The event in Youlgrave on Tuesday night drew 23 people, a great turnout considering it had been pouring hard all day, just ceasing as we assembled at 7.30.

The walk round the village visited several properties where Swifts (and house martins) were nesting. At the property shown in the photo, where the owners clearly loved their swifts, parent birds flew in and out just above our heads as we stood watching, presumably feeding their chicks.

The walk was followed by a talk in the reading room and a display of boxes and literature.

(Many thanks to Ian Weatherley for organising this event and to Bakewell Bird Study Group for their support.)

Nick Brown

Many of our birds will have had a difficult time this summer, especially those newly fledged youngsters, coping with the record breaking temperatures and dry conditions we have all been experiencing. Only time will tell what effect it has had on them. It is good that a great many of us feed the birds in our gardens, helpfully putting out both food and water.

Are there times you wish you could identify some of the less common birds that visit or when hearing one singing hidden from view amongst foliage have wished you could tell what it is from its song? The Blackcap shown in our photograph is one of those birds that is often heard but not often identified. Or maybe you regularly walk in the countryside observing the birds as you go and can identify most of them, or are already a seasoned birder.

Whatever the depth of your knowledge Bakewell Bird Study Group is sure to have something in their programme to interest you.

On the second Monday evening of each month from September through April members and interested visitors meet at the Friends Meeting House off Matlock Street in Bakewell for presentations on bird related subjects. These are given by invited individuals, experts in their fields, accompanied by beautiful photography.
Walks and trips are organised throughout the year to interesting locations, sometimes coastal, where the more experienced members will assist with identification of both birds and birdsong.

Our autumn programme of meetings commences at 7.30 on Monday September 10th with Nigel Slater giving a talk on Bird Migration. Nigel gave us a very entertaining and informative talk in 2017 and he is back by public demand. He will explain how birds know where they are going when they haven’t been there before and how they find their way. He looks at record breakers and the recent developments in technology which allow individual birds to be monitored continuously even when in Africa. Not to be missed!

Why not come to our first meeting and join the group? It’s only £15 per annum and for that you get seven talks and a similar number of outdoor walks. Alternatively it’s £3.00 on the door for non-members. Meetings are listed in the Peak Advertiser and at Bakewell Tourist Information Office or visit the BBSG web site at www.bakewellbirdstudygroup.org.uk or call 07768 928432.

Do you feed the birds in your garden, listen to their songs and sometimes wish you knew the names of some of the less common ones that visit? Perhaps you enjoy walking in the countryside, observing the birds as you go and can identify most of them, or are already a seasoned birder.

Whatever the depth of your knowledge, if you appreciate and enjoy the richness of the birdlife around us, then Bakewell Bird Study Group is sure to have something in their programme of meetings to interest you.

On the second Monday evening of each month from September through April members and interested visitors meet at the Friends Meeting House, the group’s regular venue, for interesting presentations on bird related subjects. These are given by invited individuals, experts in their fields, accompanied by beautiful photography.

Walks and trips are organised throughout the year to interesting locations, sometimes coastal, where the more experienced members will assist with identification of both birds and birdsong.

Our autumn programme of meetings commences on Monday 11^th September at 7.30 pm, with a presentation by local naturalist Paul Bingham, ‘Namibia and Its Wildlife’, which concentrates on spectacular landscapes and wildlife. Although mostly desert, the variety of landscapes and wildlife makes this one of Africa’s most impressive countries. A 3,500km drive visits deserts, the world’s highest sand dunes (350m high), the spectacular Skeleton coast before returning inland through rugged landscapes to Etosha, one of Africa’s most famous national parks rich in mammals and birds. Our photo shows a rather scary looking Secretary Bird.  Future presentations this season will include Alaska, Norfolk, Varanger Fiord and Shetland with a talk on water voles in Derbyshire thrown in for good measure.

Why not come to our first meeting and join the group?  It’s only £15 per annum and for that you get seven talks and a similar number of outdoor walks. Alternatively it’s £3.00 on the door for non-members.

Meetings are listed in the Peak Advertiser and at Bakewell Tourist Information Office or visit the BBSG web site or call 07768 928432.