News archive
November 2009
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Indoor meetings - Springtime in Spain by Gordon Langsbury
This fine talk by the President of the Berkshire Ornithological Club contained some stunning photographs, all taken by the lecturer, and was accompanied by a gripping narrative with just that touch of humour to make it easy listening. It was, in effect, a record of several journeys undertaken between March and May from the Mediterranean via Extremadura to the Pyrenees. There were pictures of too many birds to mention them all, but the lovely shot of six avocets in flight must rank as one of the best in the presentation. A professional artist could not have composed it better. The variety of species seen during the two month period was striking. Some of my favourites included the blackcap perched amongst almond blossom; the lovely young southern grey shrike; the dramatic picture of a little owl almost invisible at first in what looked like a quarry; the equally stunning photograph of a pair of bee eaters; the black-eared wheatear; the alert black woodpecker vertical on a tree trunk with the beaks of its two young poking out of a hole in front of it; and, a bird that I personally have always found very special, a bluethroat. Too many favourites, you say? Maybe. But that's not all. Amongst others, we also saw photographs of the fantail warbler (Europe's smallest warbler); the quite rare white-headed duck (also known as the "stifftail" for obvious reasons); the great bustard (Europe's heaviest flying bird); the crested lark (the commonest lark in Spain); the rare black stork; the communal male and female lesser kestrel hovering against a pure blue sky; the Spanish dipper which has a black belly (unlike ours whose underside is brown); the alpine chough with its yellow bill; and the black vulture (Europe's largest vulture).
It was good to learn that the Spaniards are becoming interested in conservation rather than shooting everything in sight. Even better to hear that they realise the value of their very special bird, the iconic lammergeier (also known as the bearded vulture). Only about 150 pairs are left now, but conservators have set up feeding stations to improve their chances of survival. Other wildlife were not omitted: slides of Europe's largest moth (the great peacock moth); a swallowtail butterfly (to hear that there were masses of butterflies in Spain was more good news); a gorgeous red squirrel; and a wild boar with eight lovely stripy youngsters were some of the best, I thought. Another head-turning (literally) pair of photographs were those of a stone curlew, full frontal and from behind, showing the eyes each time, so we could appreciate this bird's 360 degree field of vision. Gordon is a professional wildlife photographer and a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society. He has been birdwatching in Spain for 15 years, but he told us that more birders go to Spain to indulge their hobby than to any other country in Europe. If the number and diversity of avian species Gordon managed to photograph over a mere two month period in this time is anything to go by, I am not surprised.
Brian Shreeve
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
SPRINGTIME IN SPAIN by GORDON LANGSBURY
Come and join the NWSURREY RSPB on Wednesday 25th November and banish those Winter blues.
This talk, by the President of the Berkshire Ornithological Club, describes Springtime journeys through Spain from the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees in search of birds. The speaker is a professional wildlife photographer and a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Collection at a Waitrose store
The final supermarket/street collection in 2009 has been made, and we are very gratified at the result. From breakfast time till tea time on a fine Saturday in early October, a succession of Group members stood outside Waitrose in West Byfleet (some live in that area). Each was equipped with a collecting tin, a roll of stickers and a friendly smile; and wore a bold tabard proclaiming RSPB. Inside, each had hope that the shoppers would be generous-- and they certainly were. We collected £422 that day. A big thank-you to Waitrose, its staff, and the good people of West Byfleet. And a big thank-you from me, the organiser, to members who give their time as collectors. You need comfortable shoes and a willingness to chat a little-- it's quite fun to do.
As reported before, street collections do not boost our local group finances. All the cash given us is sent to RSPB headquarters to be spent centrally on things we particularly want to support, and we are confident contributors will be glad to support as well. Currently these are: projects to benefit wildlife in marine and coastal environments; conservation of lowland heaths; and work with school children. Heathland conservation is always close to our hearts here in Surrey-- we have the largest lowland heath in the world at the marvellous Chobham Common site, not to mention several other heaths with superb bird life.
David Shenton
