RSPB North West Surrey Local Group letter 2019 - 3 Group Web Site - rspb.org.uk/groups/nwsurrey Know your Members p2 :: Members’ Photos p8 :: Book Review p10 :: Ins & Outs p11 :: Future Events p15 COMMITTEE CHAT Welcome to our third issue for 2019. It's easy to become demoralised if you're a conservationist. Climate change, poaching, plastic pollution, deforestation, increasing numbers of species on the endangered list. It all seems too much as daily headlines predict we are all doomed. And what can we as individuals do about it anyway? Well, quite a lot actually. The RSPB and other organizations such as WWF, WWT, Greenpeace, and so forth are battling away, whether it be in the corridors of power, the courts, or, as with Extinction Rebellion bringing central London to a standstill. Sir David Attenborough is influencing millions with his unmatched ability to engage us all. And there are triumphs, even if they seem small. In the UK, red kites, cirl buntings, peregrines, roseate terns, cranes are all increasing in number, and rewilding projects at Knepp in Sussex and Alladale in the Highlands lead the way in restoring nature to our countryside. The message is, keep fighting. There will be setbacks, but we are part of a huge conservation army. Political leaders know our votes count so don't let up. The younger generation is far more aware of the threat of ecological disaster than ours. So make your voice count by continuing to support conservation organizations and lobbying politicians when you get the chance. Our group is a microcosm of our country's support for wildlife. We have spread the word at Wisley where so many volunteers from our group willingly give up their time to lead bird walks and engage with visitors; we engage enthused audiences in our local community with our Birds of Surrey talks, we continue to vote with our feet by guiding walks and visiting and thereby supporting our nature reserves and hopefully we pay our subscriptions to conservation organisations to help them function effectively. The summer issue of Nature's Home contains some astonishing statistics. RSPB local groups over the last 50 years have carried out 12 million hours of volunteer work, raised £25 million, given 80,000 wildlife talks and guided 120,000 walks. So let's give ourselves a pat on the back and carry on the good work. Legh, Steve, and Ken have worked hard to put together an attractive programme outdoors and indoors for our new season, so assure yourself of an entertaining autumn by supporting the events. Your committee is aware that some members are reluctant to drive late at night to indoor meetings. From our September meeting we will try to arrange lifts for anyone who would like. Just contact a committee member if you are interested and we will try to arrange it for you. And do give us feedback on all our activities so we know which places you'd like to visit and which speakers and topics particularly appeal. It's your group, so let's make it even better. The Committee Forthcoming meetings We have a good and varied programme of speakers at our indoor meetings, whose talks we are sure you will enjoy, so make sure you put these dates in your diary now. Thursday 26th September - ‘The Comical Puffin’ by David Boag. We resume our monthly meetings with this rescheduled talk, and what better way to start our season than by taking a look at one of our most charismatic species? Look forward to stunning underwater and underground photography, and learn about how a bird that may be clumsy on land but is a master of the deep oceans where it spends the majority of its life. Thursday 24th October - ‘Project Owl’, by Hugh Hanmer. Hugh talks to us about our most charismatic bird family and the efforts of the BTO to learn about and help preserve our owl species. Thursday 28th November - ‘Birding in the Gambia and the Sine-Saloum delta, Senegal’, by Glenn Duggan. A welcome return to the well known birding sites in the Gambia, and a lesser known wetland one in neighbouring Senegal. Thursday 23rd January 2020 - ‘Camouflage Without Spots’, by Ian Alexander. Ian will tell us about the principles of animal camouflage. His talk will use physical objects and photos to illustrate the tricks that animals play to keep themselves concealed. Please note the FINAL CUT OFF DATE for the next issue is THE LAST WEEKEND of October 2019. The views expressed by contributors to this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Committee, the Editor, or the RSPB. All trading names and references are acknowledged to be owned by their respective companies or individuals. © RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2019 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 1 7 Menu Know your Members - Ron Jackson This edition features Ron Jackson. Ron attends almost all our indoor meetings. If the weather is clement, his Harley will be parked outside, and a very impressive beast it is. He is also a regular on the midweek walks, assisting Steve. Over the years he has made many bird boxes for sale by the group and we have no doubt that these five star establishments have been much appreciated by their blue tit (and perhaps other species) occupants. How did you first become interested in birds and wildlife? I have always lived in Englefield Green. I can easily walk to Windsor Great Park so from an early age, about 10, a friend who lived next door and I would spend all day in the park, watching the birds and wildlife before going home for tea. Nobody worried about our safety in those days. A popular spot was Smith's Lawn. In the winter, we'd slide the double doors back to the Queen's heated box and sit in her chair and watch the birds from there. I'm sure they'll have improved security now! How did you come to join our group? In early 1993 I visited the club as a guest at an indoor meeting. I saw a coach trip to Minsmere advertised which I went on and really enjoyed. I joined the group soon after. Where have you enjoyed birding with the group? I have been on most of the foreign birding trips which the group have organized by club members since 2006. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of these, particularly Bulgaria, Lesvos, and Georgia. Which are you favourite birds? All of them, but especially raptors and owls. What are your favourite local wildlife sites? Locally, I like Wraysbury Pits, Staines Moor and Staines Reservoir. Further afield, Pagham Harbour, - and a weekend in Norfolk can't be bettered. Do you have any bogey birds and any you'd especially like to see? Dotterel and little auk are bogeys. And I love to see any kind of albatross. © RSPB North West Surrey Local Group – 2019 © The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, in Scotland no. SC037654 2 1 Menu Do you have any favourite wildlife presenters? I'll happily listen to or watch any wildlife programmes, but I especially like Chris Packham and Gordon Buchanan who do so much to promote wildlife. What was your occupation? All my working career was as a wood machinist. For the last 25 years before retirement, I tried to teach woodworking skills to Brunel students. It was during my time there that I made many nest boxes out of recycled lab worktops. These were made out of iroko, an African hardwood. This is ideal for outdoor use and otherwise would have gone into the skip. Over the years, the group sold many of these boxes which I hope made homes for tits and other birds. Are there any wildlife issues that make you angry? Yes. Raptor persecution both in this country and worldwide is a disgrace. So is the "murder" of sharks, just for their fins. Appalling in this day and age. What other hobbies do you enjoy? I have owned a Harley Davidson for about 10 years. Fortunately my wife also like Harleys. I have used it for several twitches as it is much easier to get through traffic and to park. I used it to twitch bee eaters on the Isle of Wight as it's a lot cheaper and easier to get on the ferry. The downside is that it's very noisy for birdwatching and with my scope, tripod, and bins, there is no room for flask and sandwiches. AGM 2019 Our AGM covering the year 2018-2019 took place on 27 June and, as in recent years, was very well attended. The Leader’s report covered the Group’s activities during the year highlighting the various events but especially the ongoing relationship with RHS at Wisley Gardens, particularly with in events and leading birdwatching walks. This may hopefully lead to being asked to lead more walks next year. The group returned to the Knaphill Show in July 2018 after a few years’ absence. Street collections have continued, and we have branched out into local area talks to other organisations, which are helping to bring in funds. The indoor meetings are quite well attended, and we would welcome any new ideas and constructive comments. Outdoor trips also have been successful thanks to Legh Langston and Steve Williams. Thanks also to Sharon Bristow for her organising, Peter Hambrook for the website, Marion Sharps for the street collections, Ken Sutton for the indoor meetings and talks, Jenny and Suzanne for the raffles at the meetings.