GOING UNDER THE HAMMER - IDEAL PROPERTY FOR ENTERPRISING BIRDER

                                                                     

In need of tender, loving care - the fort

A PROPERTY just 1.8 miles from birding hotspot Spurn Point is up for grabs.

Who knows what rare migrants will have briefly stopped off - and gone unrecorded - on the Bull Sand Fort in the Humber Estuary?

It goes under the hammer as Lot 107 at on online auction being conducted by Savills next Tuesday July 19.

Says the company: “The fort can only be accessed by private boat and helicopter. 

“With an imaginative buyer and the right planning consents, it could be refurbished and transformed for a number of uses such as a high end hotel, restaurant, Airbnb, grand design-style personal dwelling, retreat or a tourist attraction.”

The property was constructed between 1915-1919 following the outbreak of World War 1, though  the works were not fully completed until after the war had ended.

It is reinforced by concrete and its seaward side is fitted out with 12-inches of armour designed to withstand gunfire from heavy naval units. 

During World War 2 it was armed, besides the usual small and rapid-fire weapons, by two 6 inch guns and two 6-pounder guns. It had sufficient accommodation for a garrison of 200 men.

Bull Sand Fort, with its smaller companion fort on Haile Sand, 3.75 kilometres to the south-west, guarded the approaches to the Humber with gun batteries and an anti-submarine net of steel mesh stretched between them across the mouth of the estuary.

The fort includes three floors with basement and magazine below sea level, and central two- storey observation tower. 

Fresh water supply is available at the fort via an artesian well. Externally there is a balcony and jetty.

The fort was decommissioned in 1956 and is in need of refurbishment throughout.

The guide price is a modest £50,000.

THIN-EGG SYNDROME IS TAKING ITS TOLL ON UK'S BREEDING BLACK-TAILED GODWITS

 

Black-tailed godwit - incubation woes

WHY is incubation so problematic among the few black-tailed godwits that breed in the UK?

According to researcher Dr Nicola Hemmings, of Sheffield University, failure tends to come when hatching of the eggs is imminent.

Investigations have revealed that the shells of failed eggs are 10 per cent thinner than they ought to be, largely because of lack of water content, causing an imbalance with the embryo.

It is possible that contaminants in the birds' food source might be a factor in the malfunction, but  more research is needed.

Dr Hemmings said a project involving 'headstarting' - hatching eggs in a humidity-controlled incubator, then hand-rearing chicks prior to releasing the young birds into the wild - had proved "super-successful" but was too labour-intensive to be sustainable.

Happily, black-tailed godwits seem to be breeding with far more success in Iceland and the Nordic countries which helps to explain why they are so common on the muddy habitats in and around estuaries such as the Humber during late summer, autumn and winter.

Dr Hemmings made her comments in her presentation during a conference on saltmarsh ecology, art and poetry held earlier today at a room in the library in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire.

Quizzed on the topical subject of avian flu, she described what was happing to seabirds as "horrific" and hence the current focus of a huge number of scientists.

She understood the illness to be most prevalent among colony breeders, such as gannets and terns, rather than, for instance, waders that tend to nest further apart.

The conference was also treated to fascinating talks on  saltmarsh wildflowers by Mick Binnion and by poet Harriet Tarlow and artist Judith Tucker on how their uniquely creative work  is inspired by time spent on saltmarshes such as the RSPB reserve between Humberston Fitties and Tetney, near Cleethorpes.

Earlier, there were  presentation from Veronica Sekules on her work as an environmental activist and as curator of her own gallery in Kings Lynn, North Norfolk, plus artist Linda Ingham, many of  of whose breathtaking landscape studies have been of the RSPB reserves at Blacktoft Sands and Saltholme, near Middlesbrough on  Teesside.

It is hoped that some or all of the speakers will also involved in family-orientated creative events being lined up for July 27-29 at RSPB Tetney Marshes.

'HEROICS OF HIGHEST ORDER' IN BATTLE TO SAVE NESTING SWIFTS ON SHEFFIELD HOUSING ESTATE

Swifts - survey found 24 nesting sites on estate 

Many thanks to Joy Croot of the Swift Local Network who has provided this communication that is currently being shared by fellow SLN members up and down the country. Quite rightly, she describes it as "heroics and quick thinking of the highest order". 

