2024

Feb 28    Joint with Herts Natural History Society                                                                           The BEAVER Natural Flood Management Project           Sarah Brockless

                 A fascinating account of how a small population of beavers has successfully diverted
                water from the village of Finchingfield in Essex, which flooded regularly.

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Mar 27   My Life as a Naturalist                                                              Tom Gladwin

               Reflection on his extraordinary experiences, both in his employment career and as a                         hobby. Many highlights, but the Amwell Nature reserve has to be a notable triumph, as                     he recognised its water quality and potential as an outstanding habitat. 

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Apr  24  The Restoration of Danesbury Fernery                                       John Roper

                How it evolved from overgrown wilderness to acknowledged fine garden, fernery, and                      public amenity. John gave an entertaining illustrated talk about the various working                         groups, and Colin, a keen Pteridologist, outlined the species to be seen there and                                 explained how to match ferns correctly with suitable growing conditions.  

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May 22   Wings and Things in Scotland.                                                Richard Pople

               Richard Pople stepped in at very short notice with stunning slides and shots of eagles,                         puffins, peregrines to name a few birding triumphs, but also martins and red squirrels,                    with amusing holiday anecdotes thrown in.

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June 26  Butterflies & Moths                           Andrew Wood, Butterfly Conservation

            Again at short notice Andrew Wood, butterfly and moth recorder and record collator for
             Herts & Middx Butterfly Conservation gave a talk on both butterflies and moths, their                       differences and identification and life cycles.                                   

 

Sept 25  Aren't Midges Great! Environmental Change Indicators Extraordinaire                                                                                     Steve Brooks Natural History Museum

             How midges can be used to study climate change. Chironomid Midges, with no biting                         mouthparts, are plentiful and easy to identify (with practice), and are known to flourish in               particular temperature ranges.By taking sample cores from undisturbed lakes and                            identifying skeletal remains of midges a species profile can give a guide to local water                        temperature over time. The data could be verified using oxygen isotope frequency, and also              seemed to tie in with bird data.

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Oct 23   Fungi: The Good, the Bad, and the Unexpected                      

                                                                              Prof John Lucas, Rothamsted Research

            He described the wide range of organisms in this fungal kingdom, neither plant nor                           animal, and their varying means of sustaining life. We mainly see their fruiting bodies, some             of them delicious, others cause illness or are lethally poisonous. Other microscopic species                   damage crops. During questions it was established that there are species of marine fungi.

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Nov 27  The Impact of Bird Flu on our Wild Birds                Prof Phil Atkinson, BTO

         He has worked on data gathering throughout the last 4 years since the H5N1 strain was                    identified, and talked us through the initial locations of outbreaks and species affected. These            have changed over time, and now the HN virus has jumped to other species including,                        worryingly, mammals.

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Dec 11  Light-hearted Quiz  and Christmas gathering