Indoor Meeting

BIRDS of the RIVER BLACKWATER – Steve Grimwade. Please note this is now a virtual meeting streamed on Youtube. We welcome back Tout Guide Steve Grimwade from ‘Swallow Birding & Wildlife. This time with a local theme the River Blackwater where he has birdwatched for over 40 years. The talk will take us through the seasons and showcase the diverse selection of birdlife from divers to buntings. Highly recommended

WILDLIFE and WILD PLACES of MENORCE – Chris Gibson. Please note this is now a virtual meeting streamed on Youtube. The northernmost of the Balearic Islands, Menorca is a wonderful place to experience wildlife throughout the year. A gentle island, protected throughout, it is largely unspoilt by mass tourism, and you could explore the whole island in a few days. Spring and autumn are the seasons to visit – migration times for birds moving between Africa and Europe; spring also for orchids and other wild flowers, including numerous species known from nowhere else in the world; and autumn for the ‘second spring’ of flowering bulbs and insects at their biggest and best. The talk will give you the whole story!

BIRDS and WILDLIFE of GUYANA – Chris Collins. Bordered by Venezuela and Brazil, this small South American country is rarely visited by birdwatchers, despite having many birds to see. Chris has spent several months there and in this talk we will visit many of the the habitats which make Guyana such a unique destination. In the tropical forests there are antbirds, macaws as well as the majestic Harpy Eagle and on the savannahs, you will find Giant Anteaters and the highly endangered Sun Parakeet

BIRDING in KAZAKHSTAN – Rob Sheldon returns to show us some of the delights of Kazakhstan. This talk will highlight all of the key habitats and species that this amazing country has to offer including Black-winged Pratincole, Black and White-winged Larks in West Kazakhstan and Pallid Harrier in Central Kazakhstan as well as the fact that it is a hugely important area for migrating and breeding birds associated with the extensive wetlands of the region

FINDING WILDLIFE in EPPING FOREST – Peter Warne. In 2010 Peter wrote the first edition of his book ‘Finding Wildlife in Epping Forest’ with a second edition in 2012. On the back of this he was invited to study and monitor the wildlife of Copped Hall, a restoration project just south of Epping. Peter is also a keen photographer and as well as describing where to go, he will show us images of the wide variety of wildlife to be found in this western part of the county   

BIRDS of JAPAN – Nigel Moorhouse from ‘Sarus Bird Tours’. Japan is a diverse country of many islands stretching from the north in Hokkaido with equal latitude to Canada, to the southernmost Yaeyama Islands being similar to the Bahamas. This talk will cover a year in the life of the birds and wildlife of the Island that make up Japan including Brown Bears walking from hibernation in the Summer Hokkaido’s Red-crowned Cranes gathering to dance, while the world’s largest eagle, Steller’s Sea Eagle, comes down from the far north to haunt the harbours.  

Roy Atkins - Highland Wildlife - Friday 8th January - Roy has worked for Speyside Wildlife for almost 20 years giving him the chance to share the wealth of wildlife found in the Highlands of Scotland with the guests on his trips and also gather a fabulous selection of photos for his talks. The list of species found in the Highlands must surely make this the most exciting wildlife watching in the UK - and not just the birds but mammals, dragonflies, butterflies and some wonderful flowers too

#NocMig by David Darrell-Lambert - This lecture looks at bird migration, what we expect to happen and what we are still learning about nocturnal bird migration. You will learn how to start carrying out recording nocturnal bird migration, what equipment can be used, how to log the data

ICELAND 'and BACK' - Brian Nobbs takes us to Iceland looking at the birds and their habitats ranging from Brunnich's Guillemots and Puffins on the lava cliffs to Red-necked Phalaropes, divers and Slavonian Grebes on the lakes and Harlequin Ducks on the streams. Whooper Swans, Pink-footed Geese and many waders migrate to and from, or via, the UK (hence the "and back") and we can compare them on their breeding grounds and wintering grounds and examine their migration routes.

WILD ETHIOPIA - Steve Cale, artist, photographer and tour guide provides a look at the fantastic wildlife and habitats of this huge amazing country. Home to many rare and unusual creatures such as Stresermann's Bush Crow and Simien Wolf, many of which are fascinating but critically endangered!