Thursday, 27 August 2015

John Finlayson

It is with deep regret and sadness that I record the passing of Bird Club member John Finlayson who died suddenly last Friday.

John was a relatively new member to the club who had found a re-kindled passion for birds rather later in life. 

Living in the north east of the county he spent much of his recent time at the Titchmarsh reserve at Thrapston Gravel Pits and was the main conduit for the passing of information of regular sightings on the complex. He loved the beauty of birds and other wildlife and was always striving to capture that essence in his photography.

John was one of those characters who would quietly sit on the sidelines but was never idle and would rush headlong in to a situation if he could see an opportunity of enthusing others about his passion and intrigue for birds and the habitat in which they dwell. The Starling murmuration at Titchmarsh is perhaps a great example of a local wildlife event which he just had to tell the world about.

John will be much missed and leaves a big hole in the birding scene, particularly towards the east of the county.

Our thoughts and condolences are with John's family at this difficult time.

Neil McMahon

Wednesday, 26 August 2015

Next Indoor Meeting - Wednesday 2nd September 2015.

Hello

I am very happy to announce that our speaker at the next indoor meeting of the club on Wednesday 2nd September 2015 will be Dr Mark Avery. Mark provided a presentation in January this year which was very well received and since then he has been very busy publicising the effects of Wildlife Crime and particularly the demise of the Hen Harrier as a breeding species in England. Mark is the author of the recently released book 'Inglorious' and joint author of 'Behind the Binoculars' also recently released. It is likely that Mark will have a small stock of both publications for sale on the night.

The subject of the presentation will be associated with the on-going conflict on the wild uplands of the UK, where the effects of grouse-shooting continues to have a devastating effect on the fortunes of other British wildlife, and no doubt we will be involved in some lively discussions which our guest speaker will be happy to provide a point of view!

As usual the meeting will commence at 7.30pm at our venue of the Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir, Brixworth Road, Holcot, NN6 9SJ. Hot drinks and biscuits will be available and everyone is welcome!

Neil McMahon


Red Grouse

Thursday, 6 August 2015

Bugs, birds and burgers

A great meeting yesterday evening at Pitsford.  20 plus members enjoyed a range of activities, including a bird walk along the bank of the Holcot Bay, and the identification of various moths, beetles and other insects in the lab.

And to top it off we could all enjoy a sausage or a burger cooked by our very own chairman!

Many went away with macro photos of many of the bugs and moths - and there have been no complaints of illness as a result of the cooking!! If anyone wants to send me some samples of their photos I'll post them here - or add them yourself.

Many thanks to all concerned in putting together a very enjoyable evening.

Monday, 3 August 2015

Green Flag Award for Pitsford

Congratulations to Sarah Gibbs and her team at Pitsford for being awarded a Keep Britain Tidy Green Flag award.  Pitsford Nature Reserve was jointly recognised by the award with Pitsford Water Park and Brixworth Country Park.

Well done Sarah!

Read more