The Reading RSPB group’s new season of indoor meetings started on September 12 with a talk by Ian Alexander on The English Love Affair with Nature.
Ian, who read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, has maintained a lively interest in nature throughout his life, ranging from bird watching to fossils, lichens and insect photography and is closely involved with the upkeep of his local nature reserve in Chiswick.
The wide-ranging talk started with the extraordinary impact of Gilbert White’s Natural History of Selborne in 1789, which painted a picture of man in harmony with Nature in an oasis of peace amid the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution.
The book attracted a broad audience and spoke to those working in factories who dreamed of the countryside they’d had to leave to find work. Around the same time Thomas Bewick, an engraver working in Newcastle but steeped in the natural history of his native Northumberland countryside, produced A History of British Birds, illustrated with engravings which captures the character of the birds.
Ian took us on a tour of nature in art, the mania for fossil collecting sparked by Mary Anning’s discoveries of dinosaur fossils in Dorset in the early 19th Century, and the fashion for “cabinets of curiosities” in which amateur naturalists could show their collections.
Ian had brought his collection of “curiosities” – fossils, bird skulls, shells etc which we were able to examine.
The second part of the talk took us through the story of conservation in the UK with the growth of the RSPB and Wildlife Trusts and the enactment of legislation to protect the environment and wildlife.
The concern to ensure that the countryside is open to all, which found focus in the mass trespass on Kinder Scout in 1932, led to the creation of National Parks and enshrined in law the right to access at least part of the countryside.
The growth of bird watching, aided by the development of good portable binoculars, led to the accurate monitoring of bird populations without the need to shoot specimens and ultimately to the growth of ‘citizen’ science which means that enthusiastic amateurs can make a real contribution to understanding the state of nature in our country.
On Sunday, September 17, we met at Moor Green Lakes near Finchampstead for our first field trip of the new season.
Fortunately, the forecast rain held off until the end of our visit.
At this time of year, the summer visitors are heading south for the winter and birds from further north will be passing through, so it is an exciting time for bird watching. In addition to the usual Mallards and Gadwall, a few Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler had arrived for the winter.
Small birds included the usual residents with Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits moving about in flocks.
But the best bird was a Garganey, a duck that breeds in small numbers in the UK, that had stopped off on its way south.
We recorded 40 species.
On Tuesday, September 19, four members of our group met at Otmoor RSPB reserve just north of Oxford. It was a cloudy and blustery day with a few light showers.
Small groups of Swallows and House Martins were flying about feeding up on their way south, showing that autumn migration was still in progress. We had very good views of the Cranes feeding in a field on the reserve.
Several Cattle Egrets were also about feeding among the cattle. A few years ago they were very rare birds in the UK but are now increasingly common and even breed in this country.
As we were walking back to the cars we heard the Cranes make their bugle call as they flew past us, making a fitting end to our visit.
We logged 30 species of birds and saw several hares which was very nice.
On October 10, Ailsa Claybourn will give a talk entitled Storks over Sussex and, on November 14, we will be transported to Ecuador and Colombia by Andy Tucker from Naturetrek.
On Sunday, October 15, there will be a minibus trip to Titchfield Haven in Hampshire followed by a midweek walk in Cowleaze Wood and Aston Rowant on Tuesday, October 17.
On Sunday, November 19, there will be a minibus trip to WWT Slimbridge and on Tuesday, November 21, a trip to look for winter ducks at Staines Reservoir.
All indoor meetings are held in Pangbourne Village Hall starting at 8pm.
Visitors are very welcome.
There is an entrance fee of £5 for non-members, juniors half price.
New members are always welcome with annual membership set at a modest £15 (£10 for juniors).
For more information visit group.rspb.org.uk/reading
Judith Clark and Peter Scudamore
