Winter Talks

TALKS 2023/2024

Unfortunately our committee could not recruit the manpower to run hybrid live and Zoom meetings as we did last winter. Reluctantly we agreed to ask our speakers if they would be prepared to give web based Zoom talks and fortunately they all agreed. Most talks will all be held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7.30pm (except Jan and April). There will be 100 tickets available for each evening. 

For the booking details please follow this link: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scottish-wildlife-trust-stirling-and-clackmannanshire-group-agm-tickets-861997887887?aff=oddtdtcreator


Coyright Iain Leach

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 5 March 2024

A Scotland wide SWT webinar:

Butterflies and moths of Scotland that most need our help

Anthony McCluskey (Butterfly Conservation)


An overview of Scotland's most threatened butterflies and moths, their status and what Butterfly Conservation is doing to help and how people can help them do this. With a particular focus on species within Stirling and Clacks, though many of these are covered by Scotland wide projects. Species covered will be Northern Brown Argus, Large Heath and Pearl Bordered Fritillary.  


Coyright  Sally Morris

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 16 April 2024

Short AGM held on Zoom

Pollinators with a focus on Solitary Wasps and other less well known pollinators

Melissa Shaw (Buglife)




PAST TALKS

PAST TALKS 2023/24 SEASON

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 3 October 2023

Wildlife of the Head of Loch Tay and the Tay Marshes SSSI

John Holland (Upland Ecologist SRUC Tyndrum)



Copyright Ben Andrews from RSPB-Images 

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 7 November 2023

The Lives of Cuckoos

James Silvey (RSPB)




Copyright Michael Christie 

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 5 December 2023

Seabirds of Scotland

Ally Lemon (NatureScot)




Coyright Daniele Muir

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 9 January 2024

Local Dragonflies and Damselflies

Daniele Muir (British Dragonfly Society)




Copyright Alistair Whyte

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 6 February 2024

Scotland's Important Plant Areas - Restoring Wild Plant Diversity - Current Progress

Alistair Whyte (Plantlife)

Alistair is Head of Plantlife Scotland, responsible for managing Plantlife's projects, advisory work, nature reserve work and advocacy in Scotland. He is a keen naturalist with a particular interest in mountain plants and birds, and is also a member of Scottish Wildlife Trust's Conservation Committee.

PAST TALKS 2022/23 SEASON

Please note that most on-line past talks can be viewed by going to:

Social wall | Scottish Wildlife Trust (Click on YOUTUBE)

OR

https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/watch-wildlife-online/online-talks/ 

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 7 March 2023

BATS AND TREES (RADIO-TRACKING TREE-ROOSTING BATS IN THE WEST OF SCOTLAND)

John Haddow


John has worked with bats and their conservation for over 40 years.  Currently chair of Central Scotland Bat Group, which was formed by him and others in 1984.  He has been a batworker with NatureScot (formerly SNH) doing casework since the 1980s.  After leaving schoolteaching in 2005 he started his consultancy company specialising in bats - Auritus Wildlife Consultancy.  Since 2010 has spent some time most summers investigating Leisler’s bat in the west and south of Scotland through radio-tracking.

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 7 February 2023

SOUTH OF SCOTLAND GOLDEN EAGLE PROJECT

Philip Munro,  Community Outreach Officer


The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project aims to reinforce the small, isolated and vulnerable population of Golden Eagles in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway. Through a series of translocations over a period of 5 years, the project  will look to increase numbers and prevent the loss of this majestic bird from southern skies. This talk will provide a brief introduction to the iconic golden eagle whilst exploring the background to the project and an update on our progress.

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 6 December 2022

ORCHID DECLINE IN SCOTLAND & OUR ORCHID MEADOW

Dr David Trudgill


David and his wife live at Newmill, just outside Blairgowrie where, since David’s retirement in 2002 from agricultural research, they have created a meadow which contains 14 species of orchids, all of which have been grown from seed scattered on the breeze. Their growing interest in orchids has led to them taking a wider interest in the changing fortunes of British orchids in a changing climate and what might be done to stem their decline. 