Chet Cunago, who has been very active in Sheffield over the last two or three years, writes: 

On  June 16, we (the newly forming Sheffield Swift Network) had a tip off from a member of public concerned that a council housing estate in Handsworth in the city was to have major large scale roof renovations and that scaffolding was being erected in the middle of a decent-sized colony during swift nesting season.

 I shot up to the estate at dusk that night and soon found swifts trying to enter nests on two buildings which had already been scaffolded.

It was heartbreaking!

We contacted the ecology officer in charge, and, after many discussions over four days, frantic emails, a call to the ecology officer from the RSPB investigations team and threats of us reporting the offence to the police, the top layer of scaffold boards was eventually removed.

Then the penny dropped. I realised I would have to survey the whole estate (approximately 400 homes) before more scaffolding was erected, then get the nests logged and protected.

The city council agreed to work with us and provided me with a list of addresses that were due to be scaffolded, and we had a three-week window to log any nests found, and promises that works would not go ahead on those logged.

I had no experience of undertaking such a mammoth task, but had to try.

I put desperate pleas out on social media for volunteers and a wonderful band of 12 strangers from as far as Lincoln and Nottingham came forward. 

Sometimes there was just me surveying, and sometimes I had up to 8 volunteers, so planning the survey work daily has been a challenge!

In short, we have so far found approximately 24 nests.

And the council are delaying renovations on all properties with nests (six so far) until October.

 One night whilst surveying, I witnessed swifts re-entering the first building where scaffolding was forced to be taken down which was a wonderful moment of vindication...all the work was so worth it. 

The nest probably failed initially....but we were in time for the swifts to hopefully try again.

I met the ecology officer on site yesterday, and she has asked us to work on another project (1500 homes!) as soon as possible. 

We have to form a charity, with a constitution and public liability insurance... Which is a massive undertaking and heaps of form filling... But we WILL do it.

Credit where it is due, the eaves of all the re-roofed properties are going to be left open and intact. (No boxed-in soffits - thank God), so the renovations should not harm the colony long-term.

In fact, I witnessed three possible nest sites being prospected by swifts, and eaves entered on one of their completed properties.

Of course I passed on the info onto the ecology officer and congratulated them on such a brilliant decision in the hope of encouraging all future council works to be undertaken with swifts in mind.

Sadly, whilst surveying,  I have realised the scale of destruction on privately-owned properties on the estate. 

At least three out of four homes have boxed in plastic soffits. No life, no nests, and I am utterly convinced this is the major contribution for swift numbers crashing.

This is just one observation on one small estate in Sheffield.. How bad it is nationally I daren't even consider, but I'm sure you guys in SLN are already aware.

 The takeaway from this is the vital importance of survey work, and my new mantra (stolen from Andy Broadhurst at Derbyshire Swifts) is 'Survey, survey, survey'! 

If we do not know where nests are, we cannot protect them.

BYGONE BIRDING: 'HIGHLY SATISFIED' WITH DAY SPENT WITH NESTING SPOONBILLS OF HOLLAND

                                                         

Spoonbills - these birds were visiting the RSPB reserve at Blacktoft Sands in Yorkshire 

Below is an account by Philip Sclater and William Forbes on the nesting of the spoonbill in Holland . It first appeared in the October, 1877, edition of The  Ibis journal.

THAT the Spoonbill breeds in Holland is a fact well known to every ornithologist, and most egg-collectors are aware that specimens of its eggs obtained in that country are to be purchased at a very cheap rate in the London egg-shops. 

But we are not sure that an  ornithologist, at least of this country, has actually visited the nesting-places of this bird, or, at any rate, has published any account of them. 

In May 1867, as is recorded in Gould's Birds of Great Britain, Sclater paid a visit to a nesting-place of the Spoonbill at Nieuwerkerk, near Rotterdam, but, though he saw many Spoonbills, the nesting had not then begun.

The lake which he visited is said to have been drained since that time. 

We hope therefore that it may interest readers of The Ibis to have an account of our recent experiences on this subject.

