BC AGM and Members Day

[Roger Gibbons]

I’m not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere on the site, but the Butterfly Conservation AGM and Members Day is on Saturday 21 November in Winchester (link as below). The AGM is from 10.35-11.30 so it is possible to arrive around 11.30 and not miss anything except the AGM.
http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/d ... _2009.html

Will UK Butterflies have a stall (or a presence) there?

The European Interest Group (EIG) usually meets immediately after the event for a brief get-together.

The event is worth attending for the content but also to “network” (I hate this term) with a lot of enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable people. Worth going for the chat alone.

Also, The EIG is organising a trip to the Natural History Museum archived collection on 2 March next year. This now seems to be an annual event following last year’s visit.

[Pete Eeles]

Will UK Butterflies have a stall (or a presence) there?

Yes.

Thanks for pointing this out, Roger!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Rogerdodge]

I have every intention of being there.
I am wondering if the best (free) campsite in Hampshire is open that weekend????

[Gruditch]

Sure is

Regards Gruditch

[Pete Eeles]

Good to see so many UKB members there - I thought the whole event was superb. The talks were great and the stalls and stands really rounded the whole event off. All in all, I though the whole thing was very professional - but since Hants and IOW ran the event, and I'm on the committee, I would say that wouldn't I?

For those unable to make it, the talks were:

• The Tytherley Woods Project (Kate Dent, SE Woodlands Project Officer)
  Kate outlined the superb work being done in the Tytherley Woods area (which includes Bentley Wood) and results to date look very promising for our Leps.
  
  The moths of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (Dave Green, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Branch)
  Great presentation with Dave's inimitable humour thrown in. Some fascinating analysis of the data the branch has collected showing various declines and gains. Dave's presentation really highlighted the importance of records to BC's work.
  
  Radar studies of Lepidoptera migration (Dr Jason Chapman, Rothamstead Research)
  Absolutely fascinating - I loved it! Jason explained how they're using Vertical Looking Radar (VLR) to monitor insect migrations - where a radar beam can detect insects flying up to 1500m above our heads. Data collected includes the identification of individual species, altitude and direction of flight. He has evidence that Painted Lady do fly south in the autumn!
  
  The decline of the Small Tortoiseshell: Is Sturmia bella to blame? (Dr Owen Lewis, Oxford University)
  Fascinating insights into the work being performed. Unfortunately, the results are probably inconclusive at this stage and more recording is needed.
  
  Butterflies on the BBC (Stephen Moss, BBC Series Producer, Natural History Unit)
  Insights into the work of the Beeb, with several video clips thrown in. The good news is we're likely to see more Leps footage in the future!

The UKB stand attracted a *lot* of visitors - we sold an awful lot of items on behalf of BC and, again, the greetings cards did extremely well. At one point, we couldn't take the money quickly enough! Some photos below.

Cheers,

- Pete

Lisa, Rogerdodge, Gary, Pete

Neil (Sussex Kipper), Lisa, Gary

Never seen one of my photos so enlarged!

The Stripe complex at Winchester Uni. had a superb auditorium

Gary, Neil, Matthew Oates, Roger Gibbons

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,
I'll 'second' Pete's comments - a great day! I thought the talk on vertical-radar imagery of migrating moths and butterflies was particularly fascinating and 30 minutes was just not enough. Great to finally meet a few UKB members too. Congrats to the Hants & IOW Branch on putting on such a good show. I was also delighted to see Sussex Branch committee member Michael Blencowe get a well-deserved 'Outstanding Volunteer Award' for his huge contribution over the last couple of years. Congratulations to all the other award winners too - without people like these our butterflies and moths would be at far greater peril than they already are.
Neil

[Padfield]

Again, it's a privilege to be associated with you lot. I really do wish I could have been there.

Guy

[FISHiEE]

Pitty I couldn't make the event. What I had that clashed and prevented me making it turned out to be next weekend in the end!

Glad to hear Michael got the award Neil - thoroughly well deserved. That lad will go far!

Pete - That 6ft Adonis must have been quite a site. I'd have asked for the stand after the event if it was mine! I'd have also have been quite nervous at the same time and been doing a bit of pixel peeping to make sure it was up to scratch at that size!

[Ian Pratt]

A great day. All three of us from the Isle of Wight enjoyed it immensely. Good to be able to put some names and faces together.
Well done all in charge of the arrangements.

[David Newland]

I agree with everyone who said it was a really excellent day. And congratulations to Gary, Lisa and Pete for raising such a tidy amount for BC. Next to their stand was Richard Lewington's. Richard astonished me by saying that I had a photo of his Dad in my WildGuides book Discover Butterflies. This turned out to be a photo of the Commando Memorial near BC's reserve at Allt Mhuic in Inverness-shire. His dad was a member of No 4 Commando who spearheaded the D-Day landing in June 1944. After the war he was the sculptor's model for one of the three commandos on the memorial plinth. Richard said his Dad and Grandad were both keen butterfly enthusiasts. In one of the contemporary histories, there is a marvellous story about "Lew" taking time out to catch a butterfly for his father's collection and the rest of the commando troop thinking he must be bonkers!
David Newland

[Gruditch]

Thanks David

When I was left to look after the stall, during one of the lectures. Richard came over and gave me a lesson on, as far as sales items are concerned, the pecking order of butterflies. Good sound advise, and something to bear in mind when producing cards extra in the future.

Did they say where next years AGM would be.

Regards Gruditch