Guest speakers

Roy Atkins, holiday guide for Speyside Wildlife, talks about how he became captivated by birds as a child and how this led to his current wonderful job leading wildlife tours round the world.

After a brief look at how his interest all started and developed, we’ll be treated to some of Roy’s highlight wildlife sightings from his career, from Pine Martens to Jaguars, Polar Bears to King Penguins, Resplendent Quetzals, Snow Leopards, and from mighty whales to tiny hummingbirds.

We’ll finish with some personal thoughts on how things have changed, the future of wildlife watching and why he is now running a wildlife identification course.

A journey through birds of Europe and Africa by wildlife photographer, Nick Wilcox-Brown

Nick Brooks, WWT Martin Mere’s General Manager, reports on his fascinating trip this winter. See his travels across Japan taking in what are probably the best winter wildlife spectacles in the whole of Asia.

Searching for endemic and migrant waders in Australia. Another Wader Quest offering with the usual mix of nail-biting stories, wonderful photographs of some very special birds and a good dose of mishaps, in all their inglorious detail.

Where are we with Curlew conservation? Are we winning the battle? An overview of what is happening and the new initiatives to save this much loved wader.

Why, after twenty-five years in academia, would someone want to give it all up for the altogether more unpredictable life of a broadcaster? George decided that he'd had enough of 'preaching the to the converted' and thought that it was time to reach a much wider audience. Today, when the natural world is under threat like never before, it is vital that people learn the consequences of declining biodiversity and habitat loss and do something about it before it's too late.

George McGavin studied Zoology at Edinburgh University, followed by a PhD in entomology at Imperial College and the Natural History Museum in London. After 25 years as an academic at Oxford University he became an award-winning television presenter. George is an Honorary Research Associate of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and an Honorary Principal Research Fellow at Imperial College.

Louise presents a fascinating insight into the world of caring for Swifts & Hirundines, the trials and tribulations and case studies of individual birds. Louise takes in between 50 and 60 Swifts, Swallows and Martins each year, that have found themselves grounded for a variety of reasons. Louise runs Bolton and Bury Swifts conservation group and is a member of the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council.

Image credit: Alex Critchley

Simon Roy is an award-winning wildlife photographer based in Yorkshire, UK. His work is widely published and has been highly commended in the British Wildlife Photography Awards, International Garden Photographer of the Year, and Bird Photographer of the Year competitions.

Join him for his talk on ‘Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer’, learning the stories behind some of his best wildlife encounters and most successful images.

Don't worry it's not panto, but a 360-degree sweep of the state of nature and humanity, from a bird's eye view. What can we learn and what are we missing?

A journey through birds of Europe and Africa by wildlife photographer, Nick Wilcox-Brown

An update on the GCSE in Natural History and why it is needed. Mary will also explore how nature education can be adopted throughout education and into the workplace.

Nick Baker is a naturalist and television presenter, best known for his work with the BBC. As part of this talk, learn about his personal passion for swifts and how he reinstated a colony, gaining insight into how you can do it too.