Being in Holland in the first week of May this year, Sclater made many inquiries as to where the Spoonbills could be seen performing the duties of reproduction, and finally ascertained from Hr. A. A. Van Bemmelen, Director of the Zoological Gardens at Rotterdam, that the most likely place to witness this interesting phenomenon was the Horster Meer, between Amsterdam and Utrecht. 

At Amsterdam, it was ascertained that the first week in July would be a convenient period for the proposed excursion with this object, as about that time the birds would have commenced incubation.

On July 3, therefore, we found ourselves at the Amstel Hotel, at Amsterdam, and, upon visiting Mr. Hegt, the Assistant Director of the Zoological Society's Gardens there, found that he had kindly made every necessary arrangement for our proposed expedition next day. 

No railway station being very convenient for the Horster Meer, he had ordered a carriage to take us from Amsterdam to the scene of action.

Next morning, we started about 8 o'clock, and had about three hours' drive, passing the villages of Abgouda and Vreeland before arriving at Overmeer an de Vecht, the little village in which Hr. van Dyk, the lessee of the Horster Meer, resided. 

The Horster Meer consists of a large tract of water reed-beds and swamp, lying on the right bank of the Vecht, and immediately to the south of the Zuyder Zee. 

It is between the railways going from Amsterdam to Utrecht on one side, and from Amsterdam to Amersfoort on the other. 

It belongs to a rich proprietor in Amsterdam, but is farmed out at a considerable rent for the sake of the fish, reeds, and birds' eggs which it produces. 

The last-mentioned objects are collected from the nests twice a week during the months of May and June, and sold in Amsterdam to such persons as require a large supply of fresh eggs without being particular as to the source from which they are derived.

On arriving at Overmeer we were received by Hr. van Dyk and escorted to a boat, which conveyed us along a short canal into the Horster Meer. 

No sooner had we arrived on the lake than the air above us was filled with an enormous flight of Cormorants who well knew what a visit to their domain portended. 

A few minutes afterwards, about 500 Spoonbills were circling in the air over our heads, their long legs stretched behind them, and their white bodies glistening in the sun. 

The Meer, so far as visible, was not a very extensive piece of water, being closed in on all sides by enormous reed-beds, the homes of these and other aquatic birds. 

Having landed at the end of a ditch which penetrated into one ofthese beds of reeds, we pursued a track which led us first to a breeding-place of the Cormorants. 

Here was a circular space, perhaps fifty yards in diameter, cleared of reeds, in which the Cormorants' nests stood thick together on the swampy soil. 

They were formed of rather large sticks, piled somewhat loosely together to a height of about 18 inches above the surface. 

The top of the nest was only slightly hollowed out and lined with a few broken reeds. 

The eggs were in no case more than two in number, the poor birds having been robbed continuously up to that time, and only within the last few days allowed to commence incubation.

Having inspected the Cormorants' breeding-place, we proceeded about fifty yards further through the reed-beds, over a still more treacherous swamp, to the breeding-place of the Spoonbills. 

The nests of these birds were not situated so near together as those of the Cormorants, but scattered about two or three yards from each other, with thin patches of reeds growing between then. 

There was, however, a clear open space formed of broken-down reeds in which the birds were said to congregate. 

The Spoonbill's nest, in the Horster Meer at least, is a mere flattened surface of broken reed, not elevated more than two or three inches above the general level of the swamp, and no other substance but reed appears to be used in its construction. 

What the proper complement of eggs would be if the birds were left undisturbed we cannot say, for, as in the case of the Cormorants, the nests are robbed systematically twice a week until the period when it is known by experience that they cannot produce any more eggs. 

Then at last the birds are allowed to sit undisturbed. 

At the time of our visit, the season for collecting eggs was just past, but we helped ourselves to eight fresh eggs from different nests, laid since the last collection had been made.

During all the time that we were in the reed-beds, the Cormorants and Spoonbills were floating about over our heads, fully aware that there was an enemy in the camp. 

We were told that there were several other nesting-places of the Spoonbill in different parts of the Horster Meer, containing altogether several thousand nests, so that we may hope that it will be some time before this fine bird becomes extinct in this locality.

The only other bird we found nesting in the Horster Meer was the Black Tern of which we captured two young chicks.

