SBBOT: Meetings & Walks
Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory Trust (SBBOT)
Thursday Club
Indoor Meetings for 2010:
The talks will start again in September.
A series of illustrated talks from guest speakers, exploring wildlife near and far. Please feel free to attend all of the talks, just one or a number in between.
This is a relaxed way to take yourself to pastures new on cold winter evenings.
Field Centre opens at 19.00, talks start at 19.30 and end at about 21.30 with a break for refreshments after about one hour.
All welcome, £3.00 per member, £4.00 non-member.
| September | |
|---|---|
| 9th | Peter and Pauline Heathcote - Mexico |
| Peter and Pauline kick off our winter talks programme with a trip from the Pacific coast with its nesting green turtles to see the millions of hibernating monarch butterflies in the highlands of Mexico, and much more in between. | |
| 16th | Heather Willis - Mull, Iona and Arran |
| Heather will take us on a tour of these three islands off the fragmented west coast of Scotland. From the towering granite peaks of the geologically outstanding Isle of Arran, with its peaceful, sandy bays, to the tiny, tranquil island of Iona, this is a journey of contrasts. The atmospheric Isle of Mull, the second largest of the Inner Hebrides, with fingers of moorland radiating from a mountainous centre, provides some truly dramatic views and a striking backdrop to some beautiful wildlife. | |
| 23rd | Brian Short - Cambodia |
| Until recently, one of the least visited countries in SE Asia, Cambodia’s ancient monuments and friendly people are making it an increasingly popular destination. It is possibly the last stronghold for vultures in SE Asia and Brian’s trip involves a search for almost mythical species like White-headed Duck and Mekong wagtail | |
| 30th | |
| October | John Wyatt - Pelicans and Brown Bears |
| 7th | Danube Delta is rightly renowned for its birdlife such as
Dalmatian Pelican in Summer and Red-breasted Goose in Winter but Romania has many other exciting habitats to offer with its sandy plains, rolling hillsides, diverse woodlands and craggy mountains. This talk looks at the special birds of all of these including the Delta. A few nonavian surprises are also in store. |
| 14th | Bill Coster - Bill does Britain |
| By popular demand Bill has put together a show that covers the wildlife and landscape of the British Isles. The show follows the seasons as the year unfolds and concentrates on the best that Britain has to offer. Some of the highlights are spectacular bluebell woods, seabird cities, migratingwaders, Scottish highland landscapes, amazing Red Kites in action and the many wildfowl species that visit the British Isles in winter. | |
| 21st | Allan Hale - Birds and Animals of Argentina |
| A birding trip to Argentina from top(Iguazu Falls) to bottom (Tierra del Fuego). Although Allan’s show concentrates mostly on birds, including 2 species of penguin, we can look forward to close-ups of 2 species of whale and some spectacular scenic shots. | |
| 28th | David Cottridge - Shadow of the Moon Mountain |
| Birds of the Negev Desert in southern Israel and the spectacular spring migration through Eilat. David is one of the UK’s top photographers and his talk will illustrate species such as Little Green Bee-eaters, Hoopoe Larks, Masked Shrikes, Caspian Plovers and the great movements of raptors and wagtails. We’ll also have a chance to see desert birds like Cream-coloured Courser and sandgrouse, all amid the still beauty of the desert scenery. | |
| November | |
| 4th | Brenda Holcombe - Alaska and the Pribilof Islands |
| The State of Alaska is enormous. We begin in Seward on the Kenai Peninsula and then fly to the Pribilof Islands to visit the seabird colonies. Back on the mainland, we travel inland to Denali National Park, a vast wilderness with bears and wolves. We then visit Nome, a coastal town that dominated the area during the Gold Rush era and an area rich in plant and bird life. In the extreme north we visit the rather bleak surroundings of Barrow before returning to Homer on the Kenai Peninsula, now in summer with the flora at its best. | |
| 11th | Pete Findley - The Caatinga, Brazil |
| Pete takes us with him on a journey in Brazil in his own inimitable style - one not to be missed! | |
| 18th | David Pelling - Costa Rica |
| An account of a ‘family’ journey to enjoy the wildlife of Costa Rica, organised by Saga (for the over 50's). It was a great trip, taking in Cloud Forest, Rain Forest, and coast. | |
| 25th | John Cantalo - Birding Cadiz Province, Southern Spain |
| John has visited Cadiz province several times a year since 2005 when he bought a house in the village of Alcala de los Gazules.Having seen hundreds of raptors, of no less than 18 species, from the house's terrace, there's hardly any need to "go out" birding at all. Unfortunately for an idolent birder, there's a fantastic range of birding habitats, with the birds to match, in the province.With semi-steppe, woodland, mountain, marsh and coast are all within a few miles, despite his best intentions, he regularly finds himself enticed out in the 'field'.Rare birds like Crested Coot, Little and White-rumped Swift, Ruppell's Vulture and Rufous Bush Chat also help! |
|
| December | |
| 2nd | tba |
| 9th | John Buckingham - Okavango, Etosha & the Skeleton Coast |
| We start our journey in Botswana, following the lush riverine forest and bush along the Chobe River into one of the World's greatest wetlands - the Okavango Delta with its very special animals and birds. On then by great contrast into the neighbouring desert country of Namibia and its amazingly diverse wildlife from the Namib/Naukluft Desert, the dramatic Skeleton Coast with wetlands supporting big numbers of wintering European waders and ending in Etosha, one of Africa's great National Parks. |
