DATE: Thursday 26th September 2024
TIME: 7.30pm to 9.30pm
JOIN IN: Either in person at Gresham Village Hall or live online via Zoom from home
A BIT ABOUT THE SPEAKERS AND THEIR TALKS: Members' Night means 4 club member speakers with 4 mini talks. Always a highlight of the talks season! This year we have ....
TALK 1 Mark Boyd: 150 Norfolk Birds in 2023
The title says it all! Mark first visited Cley from his childhood home in Dorset in 1972. He saw 126 species, including 20 lifers, on that visit in the October half term, and he has been back regularly ever since. After a PhD on the sex life of primroses and a working life spent in nature conservation communications, he escaped to Holt permanently just before lockdown and has hardly left the county since. On moving here, he was only slightly surprised that he knew more Norfolk birders from two years working with British Birds magazine in the 1980s than from over 24 years at Sandy. He is still Features Editor for the member magazine of the Beds, Cambs and Northants Wildlife Trust and teaches wildlife art workshops with Art Safari Ltd. He is a bird ringer, and at time of writing had seen 399 bird species in Britain, but still no storm petrel!
TALK 2 Val & Mick Walker: Bird Behaviour
Val & Mick's talk covers changes in bird plumage, displaying and courtship, all illustrated by their photographs which they will give a little bit of background on. They hope it will remind people why we all find birds both interesting and beautiful!
TALK 3 Kirsty Turner: Delaware Bay - a shorebird paradise?
Kirsty Turner is a past RSPB staff member, wader ringer, and local science teacher. Kirsty's talk will summarise the ongoing study of the western Atlantic flyway focussing on Delaware Bay. She has made two annual visits with a UK team who work alongside US teams to help monitor and catch waders in the bay. Horseshoe crab spawning in the bay provides the birds with a refuelling stop as they head for the Arctic breeding grounds.
TALK 4 John Hurst: Short or Tall Stories? – You Decide
As a professional watercolourist and author, John is well known for his exhibitions along the Norfolk coast depicting the atmospheric landscape and interesting maritime heritage. As an observer of birds, the artist will sometimes include them in his studies, particularly when exhibiting at Cley Marshes Visitors’ Centre, a favoured annual location since 2007. As a club member since its formation, John says he has been honoured to have his work featured in the annual reports and newsletters. He has written and illustrated six books, the journeys of John Wesley, founder of Methodism, Norfolk coastal walks, a sketchbook, local social history and fifty-year celebration memoir all of which had a charitable element attached to them. Most of these publications include first hand stories, sometimes irreverent, tragic, or simply funny. As his contribution to the members’ presentation evening, John will attempt to recall a dozen of the somewhat ‘interesting’ birding stories supported by watercolour images and photographs. As the title implies, some defy belief!
AT THE HALL: Those of you attending in-person at the hall can expect a selection of home-made cakes plus tea, coffee, hot chocolate, wine and cold drinks during the interval and of course the chance to socialise with other members. We can cater for gluten-free or other requirements if you let us know in advance. We have a 2nd hand ‘natural world’ book stall for you to purchase from / contribute your no-longer-required stock to, supplies of our publications to buy (including our annual bird reports), a display of member photos and details on our upcoming events. We are happy to offer members’ old birding equipment for sale at our events (or in our newsletter) with a contribution going to club funds.
BOOKING ARRANGEMENTS: It is always nice to know if you are coming to the hall but by no means essential so if it takes your fancy on the evening, please just turn up as we would love to see you and we have plenty of space! If you are intending to join via Zoom though, you definitely need to let us know in advance so we can get the link out to you in good time.
ACCESSIBILITY: The hall is wheelchair accessible. The level car park at the hall is shingle but we can reserve a space next to the entrance if you need it.
GOING GREEN!: The hall isn’t really accessible by public transport but if you are able to walk or cycle to the event that would be fantastic! Alternatively, car-sharing is encouraged. We are working on a way to best facilitate this but in the meantime, have a chat with folks at any of our events and contact them by email via the member page of our website to arrange something for next time, or let us know and we will try to put you in touch.
DIRECTIONS: Gresham Village Hall, East Beckham Road off Church Lane, Gresham, Norfolk, NR11 8RT but note the published postcode might not take you to exactly the right spot! If you are coming through Aylmerton and Lower Gresham, turn right by the church (just after the school) and the hall is on your left. If you are coming through Gresham, turn left at the church (just before the school) and the hall is on your left. If you are dropping down from East Beckham, the hall is on your right opposite the church.
PARKING: Access to the hall car park is off East Beckham Road, opposite the church. There is additional parking on the road along the side of the church itself and an overflow car park has kindly been offered to us by Gresham Village School. The school car park is located on Cromer Road to the left of the school as you face it and at the left-hand end of the row of houses – about a 300m walk from the hall. Please park considerately to allow maximum number of cars in the car parks and on the road but with enough space for passing traffic to be able to get through, including agricultural vehicles. We can send you a map of the locality on request.