After refreshing ourselves at the hostelry of Overmeer, we returned to Amsterdam in the evening by a different route, highly satisfied with our day with the Spoonbills.

We cannot conclude this short account of a most delightful day without thanking Mr. Hegt most heartily for his kind arrangements for our trip without which we should probably have encountered considerable difficulty in reaching our destination. 

It is to be feared that in England we could hardly promise to show our friends an equally interesting sight in such close proximity to our metropolis !

ON THIS DAY IN 1928, TRAGEDY ENDED LIFE OF SCOTTISH BIRDWATCHER ANNIE MEINERTZHAGEN

 

This Kindle e-book explores what happened on that fateful morning

IN the 1920s, pistol-shooting was an unusual pastime - especially among women.

Annie Meinertzhagen was no ordinary woman.

A mother-of-three, she fitted in her maternal responsibilities with a life of travel, of photography and of science, in particular ornithology.

But she was also a gun enthusiast, an ace shot, who, along with her husband, Richard, enjoyed target shooting with a revolver.

After breakfast on the morning of  July 6, 928, the couple decided to while away an hour or two shooting in the grounds of Swordale House, their out-of-London country retreat in the Scottish Highlands.

Once she had set foot outside this grand house on that fateful summer's day, Annie was never to return.

Or, to put it more accurately, never to return alive. At 11am or soon thereafter, she was dead.

A single gunshot had claimed her life.

In no more than a split second, three children had lost their mother. A husband had lost his wife.

What sort of a woman was Annie? What sort of a man was Richard? And, crucially, what happened on that fateful morning?

These questions are explored in Tragedy at Swordale - The Mysterious Death of Scottish Birdwatcher Annie Meinertzhagen.

It is currently only available as a Kindle e-book.

https://amzn.to/3NLtvBB

WE MUST 'DO RIGHT BY NATURE' INSISTS M&S CHAIRMAN AT TODAY'S ANNUAL MEETING

                                                                            

Archie Norman addresses today's meeting which was held over the internet

FARMERS who supply produce to M&S stores must be committed to the welfare of wildlife and the environment.

At today's annual meeting of the retailer, chairman Archie Norman insisted: "It is important to do right by Nature."

Of the company's 959 stores across the UK, 615 sell only food.

During the meeting, which covered a range of topics, there was a reference to the conflict in Ukraine.

On principle, M&S has ceased supplying to its former franchisee in Russia, thereby taking a significant financial hit.

Of its 10 stores in  Ukraine, six are continuing to trade despite the ongoing conflict.

 

THREE DAYS OF FASCINATING TALKS LINED UP FOR GLOBAL BIRDFAIR AT RUTLAND SHOWGROUND

                                          

The showground - all set for Global Bird Fair (photo: Discover Rutland)

A FASCINATING schedule of talks has been lined up for Global Birdfair at Rustland Showground, Oakham, between July 15-17.

These will be held in three separate lecture theatres - Avocet, Curlew and Plover.

The programme is below. 

AVOCET

Friday 15 July

9.30  Dominic Couzens:  July - A dull Birding Month?

10.00 Steve Lovell: From Clowns to Cuckoos. A personal account of Nature living in a Covid world

10.30 Jan Stannard:  How rewilding helps birds

11.00 Siobhan Vye: Albatross, Rockhopper Penguins and Blue Whales.  Marine Conservation on the world's most remote inhabited island - Tristan da Cunha

11.30 Aaron Russ: Birding the remote islands of Melanesia

12.00 Carles Carboneras:  Turtle Dove.  Evidence for a Hunting Moratorium in 2022.          Unsustainable hunting of 1 million Turtle Doves every year is known to have contributed to   its population decline in the Western Flyway

12.30 Ed & James Harrison:  Soaring into Extinction: The Endangered Albatross

13.00 Mark Thomas: Birds of Buckton - there’s more to the patch than a Green Warbler!

13.30 Jeremy Purseglove: Rockingham Forest Vision is a conservation initiative in Northants, re-establishing links between ancient woods

14.00  Chris Bowden: Have we saved Asian Vultures Yet? How 25 partners of "Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction" (SAVE) are helping to achieve exactly that.

