A reminder that the Annual Conference for SOS members is at Clair Hall, Haywards Heath on 27th January next year. The speakers are:

 

Mark Avery
Title: An End to Raptor Persecution in our Uplands

Mark Avery was Conservation Director at the RSPB for 13 years and is now an environmental campaigner famous for fighting to stop the illegal persecution of hen harriers and other birds of prey on our moors managed for grouse shooting. Mark will update the conference on the campaign against driven grouse shooting and how he sees the environmental and wildlife destruction that it causes being brought to an end.

 

Graeme Lyons
Title: The birds of Sussex Wildlife Trust Reserves

Graeme Lyons is the Ecologist at Sussex Wildlife Trust. With his in-depth knowledge of the biodiversity present on Sussex Wildlife Trust’s 32 reserves he will talk about the bird life that you can find in these special places.

Richard Cowser
Title: Observations on Sussex birds – stories from the diaries of Mike Shrubb

Richard Cowser, SOS Acting Conservation Officer, has been entering Mike Shrubb’s hand-written records into the Society’s database. Mike was a founding member of the SOS and author of the 1979 seminal book The Birds of Sussex. He farmed at Sidlesham and was a pioneering thinker on the effects of changing agricultural practices on bird populations. Through Mike’s records Richard will relate stories of Sussex’s birds through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

John Hobson
Title: In Search of Penguins

John Hobson is a former Recorder for Sussex, writer of species accounts for The Birds of Sussex (1996 & 2014) and Assistant to the Editor of the annual report. John has been to the Antarctic region five times and will talk about his encounters with penguins.

 

There will be the usual wide range of stalls, including Páramo clothing and the second-hand natural history bookstall.  Buffet lunch is included in the £10 conference fee.

For further details and a booking form, please contact Val Bentley on chetsford@talk21.com