LECTURES
I give a range of talks within approximately a one hour drive of Macclesfield in Cheshire. Fees are subject to negotiation depending on whether the talk is to a charity, likely audience numbers and distance travelled.
WILDLIFE THEMED TALKS
British Butterflies (45 to 60 mins, or 75 mins)
The talk starts with some general butterfly information such as evolution, stages, flight periods, structure and behaviour. The following part, which makes up the shorter talk, is a story of my search for all of the regularly breeding butterflies in Cheshire, 27 species. The longer talk then goes on to cover the 32 remaining British regularly breeding butterflies (Total 59 species in the UK).
Costa Rica (45 or 75 minutes)
The Jewel of Central America with a wide variety of birds, mammals, insects and frogs.
Finland – Wildlife in the Snow (60 or 75 minutes)
February and April are very cold months in Finland with lots of Snow. How does the wildlife survive? The talk includes Golden Eagles, Owls, Common Cranes and lekking Black Grouse and Capercaillies.
Garden Wildlife (45 to 60 minutes)
The wildlife that can be seen in our gardens and what we can do to help it.
Holiday Wildlife in Florida and Spain (60 to 75 minutes but could be two shorter talks)
This talk is about the birds and other wildlife that can easily be seen on holidays in the popular tourist destinations of Florida and Southern Spain.
Kruger National Park, South Africa (60 to 75 minutes)
The people, mammals, birds and insects in and around the Kruger National Park, South Africa.
My UK Wildlife Travels (30 to 90 minutes)
The sights and sounds of British birds, mammals, amphibians and insects in habitats ranging from back gardens to sea cliffs and the uplands. The talk includes tips on how to remember some of the bird songs and details of The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.
Namibia – Wildlife and Night Skies (45 to 75 minutes)
Namibia’s winter dry season is the best time to see mammals that need to visit waterholes to drink. However, this time of year is not the bird breeding season so there are fewer, but still a good selection of bird species to see. Due to the country’s low population density and low levels of light pollution it is a great place for observing the night sky, especially as the views of the Milky Way are better in the southern hemisphere.
Shetland (60 to 75 minutes)
The wildlife and sights of Shetland, starting on Fair Isle and finishing with a view of Out Stack, the most northerly part of Britain. Pictures include birds, wildflowers, butterflies and mammals.
Sights and Sounds of British Wildlife (60 to 75 minutes)
The sights and sounds of British birds, mammals, amphibians and insects in habitats ranging from back gardens to sea cliffs and the uplands. The talk includes tips on how to remember some of the bird songs and details of The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.
UK Travels with a Wildlife Camera (30 to 75 minutes)
Wildlife in a range of habitats including a local Cheshire Farm, by the roadside, RSPB Coombes Valley, Red Kites at Gigrin Farm, Seals at Donna Nook, Farne Islands, Dunbar and Bass Rock. This includes mainly birds, but also flowers, mammals and insects. This talk is mainly about the wildlife but can include photographic techniques if required.
Wildlife of Cheshire’s Peaks, Plains and Coast (60 or 80 mins)
A wide mix of wildlife in a range of habitats throughout Cheshire.
Winter Wonderlands (approximately 60 to 80 minutes)
This talk is in two parts, both in different Februarys in temperatures as low as -40°c. How does wildlife survive in these conditions? Yellowstone National Park in America and Kuusamo in Finland. Images are a selection of birds and mammals but because of the low temperatures and snow the number of species is low but what there is are rather special.
ASTRONOMY TALKS
A Look at the Night Sky (60 to 80 minutes)
Starting with our solar system and moving out to deep space.
An Introduction to Photographing the Night Sky with a DSLR (60 to 80 minutes).
Subjects with increasing difficulty; the Moon, star trails, constellations and meteors, the Milky Way and deep sky objects.
Is La Palma the best place for astronomy and astrophotography in Europe? (45 minutes)
La Palma is one of the Canary Islands. It was the world's first certified Starlight Reserve, it usually has clear skies and low levels of light pollution. The talk has a brief introduction to the geology of the island and a selection night sky images with details of how the images were taken.
Star Trails (45 minutes)
What area they? My photography learning curve, how to take the images and how to process the images.
The Northern Lights (45 minutes)
The science behind why the Northern Lights happen, how to photograph them and a selection of images and timelapse videos of my Northern Lights experiences.
GENERAL INTEREST TALKS
My Photography (60 to 80 minutes)
What I enjoy about photography. A bit of everything and includes wildlife, sport, astronomy, planes and other subjects.
Charles Tunnicliffe OBE RA (40 minutes +)
This talk is about the life and artwork of the RSPB Gold Medal recipient Charles Tunnicliffe who has been described as the greatest wildlife artist of the 20th century. He spent his early years in Langley, near Macclesfield before moving to Anglesey.
The talk can be given individually or there is a choice of two second halves both of which use Charles's artwork to illustrate all parts of the talks.
Option 1 (40 minutes) - The book Mereside Chronicle by Charles Tunnicliffe OBE RA was published in 1948 and documents the scenery and wildlife of Cheshire’s meres. The book is in diary format and this talk, which uses Charles’s artwork throughout, is based on a selection of dates throughout the year.
Option 2 (45 minutes) - The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch and changes in bird populations in our gardens since the survey began in 1979. The talk uses Charles’s artwork throughout.