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Zoom Talks Programme 2023-24

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We again have a programme of six talks and a Christmas Quiz all to be held on Zoom for Members Only.
Members will need to REGISTER for the Zoom talks by emailing birdsmbs@yahoo.com.
Those who have registered for this season's Zoom list will be e-mailed the Zoom invitation a few days before each meeting.

April Zoom Talk
We regret we have had to cancel our April Zoom Talk which was to be the last of the current season.
A new programme of Zoom Talks will run from September 2024 - April 2025 and will be published July/August.
In the meantime we have Local and Coach Outings.
See also programmes of Zoom Talks and outings with LNHS and RSPB CLLG.

Earlier this season

Friday 15 September 2023 Keith Betton - Birding in the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica
Keith is a freelance PR consultant, writer, lecturer and broadcaster. He is a keen world birder having seen over 8500 species in nearly 110 countries. He has a particular passion for Africa and the Middle East, having been Chairman of both the African Bird Club and the Ornithological Society of the Middle East. In the UK he is heavily involved in bird monitoring in Hampshire, where he is County Recorder and also Chairman of the Hampshire Ornithological Society. He has been a Council Member of both the RSPB and BTO and was President of the LNHS when only 22 years old. Having made over 1000 television appearances (and 5000 on radio) Keith uses his media experience to train people working in conservation, and each year he trains around 20 staff around the world for BirdLife International.
Keith gave us talks on bird song back in 1982 and 1985 and returned on this occasion to talk about a boating birding trip which seemed rather too adventurous for the 31 members who attended the talk. From the comfort of our homes, we did enjoy the spectacular scenery and the huge numbers of different species of Albatross and Penguins. Only 5 Members dropped out of the Zoom before our 42nd MBS AGM. Minutes are posted on the Documents page of the website.

Friday 20 October 2023 7pm on Zoom
John Horton - The British Isles most southerly Bird Observatory
Alderney is a magical place to visit for its birds, flowers, all aspects of nature and the island's fascinating history. The Alderney Bird Observatory is the most southerly bird observatory in the UK and its warden, John Horton, explained its importance as a 'stop-over' for migrant birds and described the work he and his colleagues do in ringing, monitoring and recording bird migration and the seabird colonies. 30 MBS Members attended this Zoom Talk.
Speaker's website

Friday 17 November 2023 7pm on Zoom
James Lowen - Much Ado About Mothing
James is an award-winning nature author, editor, guide, lecturer, consultant and photographer. He is a regular contributor to publications such as BBC Wildlife and Bird watching. His talk about moths is a firm favourite of bird watching societies. His excellent presentation was based on his book "Much Ado About Mothing - a year intoxicated by Britain's rare and remarkable moths"... tales of a year spent criss crossing Britain to reveal those underdogs of the animal kingdom - moths.
Speaker's website

Friday 15 December 2023 7pm on Zoom
Christmas Quiz
25 members enjoyed a fun relaxed Zoom gathering - with some challenging questions!

Friday 19 January 2024 7pm on Zoom
Richard Baines - From Goshawks to Humpbacks
Richard is a Director of Yorkshire Coast Nature and a Nature and Wildlife guide in Yorkshire and overseas. He is a professional ecologist dedicated to environmental education and conservation work including ecological survey work. He has been making appearances on TV in programmes such as Countryfile and The Secret Life of the Forest. He held his Zoom audience spellbound talking about birds and other wildlife along the Yorkshire Coast.
Speaker's website

Friday 23 February 2024 7pm on Zoom
Steve Watson - The Peregrine Falcon
Steve Watson talked about the book 'The Peregrine Falcon' which he and Richard Sale, two Gloucestershire based raptor enthusiasts, published in November 2022. This Peregrine Falcon monograph investigates all aspects of Peregrine life, from plumage, through diet, population dynamics, breeding and survival and includes data and photographs from the Evesham Bell Tower, Charing Cross hospital and a quarry in Castleweary, Scotland, being the authors' 2022 study sites. Details of prey species and flight were particularly fascinating.
Speaker's website

Friday 15 March 2024 7pm on Zoom
Conor Jameson - Seychelles - A Year to Save Paradise
In 2005, Conor gave up his job at the RSPB headquarters in Sandy, Bedfordshire, to go and work for BirdLife partner Nature Seychelles, for a year, on an intern's allowance. In this lively and colourful talk he described arriving in the middle of these Indian Ocean islands just after the tsunami shook the world, and all the projects he got involved in to help keep this little piece of paradise special, for people and wildlife. He revisited nearly 20 years later, to see old friends and old haunts.