Phil gave a very interesting talk on various visits to the colder areas in the north.  Whilst he is principally a birder he has certainly fallen in love with Polar Bears.  He had a lot of excellent photographs of birds and mammals which he showed with an excellent delivery and a touch of humour which was occasionally not strictly PC though the audience did not seem to mind.  An excellent talk well delivered.

Keith gave his usual very high quality talk on a fascinating subject.  He started by contrasting the affluence standards that are a real feature of this eastern country and showed how they existed cheek by jowl.  His first stop was Bharatpur calling in at the Taj Mahal on the way.  Apart from the beauty of the place it is a wonderful opportunity for birding.  Bharatpur was formerly a shooting reserve for a maharaja but has recently been changed to a wildlife reserve.  The ease of seeing birds depends largely on the water levels caused by the previous monsoon, but it was very clear that if the conditions are right, birds will be everywhere.  From Bharatpur Keith travelled on to Bandhavgarh to try to get a glimpse of tigers.  He did more than that and showed us some wonderful shots of tigers doing what tigers do best!  The evening passed as quickly as any that can be remembered showing how enthralling the talk was.  Well done Keith.

Mike gave us a wonderful insight into the work that the RSPB have been doing to enable the Stone Curlew recover some of its lost ground.  He described the work done in the Brecklands  and in Wessex where he works.  A government-backed Biodiversity Action Plan for stone-curlew, set in 1995, included a population target of 300 pairs by 2010. This figure has been reached by 2005

 Mike, as an employee of the RSPB, was able to use all the facilities offered by the society and gave a very well presented and highly interesting talk well appreciated by the Group as a whole.

Charles gave a fascinating study of the wildlife of the Farne Islands and in particular the effects, both good and bad, that mankind had caused, and explained that in former times the wardens were known as watchers.

His talk opened with an old painting of St Cuthbert being asked by a king to come to Durham to be its bishop.  The fascinating thing about the picture was the sight of terns flying overhead and an excellent showing of a drake Eider Duck by his feet.  Clearly the islands have enjoyed birds on them for centuries at least.  From that point he went on to say how Grace Darling's father, who had been a lighthouse keeper on the islands for sixty five years, had kept a journal of all that he had seen whilst there.  This gave a fascinating insight into the behaviour of many species.  The term watcher was introduced by a former owner of the islands who felt that he had to stop the mindless blasting away of all the birds on the islands by "sportsmen" from the  Newcastle area by getting volunteers to prevent the massacre.  At the time that the shooting was stopped there were only two pairs of Eider Ducks breeding.

The talk was far from being a history lesson, as it included excellent aspects of the work done by the watchers of forty years ago and the observations that had been made to help us better understand the habits of the many birds that breed there.  We felt that we had been fortunate to see the two pairs of Roseate Terns during our visit to the Farne Islands in May 2002 as it appears that they have forsaken the islands to breed further south.

An excellent talk that was enjoyed by all.

David gave us a very interesting talk on the various wild orchids that grow in Great Britain.  His talk was very well illustrated and the audience were enthralled by the beauty of many of the orchids.  Of course there were a number that were not so beautiful!  An excellent talk.

The talk was based on photographs taken inside a breeding box and covered the whole period from the starting to build the nest to the stage where the Blue Tits had fledged.  Steve's presentation was of the highest quality and we certainly look forward to having him back to talk to us in the future. 

Martin gave us a great insight into Cuba today.  Being married to a Cuban and as a result having visited the island on a number of occasions, he has gained a very good appreciation of the way of life there and its affect on wildlife.  His talk gave an overview of the countryside in the main areas and the magnificent variety of flora and fauna there.  Excellent views of the many endemic species added to the interest.  We look forward to hearing again in April 2008.

Jackie is an artist of no mean talent as was so capably illustrated with the items she displayed at the meeting.

She had an opportunity to go to the Falkland Islands in 1995, which she grabbed with both hands.  Her enthusiasm for all that she saw was apparent and she delighted us with great photographs and an excellent delivery made in a light-hearted manner.  A speaker that is certainly worth giving consideration to for other groups.

The evening was a fascination exposition of trips undertaken by Tony and his son Mark to the above mentioned islands.  The photography was inspirational and the talk itself was excellent and lightened by a generous sprinkling of humour,  A really excellent evening that I am sure will have encouraged those who have not had the experience, to want to visit each of the islands.  The talk was greeted by the largest attendance that we have had for many years.