You can view a 3min video of the orchids in the meadow that was made for a Hardy Orchid Soc. competition. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHsloczry94

7.30 p.m. Tuesday 1 November 2022

A YEAR IN THER LIFE OF THE RIVER DEVON

Keith Broomfield 


Keith Broomfield is a well-known Scottish nature writer who has had a passion for wildlife since childhood. A graduate in zoology from the University of Aberdeen, Keith’s writing covers virtually every element of the natural world from flora and fungi, to invertebrates, mammals, birds and marine life.



7.30 p.m. Tuesday 4 October 2022

RESTORATION OF MONTANE WOODLAND AND SCRUB ON BEN LAWERS NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE

David Mardon


David had a keen interest in our natural environment from a very early age and went on to complete degrees in Zoology at Aberdeen University. Amongst other things, David has worked for the National Trust for Scorland leading conservation work on Ben Lawers NNR.

PAST TALKS 2021/22 SEASON

Tuesday 5 October 2021

CARBON AND REWILDING

Neil Kitching


Neil is Energy and Water Specialist at Scottish Enterprise and will be speaking in a personal capacity.


He is a geographer, author and energy specialist and will present on the links between climate change and nature.  In his book, Carbon Choices, he identifies the 10 building blocks that society needs to adopt to tackle the climate crises - such as sensible economics, taking a long term approach, innovation, education and the role of community. But most of these also apply to our nature and biodiversity crises.  Neil will explore the links between carbon and nature and question our love affair with the typical highland scenery.  Is rewilding the answer?  Neil's talk will be illustrated with his photographs from Scotland and overseas.


Tuesday 2 November 2021 at 7.30 p.m. 

THE FORGOTTEN FISH

Jack Wooton, Freshwater Ecologist and Eel Specialist, Forth Rivers Trust

Jack has worked in Freshwater Conservation for a number of years now with a particular focus on rare and unloved species. He founded the Forgotten Fish Project which is part of the Forth Rivers Trust that highlights the species which get little attention and even less conservation focus. As well as freshwater, Jack has worked with orangutan and other primates, but is always drawn back to water!

Tuesday 7 December 2021 at 7.30 p.m.

THE ROLE OF AN ECOLOGICAL CONSULTANT AND THE PLANNING SYSTEM

Chris Cathrine, Director of Caledonian Conservation Ltd and Vice Chair of SWT Stirling & Clacks

Chris has gained considerable experience of ecology and where it fits into legislation, policy, and planning, gained during 14 years as an ecological consultant, and four years working for NGOs and local authority.  He has also authored three papers on devolved environmental legislation, written guidance, informed policy, and worked on all stages of developments.  With this background he has engaged with planning from a range of angles, which has given him a broader understanding of the systems in Scotland, and how best to engage with them to benefit biodiversity.

Tuesday 1 February 2022 at 7.30 p.m

BRINGING WILDLIFE TO YOUR GARDEN

Stuart Bence


Stuart is a young natural historian whose enthusiasm for the natural world is infectious. He is currently in the final stage of his PhD from the Scottish School of Forestry at the University of the Highlands and Islands, having previously gained a BSc (Hons) in Conservation Biology and Management at Stirling and an MSc in Ecology from Aberdeen. Since 2020 Stuart has been on a Placement with NatureScot.  He is one of the keenest young naturalists you will come across and his talk will show you how he successfully created a garden for wildlife.   As an undergraduate he played a leading role in Stirling University’s Nature Society; he is one of our committee members and co-chair of Butterfly Conservation (Glasgow & Southwest Branch). He has created a garden designed to attract wildlife and hopes to encourage you to follow in his footsteps.

Tuesday 1 March 2022 at 7.30 p.m. 

HIBERNATING HERALDS: Underground adventure in search of Moths.

