A Focus On Nature

Books and Reviews

Nature Reading Roundup: Solitude. By Chris Foster.

Chris is a birder who is slowly evolving into an amateur naturalist, one increasingly keen on finding, learning about and promoting more ‘obscure’ wildlife. Through his writing he tries to get across the sheer beauty of nature, but also wants to highlight just how much fun – for want of a better word – wildlife can be. He is employed by Reading University as a Teaching Associate in the School of Biological Sciences, focussing primarily on engaging students with species identification, biological recording and conservation philosophy. He is in the early stages of a PhD in invertebrate landscape ecology, through which he ultimately hopes to make a contribution to conserving the sorts of bird and insect rich landscapes he loves to spend time in.

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Species

How much do you know about endangered animals? By the Aspinall Foundation.

Take this quiz created by the Aspinall Foundation to help raise awareness of endangered species. How much do you know?

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A Focus On Nature, Nature Reserves

Shetland Trip Report. By Amy Robjohns.

Amy Robjohns is a second year Environmental Science student at the University of Southampton. She has been interested in nature from a young age, especially birds, but developed a greater interest in bird watching when she was 12. More recently, Amy realised that a career in conservation was what she wanted to do so has been a trainee bird ringer since 2012, and is working towards a C permit. She also began volunteering for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust in 2013 for 6 months as part one of the conservation work parties, something she plans to continue outside of term time.

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Issues in conservation, Species

Where have all the Kestrels gone? By Simon Phelps.

Simon is a conservationist, wildlife photographer and passionate naturalist. He currently works for the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (views his own) and spends as much of his free time out on nature reserves around the country photographing any wildlife he can find. To follow more of his writing you can follow him on Twitter: @wildlifephelps

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A Focus On Nature

Mammal workshop; a review. By Jack Barton.

Jack Barton is a nature photographer and naturalist from Wallington, Surrey. His interest in photography began in his early teenage years and along with it developed a passion for photographing wildlife, perhaps after experiencing the spectacular red deer rut in Richmond park. Since then Jack has become increasingly interested in exploring the natural world with his camera, and when not studying for his A-levels, he spends as much time as possible out at local spots watching and photographing the wildlife. He is currently volunteering with local conservation volunteers to help do my bit for the environment, and even writing a dissertation on red and grey squirrels for an extended project qualification. He is hoping to pursue a career in wildlife photojournalism or conservation in the future as he is keen to contribute to preserving our wildlife for future generations. Visit Jack’s Website – http://jackbartonphotography.zenfolio.com/

 

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A Focus On Nature

Environmental Awareness Day – Thea Powell

Thanks to the hard work of our member, Thea Powell, we are able to offer one member the chance to add a significant event to their CV, demonstrate their excellent organisational, planning and creative skills, interact with up to 60 pupils (aged 13 and 14) and get paid for their efforts, too.

On the 15th of November, Thea Powell will be speaking and hosting a training event for roughly 60 year nine students at Brunel University’s Uxbridge Campus.

This is for Brunel University’s “Urban Scholar Programme – Environmental Awareness Day”, which is  organised by a teacher from one of the schools attending.

In the second half of the day (11.30am till 2.30pm, including lunch), there are two sessions. Each interactive session with students is repeated, so two groups will have taken part in both.

Workshop B is to focus around A Focus On Nature, and the working title is:
The UK Environment, the work of AFON: A Focus On Nature.

We need someone from A Focus On Nature to represent the organisation and plan and deliver a creative session to raise environmental awareness amongst the next generation. There is a lot of flexibility to work with the children within the topic of ‘Environmental Awareness’ in any interactive way (promoting the work of A focys On Nature, it’s associated partners and projects). This work is with school children from urban backgrounds, mostly from schools in ‘disadvantaged’ areas. Applicants must have some experience in public speaking/public interaction, and must be willing to present an outline of the presentation/workshop (including all slides and handouts) by 5th of November for review. The speaker will be representing A Focus On Nature, so it is imperative that you familiarise yourself with our work, funding, projects and so forth.