14.30 David Tipling:  The art of photographing Britain's wildlife in black & white

15.00  Wenceslas Gatarabirwa:  Protecting a Global Migration Highway from Iceland to South Africa. The Uk sits at the heart of the East Atlantic Flyway  welcoming both winter and summer visitors.

15.30  Jonathan C Eames:  Conserving Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary

16.00  Georgina Bray & Richard Winspear: Restoring lowland farmland bird populations in the UK. How nine wildlife NGOs have devised a six-point plan to restore biodiversity on lowland farmland

16.30  Rob Willams: Chaparri - 20 years of community conservation. The first private conservation area in Peru celebrates 20 years of community-owned conservation and ecotourism

17.00  Kerrie Porteous, Naturetrek:  Slovenia - birds, bears and botany

Saturday 16 July 

9.30 Raffaele Di Biase: A rewilding travel experience

10.00  Ruth Miller:  Birdwatching - not just a man's world!  America, Patagonia to Colombia

10.30 Carl Downing:  Introduction to Wildlife Photography.  What gear you should consider and the basic technical skills.

11.00   Hannah Bourne Taylor: Fledgling. The Author talks about her book.

11.30   John MacKinnon:  Birding in China

12.00  Jonathan C Eames: Conserving Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary

12.30  Delphine Morin: Birds of the French Overseas Territories

13.00 Vanessa Amaral-Rogers: How our science is helping conservation at the RSPB.  Around 60 scientists in the RSPB Centre of Conservation Science working on the most pressing issues across the UK and abroad

13.30  Carlos Bethancourt:  Panama: A Birding & Nature Paradise. A small country with more than 1,010 bird species, hundreds of mammals, reptiles & amphibians along with 10,000 plant species.

14.00  Lizzie Bruce: How Titchwell Marsh in Norfolk has been restored to improve the fortunes of wetland wildlife 

14.30  Richard Parsons:  Ecuador´s cloud forests: the cradle of biodiversity!  Travels down the Northwestern cloud forests through different elevations with different birds at each elevation

15.00 Dr Gerold Dobler:  Hen Harrier ring-tail ageing and sexing simplified

15.30  Wynona Legg: RSPB's Plovers in Peril partnership, funded by the Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk, supported by Natural England

16.00 Waldyke Prince: Guyana's Birding Landscape

16.30  David Philips, Naturetrek: Iceland -  Birds, whales and volcanology

17.00 Steve Lovell: Scotland - Its Wildlife, Scenery and Folklore 

Sunday 17 July 

10.00  Fay Smith:  Eyebrook Wild Bird Feed -  A look at bird life and conservation work at the award winning Rectory Farm

10.30  Ed and James Harrison - Shining a Light on Extinction.  Species across the globe are disappearing. As brothers and creative collaborators, this duo are on a mission to protect endangered animals through our interactive art.

11.00  Vanessa Amaral-Rogers, RSPB.  How science is helping conservation at the RSPB.  Around 60 scientists in the RSPB Centre of Conservation Science working on the most pressing issues across the UK and abroad.

11.30  Antonio Navarro.  Iberian Lynx Conservation through Photography in Penalajo. How to protect the Iberian Lynx in Sierra Morena.

12.00  Wynona Legg, RSPB. The charity's Plovers in Peril partnership, funded by the Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk, supported by Natural England.

12.30  Dr Charles Anderson. Marinelife, Komodo Dragons, volcanic scenery, and plenty of birds, around Indonesia’s Komodo National Park

13.00  Martin Beaton. A lively illustration of the diversity of bird life in the Falkland Islands - and Penguin pictures!

13.30   Sam Wootton, RSPB.   Willow Tits - Results from the first national survey of the fastest declining resident bird in the UK.

14.00  Sara Frost. St Kilda.  A voyage to one of the most breathtaking corners of the British Isles with Sara Frost from Naturetrek

14.30  Jeremy Purseglove.  Rockingham Forest Vision is a conservation initiative in Northants, re-establishing links between ancient woods

15.00  Jan Stannard. Rewilding and birds: stories, facts and fiction

15.30  Kieran Lawrence.  Low Carbon Birding, The Spurn Edition.  Summarising climate change impacts on migration, and Spurn as an alternative holiday destination

CURLEW

Friday 15 July

09.30 Edson Moroni Vicente Cardoso Marques. The Pantanal is one of the main ecosystems in Brazil, a destination to discover the richness of birds and a memorable experience to search for jaguars

10.00  Martin Hughes-Games. How we can help curb disease spread via feeder contact

10.30 Bret Charman. South Luangwa - A photographers paradise. Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park is one of Africa’s finest wildlife hotspots and a  photographer’s dream destination!