Dr Katty Baird

Katty is a volunteer for East Scotland Branch of Butterfly Conservation.  She has been recording moths for about ten years, and gets most enjoyment from trying to get to know the ecology and behaviour of individual species in more detail. Recent subjects have included Old Lady, Mallow and Pimpinel Pug.  The Hibernating Herald project was started at the end of 2016 in an effort to find out more about the distribution of Herald and Tissue moths in Scotland and is a citizen science project offering a fun diversion for moth recorders during the traditionally quieter winter months.

PAST TALKS 2020/21 SEASON

Tuesday 6 October 2020 

Amphibians and Reptiles in Scotland

Chris Cathrine, Caledonian Conservation Ltd

Tuesday 3 November 2020 

East Coast Sea Eagle Reintroduction

Owen Selly, RSPB's Conservation Officer - Loch Lomond, The Trossachs and Tayside

Tuesday 1 December 2020

Nature Friendly Farming at Argaty Red Kites

Tom Bowser, Head Ranger at Argaty Red Kites

Tuesday 5 January 2021

From Magic to Medicine: Scottish Vernacular Plant Medicine

Gregory Kenicer, Botanist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Tuesday 2 February 2021

The Impact of Gardening on Wild Plant Populations

Roy Sexton, Past Chair, SWT Stirling and Clacks

7.30 p.m.  on Tuesday 2 March 2021

Bogs for Bugs -

An introduction to bogs and the specialist invertebrates you find on them together with the conservation and restoration of peatlands around Falkirk.

Melissa Shaw, a member of our Committee and the Peatland Conservation Officer at Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust


PAST TALKS 2019/20 SEASON

Tuesday 5 November 2019

Golf Course Ecology (a brief look at environmental management)

James Hutchinson, BIGGA (The Greenkeepers' Association)

followed by:

Sustainability in Golf (Our changing climate, resource efficiency and community engagement)

Carolyn Hedley, Scottish Golf


Tuesday 3 December 2019

Ancient Woodlands

Richard Thompson, Forestry and Land Scotland 

NB: Questions, submitted in advance via our Contact Us page, would be welcome.

Tuesday 7 January 2020

The Work of the Scottish Raptor Group

Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management, RSPB, Scotland

Tuesday 4th February 2020

Our Catchment-wide Work on the Allan Water

Sandra Stewart, Project Officer for The Forth Rivers Trust Catchment-wide Work on the Allan Water

Tuesday 3 March 2020

The Secret Lives of Bats

Liz Ferrell, Scottish Officer, Bat Conservation Trust

Photograph: (C) Daniel Hargreaves/www.bats.org.uk 

TALKS Location 2022/2023

During the winter of 2022/23 talks will be offered both in person at the venue below and on-line. 

St Ninians Old Parish Church Hall

Kirk Wynd,

St Ninians,

Stirling,

FK7 9AY


GPS: N 56o 06.170’ W 003o 56.214’


Map

The hall has very good facilities and can be reached easily by car or public transport. Moreover there is ample parking just beyond the Church Hall in Kirk Wynd. The hall is situated about 30 metres down Kirk Wynd on the left. If arriving by car, it can be a little bit tricky initially. The road you turn into first in order to reach Kirk Wynd, takes a right turn. DON'T take this but turn a little to the left and then immediately right into Kirk Wynd.

The number 36 bus leaves from stance 6, Stirling Bus Station at 18.55 and arrives at Kirk Wynd (the bus stop for Lidl's Weaver Row store) at 19.00

The number 38 bus leaves from stancer 5, Stirling Bus Station at 19:00 and arrives at Kirk Wynd (the bus stop for Lidl's Weaver Row store) at 19:08

We would ask that a donation of around £3 be given to cover costs OR £1 if you are a student or unemployed.


We hope as many of you as possible will feel able to join us in person bearing in mind that there is plenty of room to spread out.  

For those wishing to attend on-line, it is important to book in good time as bookings close on the day of the event. To book for the talk on-line please click HERE and then again on our forthcoming talk. We realise this is a bit laborious but we think/hope that this should avoid problems which we have experienced previously with accessing our on-line talks.