Events

An illustrated talk by John Loder entitled 'Birds of prey persecution'

Location: Bromborough Civic Hall, Allport Lane, Bromborough
Postcode: CH62 7HR (Google map)

John is a volunteer for the RSPB and has been involved with the RSPB's Birds of Prey Campaign and is heavily involved with practical conversational tasks. There have been massive success stories in reducing persecution but despite the best efforts of the RSPB, some birds are still hugely affected by persecution. A recent report suggests that there is sufficient suitable habitat in the north uplands of the UK to support 320 pairs of Hen Harrier yet last year only 4 pair successfully bred ! There is still obviously a lot more work to be done and we should be thankful that people like John are prepared to put in a great deal of time & effort to try to improve the situation. Come along to hear what John and others in the RSPB are doing to reduce persecution of our birds of prey.

Time: 7.30 pm

Price: Free to members of the local group. £3 for non-members

Telephone: 0151 632 2364

Trip to Cannock Chase

Location: Cannock Chase, Staffordshire. Meet at the Tudor Rose Public House, A540 at Two Mills at 6 pm.

Ever wanted to hear the magical 'churring' call of the Nightjar or the strange noise of a 'roding' Woodcock, then this is for you. We have an evening meet to listen on the heathland at Cannock Chase. The 'chase' is the smallest area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on mainland Britain. It is best known for its open heathland and pine forest. This mix of heathland and trees makes it a great site to see these two lovely birds together with an opportunity of seeing Tree Pipit and Wood Lark. Experienced birdwatchers will be on hand to help you find and identify these birds

Time: Meet at Tudor Rose Public House at 6pm

Price: Free

Booking essential

Telephone: 0151 632 2364

An illustrated talk by Geoff Trinder entitled 'Digital year, Japan to Botswana'

Location: Bromborough Civic Hall, Allport Lane, Bromborough
Postcode: CH62 7HR (Google map)

Sit up straight and pay attention. Ex-teacher Geoff is going to talk to us about a year in the life of his well travelled digital camera. They'll be questions at the end to make sure you listened to what he's said !! Now retired from teaching, Geoff is still very busy being deputy Chair of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and manages a site of scientific interest (SSI). There'll be a great mix of wildlife pictures and stories from across the globe. Definitely not a talk to be missed.

Time: 7.30 pm

Price: Free to members of the local group. £3 for non-members

Telephone: 0151 632 2364

Migration watch at Spurn Head, Humberside

Location: Spurn Head, Humberside. Meet at B&Q, Bidston at 6.30 am

In September bird migration is in full swing and anything can and usually does turn up in Britain. The east coast is the place to be and Spurn Head has a pedigree of turning up large numbers of common migrants as well as the odd rare bird. Spurn is a shingle spit that points south into the Humber estuary. We need to watch both the sea and land as migration is in full swing on both! Bring food & drink as there are no facilities on Spurn

Time: 6.30am meet at B&Q car park, Bidston.

Price: Free

Booking essential

Telephone: 0151 632 2364

An illustrated talk by Mike McKavett entitled 'From Mitilini to Antalya - my quest for the Balkan 4.'

Location: Bromborough Civic Hall, Allport Lane, Bromborough
Postcode: CH62 7HR (Google map)

A local speaker from Southport. He has travelled extensively in pursuit of his hobby of wildlife photography. Mike's work has been widely published in books and magazines. Tonight's talk will be a feast of excellent slides. His talk is the story in pictures of his quest to photograph species of birds with an almost exclusively eastern Mediterranean distribution. The talk takes us to the enchanting Greek island of Lesvos and the Taurus mountains of southern Turkey

Time: 7.30 pm

Price: Free to members of the local group. £3 for non-members

Telephone: 0151 632 2364

Winter wonderland at Old Moor RSPB Reserve

Location: RSPB Old Moor Reserve, near Barnsley. Meet at B&Q car park, Bidston at 8 am

A trip to the RSPB Old Moor reserve is a must at this time of the year. The lakes, flooded meadows and scrapes attract large numbers of wildfowl together with spectacular flocks of Lapwing and Golden plover. With them come the peregrines looking for a quick lunch ! Talking of which - Old Moor has a lovely tea room where we can order hot food and drinks to warm us up on a cold winters day !

Time: Meet at B&Q car park, Bidston at 8 am.

Price: Free to RSPB Members. Non-members have to pay the reserve entrance fee

Booking essential

Telephone: 0151 632 2364

An illustrated talk by David Cummings entitled 'Llangollen to Ellesmere Port by canoe'

Location: Bromborough Civic Centre, Allport Lane, Bromborough.
Postcode: CH62 7HR (Google map)

David is a retired Head Teacher living in the lovely village of Christleton just outside Chester. He has written and illustrated a number of books on a variety of subjects. Davis studies and care for Mute Swans in Cheshire and is also well known for his orchid photographs. Tonight's talk is an unusual one - it charts his trip from Llangollen to Ellesmere Port by canoe!

Time: 7.30 pm

Price: Free to members of the local group. £3 for non-members

Telephone: 0151 632 2364

An Anglesey Winter !

Location: Anglesey, meet at Tudor Rose Public House (A540 Two Mills) at 9 am

In winter Anglesey can look bleak and imposing. At first glance it looks devoid of birds - but look a little closer and you will find birds. Not the usual summer trip but a look at what is on offer in winter. The harbour is a resting and feeding place for divers and grebes. Usually the common ones but in recent years Great Northern Diver have frequented the harbour in good numbers. Waders and wildfowl also figure heavily with the inland Sea proving a good place to find them.

Time: Meet at Tudor Rose Public House at 9 am

Price: Free

Booking essential

Telephone: 0151 632 2364

A Film by Gordon Yates entitled 'Snowy Oel - King of the Arctic'

Location: Bromborough Civi Hall, Allport Lane, Bromborough
Postcode: CH62 7HR (Google map)

Gordon Yates presents footage of Snowy Owls filmed over nine visits to the Arctic. As the recording plays Gordon will talk about the life of these remarkable creatures and their environment. The story starts in Spitsbergen and includes other wildlife such as Little Auk, Grey Phalarope, Ivory Gull, Arctic Skua, Arctic Fox and Walrus. The search then moves on to Hudson Bay where many Polar Bears and Gyr Falcon are encountered. Finally Gordon talks about Alaska, its Arctic birds and of course the breeding Snowy Owls. One, if not the only, person on the talk circuit who still presents moving pictures - prepare to be enthralled as the owl and its fellow wildlife comes to life in this superbly shot film.

Time: 7.30 pm

Price: Free to members of the local group. £3 for non-members

Telephone: 0151 632 2364

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat !

Location: Martin Mere WWT, near Southport. Meet at B&Q Car park, Bidston at 9 am

Always a favourite, the trip to Martin Mere is a real crowd pleaser. Whether you are there for the sights and sounds (and lets be honest, the smells!) of a thousand Whooper Swan, thousands of Pink Footed and Grey Lag geese and thousands of duck or looking for the more difficult to see and rarer Bewick Swan, Barnacle goose, kingfisher, tree Sparrow or birds of prey - Martin Mere has it all. Throw in a lovely (but somewhat expensive!) restaurant and a well stocked nature shop and you have everything you need to while away a few hours on a winters day.

Time: Meet at B&Q car park, Bidston at 9 am.

Price: Free to WWT members. Entrance fee for non-members.

Telephone: 0151 632 2364