RSPB Exeter & District Local Group, bird watching in the South West of England

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		Indoor meetings 2009
Home Contact us Join us Indoor meetings Outdoor meetings Newsletter 100 Club Reserves Useful links RSPB South West RSPB Registered charity number 207076		Exeter & District RSPB Local Group Tuesday 13^th January 2009 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘The Complete Owl’ by Michael Leach There really is no other wildlife speaker quite like Michael Leach. In venues all around Britain and abroad audiences have been intrigued and entertained by his colourful, highly amusing talks. He has now spoken at more than 1400 events & is one of Europe's top professionals. His photographs have appeared in 600+ books and in more than 50 countries, plus every major wildlife & environmental magazine in Britain and U.S.A. This talk is based on Michael's bestselling book of the same name & covers all resident British Owls. The show is illustrated with a fascinating range of unique slides, including dramatic high-speed photographs of owls in flight taken at 1/20,000th of a second. see pdf poster Tuesday 10^th February 2009 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘The Natural History of the Scilly Isles’ by Andrew Cooper Andrew is a BBC broadcaster, presenter, writer and international award-winning wildlife film-maker & we are delighted that he has agreed to speak to us again. He has written several books including 'The Secret Nature of The Isles of Scilly '. He is an expert on the wildlife of The Isles of Scilly, having filmed there many times. Andrew's talks are always entertaining, amusing & informative & he returns by popular request. see pdf poster Tuesday 10^th March 2009 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘Puddocks, Poveys & Parsons’ by Charles Martin (Hawks, Owls & Ravens) Charles is a lecturer, traveller, ornithologist, an RSPB Avocet Cruise Leader on the River Exe & has also been a warden on the Farne Islands. With reference to 3 well known groups of birds, this is a consideration of bird folklore as a form of alternative ornithology. Old legends & stories may often seem fanciful, but they are the product of centuries of experience & accurate observation from which we have much to learn. This talk expands into a consideration of falconry, birds of ill omen & corvid intelligence. Recommended by an RSPB member as 'probably the best speaker, I have ever heard' see pdf poster Tuesday 7^th April 2009 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘Beyond Old Harry ’ by Rod Lawrence Rod is a very popular, entertaining & controversial speaker. This evening we follow on from his previous talk about the Jurassic Coast. The World Heritage site ends at Old Harry Rocks in the East & Orcombe Point in the West. This area probably has the greatest biodiversity in the whole of the British Isles, but where do we go from here? This presentation outlines bold ideas for conservation by joining vast areas of nature-lands beyond the World Heritage site & incorporates the impact of climate change throughout the ages. see pdf poster Tuesday 8^th September 2009 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘Bitterns Breeding in Somerset’ by Steve Hughes Steve Hughes is the RSPB Warden at Ham Wall in Somerset, where bitterns bred in 2008 - the first time in Somerset for over 40 years. The birds' adoption of this site is a fantastic tribute to the hard work of volunteers and RSPB staff who have created the perfect habitat for bitterns. Steve will explain how the site was developed with bitterns in mind, including the use of water buffalo, as well as mentioning other wildlife to be found here. Tuesday 13^th October 2009 AGM 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘The Volunteer & Farmer Alliance in the Southwest’ by Felicity Clarke Felicity is the RSPB's V&FA Project Officer based in Exeter. This year the V&FA is celebrating its 10^th Anniversary and the talk will cover the objectives of V&FA, it's role within the RSPB and what V&FA has achieved over the last ten years, with reference to the problems farmland birds have been facing in recent decades and what farmers can do to help. AND ‘The farmland birds of Lumbini, Southern Nepal’ by Deborah Deveney Deborah has worked for the RSPB in Exeter since 1998 in various roles, including V&FA Project Officer for 5 years & in 2006 she undertook her RSPB Sabbatical project. She worked alongside our Birdlife partner, Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN). This talk will include the work she undertook in Nepal to assist BCN in developing a strategy for the farmland birds of Lumbini, and will look at the issues that threaten the conservation of this area. Thursday 29^th October 2009 7.30pm All Saints Church Hall, Sidmouth ‘Sharing the Secrets’ by James Chubb This talk is a presentation in which James provides a behind-the-scenes look at his favourite wildlife spectacles in East Devon. He has been East Devon District Council's Education Ranger for five years now, working to increase people's understanding and appreciation of the East Devon countryside. He says that 'It is a wonderful job and one I am very proud to call my own.' After graduating from Royal Holloway with a degree in Biology and Media, he worked for Devon Wildlife Trust before his current position brought him to East Devon. His life-long hero is David Attenborough, whose environmental broadcasting career it is his ambition to emulate! Tuesday 10^th November 2009 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘Ground-rollers and Asities in Madagascar’ by John Gale John makes a welcome return to our group He is currently working on a "Handbook to Birds of Madagascar" & has spent a lot of time visiting different areas & habitats there. His lectures are of the highest quality, very professional & entertaining. He has been working as a bird artist for the last 16 years & in 1992 won 'Bird illustrator of the year' (British Birds) & in 2002 was 'Bird Artist of the year' (Birdwatch). During the last seven years John has concentrated on oil paintings, based on the theme of fragile and endangered Environments, visiting the Forests of South-East Asia, Madagascar and the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. John also works part time as a Veterinary Surgeon in Exeter. Tuesday 1^st December 2009 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘Everything you always wanted to know about birds - but were afraid to ask!’ by Stephen Moss A light-hearted, interactive evening about birds, with a mixture of 'pub facts' and insight into topics such as birdsong and migration. Followed by a question and answer session with author, TV producer and broadcaster Stephen Moss, about his work at the BBC Natural History Unit, including Springwatch and Autumnwatch. Stephen works at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, where he has been responsible for many successful series, including Birding with Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild, Big Cat Diary, How to Watch Wildlife, Springwatch, and Alan Titchmarsh's recent BBC One series The Nature of Britain. He is currently producing short wildlife films for The One Show. His books include The Garden Bird Handbook, A Bird in the Bush: a Social History of Birdwatching, and Everything you always wanted to know about Birds – but were afraid to ask! Tuesday 12^th January 2010 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘Birds Behaving Badly’ by Dominic Couzens This lecture is about a year in the lives of birds, found well beyond our garden boundaries. Find out about the amazing father-son relationship of the Guillemot, the equally odd bond between pairs of Chiffchaffs, the reason behind the Curlew's curved bill, and much more. Dominic is a very entertaining & popular speaker & writes regular columns in many wildlife & bird magazines & has also published several wonderful books about birds. Tuesday 9^th February 2010 7.30pm URC Hall Southernhay, Exeter ‘Reserves for the 21st Century’ by Simon Stennet A talk detailing what's happening on our South West RSPB reserves, now and in the future! As the RSPB's South West Regional Reserves Manager, Simon covers Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Gloucestershire & Wiltshire.