11.00 Roger Safford, BirdLife International.The Lost Birds. A rundown of these mysterious species, their discoveries, where they arere found and what it means for conservation. 

11.30 Balázs Szigeti. Snow Leopards and the spectacular wildlife in Mongolia 

12.00 Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife International.''Canaries in the coalmine’- what birds tell us.

12.30 Birdwatching in Azerbaijan. Talking about potential, the main bird species and the main  birdwatching areas to visit in Azerbaijan

13.00 Richard Peters. Secrets to successful wildlife photography.

13.30 Paul Hackett. Phonescoping. How to take pictures and video with phone and 'scope 

14.00 Jari Peltomäki. Finland´s colorful autumn.

14.30 Tonia Cochran. Iconic Australian birds and mammals.

15.00 Attila Steiner. Every season promises spectacular birding in Hungary! The national parks of Hungary: Hortobágy, Kiskunság, Bükk, Zemplén.

15.30 Luke Massey, Sony. Notes From Wild Finca.Turning an old cattle farm into a wildlife oasis and documenting it with Sony cameras.

16.00 Andy Tucker.Wildlife of Peru

16.30 Lloyd Scott. Committee Against Bird Slaughter

17.00 Luis Segura. Wildlife of Southern Patagonia

Saturday 16 July

09.30 Mark Thomas. Birds of Buckton

10.00 Mati Kose. Wildlife in Estonia.

10.30 Kerrie Porteous. Highlights of the Swiss Alps

11.00 Kate Mennie. Scotland's Top 20 Species - from Ptarmigan to White-tailed Eagles. 

11.30 Massimiliano Biasioli.  A Year in the Wild Arctic

12.00 Rick Simpson. Wader Passion

12.30 How searching for endemic birds in Panama led to rainforest conservation and 56 new species

13.00 Phil Espin.The Lincolnshire Bird Trail. The new Birds of Lincolnshire book and Bird Trail means it's time to visit Lincolnshire.

13.30 Mohit Aggarwal.Western tourists influencing Birding in India.

14.00 Joe Davis. Discovery of the Rutland sea dragon.

14.30 Harry Munt. Rewilding, one sparrow at a time. How conserving this unassuming, small bird could make big changes in conservation.

15.00 Alejandro Valenzuela. Destinations and birdwatching in Quito

15.30 Tom Mason, Nikon. Why you need binoculars in wildlife photography.

16.00 Alberto Bosque Coello. Ecotourism in Castilla y León, Spain 

16.30 Michael Webster. The Condor's Feather. Inspirational stories about travelling wild in South America, Patagonia to Colombia.

17.00 Luis Eduardo Urueña. Conserving a Harpy Eagle Nesting area in Colombia

Sunday 17 July

09.30 Mike Alibone, Optics Editor, Birdwatch Magazine. An Insight into Birding Optics

10.00 BirdLife International/Amigos de la Janda. La Janda. The Global Birdfair2022 Project

10.30 Bret Charman: Journey to two of Europe’s finest bear watching locations - Finland’s boreal forests and the Dinaric Alps in Slovenia.

11.00 Emma Healey. A different perspective.Emma explains how to bring the tiny universe of insects, flowers and fauna to life with a macro lens.

