2007/2008 Programme of
Indoor Meetings

Our indoor evening meetings bring you a variety of professional speakers to give illustrated talks on birding, conservation and general natural history. You can learn about new destinations and add to your understanding of how the natural world works. You'll also keep up to date with Group news and have a chance to book for outings.

Evening meetings are held at 6.45pm in St Columba's Church Hall [map], Pont Street, SW1 (nearest tube stations: Knightsbridge or Sloane Square or South Kensington). Coffee and biscuits are available from 6.15pm. The meetings usually finish at about 8.30pm.

There is an entrance charge for evening meetings of Ł4 for RSPB members or Ł5 for non-members. Under-16s Ł1 for Wildlife Explorers members or Ł1.50 for non-members. A season ticket is available covering all evening meetings except the social evening - Ł24 (RSPB members). There is a small extra charge for the two social evenings, to cover refreshments.

There is no need to book for our indoor meetings - just come along.

See also our programme of field trips.

BIRDS ACROSS THE CHANNEL	Thursday 13 September 2007 Dominic Couzens Speaking to our group for the first time in seven years, Dominic is the author of several best-selling books, a contributor to birdwatching magazines and a leader of field trips. This talk looks at what is different about the birds on the other side of the English Channel. Many interesting case-studies of European birds are used to explore the differences in behaviour.
BIRDS OF WOODLAND AND WETLAND	Thursday 18 October 2007 Victor J. Scott Woodland and wetland are two familiar locations to British birdwatchers, and this talk aims to deepen our understanding of the birds which can be seen in these habitats. Victor is a freelance naturalist with much experience gained in the UK and overseas. He has lectured in ecological studies for over 30 years.
NEPAL AND THE HIMALAYAS	Thursday 08 November 2007 Tim Loseby Tim is a bird photographer and tour leader and will use his images to illustrate the birds which can be seen in this remote area. 9% of the world’s known bird species have been observed in Nepal, including some that breed at high altitudes and others that pass through on migration.
CHRISTMAS SOCIAL and SHORT TALK	Thursday 13 December 2007 Louise Wells Louise is Conservation Project Officer at the London Wildlife Trust. She will tell us about the "LONDON WATER VOLE PROJECT" and the work to conserve this species throughout the London area and reverse the sharp decline in its numbers. The talk will be followed by Christmas refreshments for which there will be a small extra charge.
MIGRATION, RINGING and BIRDTRACK	Thursday 10 January 2008 Mark Grantham Mark will give us a whirlwind tour of the study of bird migration, from swallows at the bottom of ponds to live radar-tracking, passing through how bird ringing has contributed to our knowledge. We'll then see how our own bird records can contribute to the study of migration as we take a tour of the online BirdTrack project. Mark is a Population Biologist in the BTO's Demography Unit, and organises the BirdTrack online survey and the Constant Effort Site ringing scheme. He is a keen migration recorder, having studied migration in Colombia, Indonesia and Sweden and also sits on the Bird Observatories Council. (This is a change to our previously published programme.)
BUTTERFLIES OF BIRD RESERVES	Thursday 14 February 2008 Nick Bowles Many people develop an interest in butterflies through birdwatching. In a return visit to our group Nick, volunteer Conservation Officer for the Upper Thames branch of Butterfly Conservation, will explore the species which offer an extra dimension to our reserve visits in spring and summer.
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF BIRDS	Thursday 13 March 2008 Dr Timothy Seller Birds are very diverse: about 9,000 species are recorded, ranging from the smallest hummingbird to the largest raptor. Do all birds share a common ancestor? Are they really related to dinosaurs? How have they changed through time? Find out more in this talk by Dr Seller, a former lecturer in Zoology at Imperial College London.
BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA	Thursday 10 April 2008 John Buckingham John is a natural history photographer, tour leader and regular speaker to groups. More than 820 bird species have been described in Australia, of which an amazing 45% are endemic. From penguins and parrots to kookaburras and cassowaries, Australia has its share of spectacular birds which exist in some unique environments.
AGM and SHORT TALK and SOCIAL EVENING	Thursday 08 May 2008 Richard Winspear The evening will start with the Group's AGM. This will be followed by a short talk about "LIFE ON A STONE CURLEW PROJECT" by Richard Winspear. Richard is Agricultural Adviser at the RSPB. Timed to precede our coach outing to Weeting Heath in June 2008, we will learn about the efforts to protect this vulnerable species. We will finish with light refreshments and a chance to socialise. There will be a small extra charge to cover refreshments at the social evening.