Rare opportunity to bid at auction for watercolour of marshland bird that has never been recorded in Britain

                                                    

Spur-winged Plover - also known as Spur-winged Lapwing

BECAUSE it is not on the British list, interest may be limited when a study of a Spur-winged Plover goes under the hammer at auction tomorrow June 4.

It is the work of Suffolk-based female artist Tory Lawrence who died, aged 86, last year. 

It is not known under what circumstances she was inspired to carry out the work (in 1995) given that the nearest the species occurs in Britain is marshland habitats in the eastern Mediterranean. 

A bird found dead in Hailsham, Sussex, in 1910, is thought to have been an escapee from a privately-owned ornamental collection.

The painting, a watercolour, is Lot 644 in the sale of Modern British and  20th Century Art  to be held by Salisbury-based Woolley and Wallis. 

The pre-sale estimate is that it will fetch between £150 and £250.

Earlier in the auction, an enchanting watercolour, heightened with gouache, of a singing Wren by Lancashire-based Roger McPhail (71) - Lot 606 - is expected to fetch between £250 and £350.

The thorns on a blackberry bush hold no fears for Rodger McPhail's autumn Wren 

RSPB announces imminent closure of ailing community forum as it seeks to divert resources elsewhere

THE RSPB has announced forthcoming closure of its community website.

The site has provided a forum for members (and non-members) to contribute comments, reports, photographs and reviews of new books.

However, the society has decided to pull the plug on July 1.

In a statement, it says: "Use of the community site has been in decline for some time now and only around 12 per cent of registered users have logged in over the last year. 

"It is hosted by an external company and needs considerable investment to bring it into line with new legislation and requirements. 

"Our contract ends in July 2025 and we have therefore taken the decision to close the site on  July 1. 

"This means we can then use your generous donations as effectively as we can for direct conservation delivery and focus on providing the communications, channels, and events more of our members and supporters prefer. "

The decision will disappoint regular contributors, but the bird charity insists it remains  committed to engaging  members and supporters through other channels such as its quarterly magazine and social media.

Until the end of this month, the community website can be viewed at:  

https://community.rspb.org.uk/

The statement concludes:  "We should like to express our thanks and appreciation to all users of the RSPB community website over the years."

BBC rebuffs claims that filming of Springwatch TV show caused harm to Peak District countryside

 

Did BBC TV show really  'ruin' the countryside? Report in The Daily Telegraph newspaper

THE BBC has responded to allegations that broadcasting of TV programme Springwatch was damaging to the countryside and hence to wildlife on National Trust land in the Peak District.

According to a report in The Daily Telegraph newspaper (May 30), a nearby resident complained that the broadcasting unit built temporary roads for lorries over a meadow where wildflowers were about to blossom.

Another claim that one of the fields taken over by the film crew was potentially a breeding site for Curlews.

In a statement, the BBC said: "The Springwatch team worked  in cooperation with the National Trust. 

"The field location was confirmed as appropriate for temporary use by local land managers, and no wildlife has been displaced.

"All of the surfaces installed and modifications were  temporary, and the National Trust will undertake any works that may be needed to reinstate the site following the departure of the Springwatch team.

"This restoration will include reseeding fields, restoring ditches and reverting any landscape changes."

 The statement continued: "Minimising our environmental impact is a top priority.

"While on location, our main power source is a green hydrogen fuel cell, dramatically reducing our CO₂ emission."

Good knowledge of arithmetic preferred - RSPB on look-out for new finance supremo

                                                 

The successful candidate will be expected to report to the society's HQ in Bedfordshire (above) once a month 

A SIX-FIGURE salary is up for grabs in a job being advertised by  the RSPB.

The bird charity is seeking a new director of finance on pay of between £86,059 - £109,346 per annum plus other benefits.

Says the job description: "This is an opportunity for the successful candidate to:

* Drive the finance department across all areas, including financial operations and budgeting and forecasting.

* Provide advice and support to the wider finance, governance and strategy directorate, the board and other senior leaders on finance-related matters with a focus on strategy implementation.

* Engage with the finance committee and audit and risk committee, leading on all financial matters.

Applicants need to be fully qualified accountants who can demonstrate:

 * A successful track record of inspiring, managing, and delivering large scale organisation-wide projects

* A track track record in the successful leadership and management of a finance team in a multi-faceted and geographically dispersed organisation

* A successful track record in developing excellent working relationships between internal directorates and external stakeholders

* Experience of both internal and external financial reporting and the related regulatory environment in the charity sector

* Experience of control systems that manage risk effectively and provide assurance on the efficiency and effectiveness of financial processes and compliance with relevant regulatory frameworks

* Knowledge of the main direct and indirect tax frameworks related to the charity sector

* Experience in creating and communicating a compelling vision for directing and motivating the Finance team

The RSPB's current finance chief is Russell Powell who took over in January 23, having previously worked at the National Trust where he was director of planning and insight.  

The successful applicant will be permitted to work for home  though he or she will be expected to report to  the society's HQ in Sandy, Bedfordshire, every month.

The deadline for applications for the post is midnight on Wednesday June 4.

More details from: julia.mackay@rspb.org.uk