You will get paid a stipend of £100 (donated by the event) for your efforts (upon completion). This is to help cover your expenses on the day, and any remaining funds go straight to you. Thea has also arrange for £100 to go towards A Focus On Nature, too!

Deadline for applications : 17th of October

To apply: Please outline , on maximum one side of A4 , how your experience and skills would allow you to perform well at this event – specifically within the context of an interactive session and to specifically this audience. Outline what you would hope to do within the time, how you would prepare (and therefore what materials AFON would need to review before the day), any associated logistics, etc. Email Thea at tpowell124@gmail.com with “USP – Environmental Awareness Day” in the subject heading to submit your ideas.

9.30
Introductions & housekeeping
Guest Speaker, Thea Powell

Break

11.15
Group A with workshop A
Group B with workshop B.

12.30 – Lunch

1.15

Group A with workshop B .
Group B with workshop A.

2.30pm – Close

Further information: Thea will be available to guide and help students in your session roughly a third of the time, intermittently. There will be one other teacher working with each group throughout the day, and there may be funding for limited printing. If you need a projector and other resources, please say so in your application.

Any questions:  Email Thea at tpowell124@gmail.com with “USP – Environmental Awareness Day” in the subject heading.

A Focus On Nature

Change is coming. By Simon Phelps.

Simon is a conservationist, wildlife photographer and passionate naturalist. He currently works for the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (views his own) and spends as much of his free time out on nature reserves around the country photographing any wildlife he can find. To follow more of his writing you can follow him on Twitter: @wildlifephelps

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Issues in conservation

Memories of Martha

Today has felt very mixed for me, as I sit reflecting on my hotel bed, tapping away at my iPad. The centenary of the death of Martha, the passenger pigeon, is poignant. Mark Avery has just published a book explaining how what was the most numerous bird in the world went extinct in a matter of decades. You can find that book here: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/a-message-from-martha-9781472906250/

Today, the cataclysmic decline of that bird feels like the starting gun on natural loss that’s still going on. Now it’s butterflies, hedgehogs and turtle doves that could be eradicated from our countryside in the UK, made extinct by the way we treat nature.

And today I spent the day sitting in a conference centre with RSPB policy colleagues, asking how we can best turn around that decline.

I spent a few cheeky minutes answering emails on my phone during the course of the day relating to A Vision for Nature. If you haven’t heard me blathering on about this yet, it’s A Focus on Nature’s conference this Friday and Saturday.

Over 100 young conservationists will converge on Cambridge to figure out how they can save nature by 2050. And let’s face it we need to.

Along with organisations like the RSPB, young people who care about nature have a big task on our hands.

So, as many people today looked back to Martha, that bird can become a symbol for the challenge we face over the coming years.

I can’t help but feeling that A Vision for Nature will be the start of something amazing, a spark in the keg of the UK (perhaps international?) youth conservation movement.

If you don’t have a ticket yet, buy one here: http://afocusonnature.org/conference/buy-tickets

I hope I’ll see you at the weekend.

Nature Reserves

Scotland Holiday Report. By Alicia Hayden.

Hello, my name’s Alicia Hayden, I’m 14, and I am passionate about nature conservation, photography, writing and art and I have recently joined A Focus on Nature.

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A Focus On Nature, Issues in conservation

We could be superheroes. By Matt Williams.

Matt has been a member of the RSPB since the age of five and has never looked back. He remembers writing to Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth at the age of seven, shocked at the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. His passion for the natural world has led him to work for a range of NGOs as both an employee and volunteer, as well as running his own projects. Professionally, Matt specialises in climate change policy, communications and youth engagement. He has worked and volunteered for the RSPB in a number of roles, including as a membership recruiter, an assistant warden and in the climate change policy team. He is a founding member and former Co-Director of the UK Youth Climate Coalition and attended a UN climate conference in 2011, and holds degrees from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and a diploma from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris. During 2013-14 Matt is working in Borneo, Indonesia, as Communications Manager for the Orangutan Tropical Peatand Project.

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