condry memorial lecture in October 2017. I also want it to reach a wider audience so I’m aiming to get it streamed on the Guardian website and to have it screened throughout the UK.
Condry became the Ynys-hir RSPB reserve’s first warden from 1969 until 1982. A large part of the filming phase will take place on this reserve. I will use macro eqipment to capture footage of the miniature worlds i.e lichens and peat bog species that were of great interest to Condry. The birds of Mid Wales will also be a strong focus, including the Red Kite. Condry was one of the main forces in the preservation of the Red Kite in Wales. His nature diaries will feature throughout the film and help tell the story. Condry wrote the country diaries for the Guardian and they went hand-in-hand with the writing of standard works – including Snowdonia and The Natural History of Wales in Collins’ New Naturalist series – and practical conservation campaigning. He also fought Margaret Thatcher’s plan to axe the Soil Survey of England and Wales. The Guardian Country diaries are now written by the rock climber and writer Jim Perrin who is helping me research this project.
The Landscape of Mid Wales is spectacular and the imagery will highlight the diversity and beauty of this part of the world that Condry explored as a naturalist.
I am a wildlife filmmaker and although I never had the pleasure of meeting William Condry, I feel our paths have crossed in our passion for nature. I have also been lucky enough to meet some of his friends here in Mid Wales who have given me insight into his exatrordinary life and work. This documentary is a way of saying thank you to a man who has left a tremendous legacy to this area aswell as to the world of natural history. it is also celebration of nature and the environment. I would be very grateful for your support to make this project become a reality.