11.30 Ollie Metcalf, British Birds. Overland migration of Common Scoter.

12.00 Jonathan C Eames. Conserving Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary

12.30 Kevin Shaw. Scottish Birds

13.00 Luke Massey, Sony. Notes From a Wild Finca. Turning an old cattle farm into a wildlife oasis and documenting it with Sony cameras

13.30 Tom Mabbett. Wildlife of the Alladale Estate, north of Inverness, Scotland

14.00 Paul Hackett. Phonescoping. The basics 

14.30 Eleni Galinou. Birding on Lesvos Island, Greece.

15.00 Carlos Bethancourt. Panama: A Birding  Paradise 

15.30 Adam Riley. The Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater

16.00 Vanessa Palacios. Why a World Birdfairs Council?  

PLOVER

Friday 15 July

09.30 Richard Peters. Back Garden Safari.

10.00 Gary Albert. Birding in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

10.30 Dr Charles Anderson. Raja Ampat in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago

11.00 Bennett Hennessey. World Land Trust. Birdwatching Bolivia.

11.30 Kate Mennie. SWcotland's wildlife - from Ptarmigan to White-tailed Eagles. T

12.00 Kieran Lawrence. Low Carbon Birding, The Spurn Edition. Summarising climate change impacts on migration and Spurn as an alternative holiday destination

12.30 Tohar Tal. Raptor migration in the Batumi bottleneck

13.00 Alfredo Scott. Quetzal's, birders and farmers, win-win story

13.30 Boris Belchev. Lithuania. 

14.00 Helen Bryon. Wildlife of the Pantanal

14.30 Craig Jones. Best of British.Witness some of the amazing wildlife we have here in the UK with my talk that celebrates all that is beautiful in our British countryside.

15.00 Mohit Aggarwal. Bird-centric ecotourism in Indian Himalayas

15.30 Richard Porter. Birding in a War Zone

16.00 Ana Paula Oxom. Guatemala Birding.

16.30 Arjun Sinsinwar. Secrets of the Sundarbans - the world’s largest mangrove forest.

17.00 Adam Riley. Showcasing some of Adam’s favourite bird photos coupled with stories of his   adventures in finding them.

Saturday 16 July

09.30 Dominic Couzens & Gail Ashton.  July  - A dull birding month but great for insects

10.00 Dr Ernest Garcia. African Birds in southern Spain. Relating historical, recent and ongoing colonisations and vagrancies of African bird species to climatic and anthropogenic influences.

10.30 Iain Campbell. Habitats of the World. A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists and Ecologists

11.00 Derek Gow. The History of Beavers

12.00 Project Representative, La Janda. The Global Birdfair Project

12.30 Jonathan Mullard. The Welsh New Naturalists. Birds, books and illustrators - the seven Welsh regional volumes of the Collins New Naturalist series.

13.00 Dan Brown. Scotland - World Class Wildlife

13.30 Rob Read. The Art of Wildlife Photography

14.00 Helen Bryon. Great Whales of Mexico's Pacific Coast.

14.30 Martin Kelsey. How conservation benefits from birding in Extremadura, Spain 

15.00 Kevin Shaw. Scottish Birds.

15.30 Francesc Kirchner. Delta Birding Festival. The most important ornithological event in Catalonia that annually contributes to bird conservation projects

16.00 Marek Borkowski. Poland's birds

16.30 Paul Howden-Leach. A whistlestop tour of methods for identifying bird song though sonograms

17.00 Keith Betton. In search of the Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch

Sunday 17 July

09.30 Peter Howe. Camera Satellite Tags - The Next Generation. A Project aiming to use cutting edge technology to combat those persecuting birds of prey

10.00 Adams Toussaint. The Status and Conservation of Saint Lucia Forest Birds.

10.30 Tom Mason, Nikon. Photographic advice for beginners on where to find wildlife, how to get close to your subjects and more

11.00 Ruth Miller. Birdwatching - not just a man's world! A lighthearted celebration of birdwatching and the role women have played within it

11.30 Aaron Russ.Birding New Zealand's Sub-Antarctic Islands

12.00 Helen Bryon. Discover the Kalahari desrt

12.30. Neil Aldridge Stepping from photography to videography.

13.00 Craig Jones. Best of British. Witness some of the amazing wildlife we have here in the UK with my talk that celebrates all that is beautiful in our British countryside.

13.30  Steve Lovell. Lincolnshire - A Naturalist's Paradise 

14.00  Rick Simpson. Wader Passion

14.30 Mark Evans. The Rutland Icythyosaur.

15.30 Martin Kelsey. How conservation benefits from birding in Extremadura, Spain

16.00 Michael Webster. The Condor's Feather. Inspirational stories about travelling wild in South America, Patagonia to Colombia.