<![CDATA[Tisbury Natural History Society - Blog]]>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:50:52 +0100Weebly<![CDATA[Additional talk on 14th May: Antarctica on a tall ship]]>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/additional-talk-on-14th-may-antarctica-on-a-tall-ship
Picture
On Thursday 14th May, we have an additional indoor meeting (the last of the season) starting at 7.30 pm at the Victoria Hall. Our speaker is Inés López-Dóriga presenting ‘Antarctica on a tall ship’, a report on the wildlife and landscape characteristics of Antarctica, as encountered during a recent trip sailing through the Drake Passage from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

The talk will illustrate the unusual wildlife (micro and macrofauna
and, incredibly, flora) that can be found on the white continent and
the ocean around it, as well as the landscape characteristics
of geography, sea currents, ice, icebergs and volcanoes that make it so special.

​As always, doors and bar will be open from 7pm, free for members and people under 21 years of age and £4 for guests. ​​
]]><![CDATA[Field trips details document]]>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:23:45 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/field-trips-details-documentPlease view the details of each field trip by clicking the link to the document that's been loaded onto the Field Trips page. We may need to update this document during the summer, but we'll always notify you here in the Blog or by email.]]><![CDATA[Change for our next talk on Thurs 9th April]]>Sat, 28 Mar 2026 08:11:30 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/change-for-our-next-talk-on-thurs-9th-aprilThere has been a change to the programme for our April meeting which will now hear from local resident, Nick Radford.

Nick, whose home is in Sutton Mandeville, has more than a decade’s experience working on conservation in Africa, where he spends a large portion of every year. For his employer, the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, he is the Markets & Conservation Finance Lead for Central Africa & the Gulf of Guinea. His work involves finding ways to deploy private sector investment that can simultaneously mobilise capital and deliver nature-positive outcomes.

In his talk, titled ‘Conservation at a Crossroads: The Future of the Congo Basin in One of the World’s Most Overlooked Regions’ Nick will explain what he does, and reflect on how conservation in Central Africa is changing, and on the growing role of investment, markets, and private sector partnerships in supporting conservation. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in the region, he will discuss how sustainable finance, tourism, and responsible supply chains are helping to fund conservation, while pressures on forests and wildlife continue to grow.

As always, doors and bar will be open from 7pm, free for members and people under 21 years of age and £4 for guests. ​We look forward to seeing you then.

]]><![CDATA[Reminder for Film night on Thurs 26th March at 6pm]]>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:18:55 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/reminder-for-film-night-on-thurs-26th-march-at-6pm
Picture
Our Film Night is on Thursday 26th March featuring ‘Just Eat It: a food waste story’. Filmmaking couple Rustemeyer and Baldwin try to live for six months from food that has been thrown away. Along the way, they naturally come face to face with many different aspects of this problem. Sometimes they find shockingly large quantities while dumpster diving – more than they could possibly eat. So they learn to cook using just the things that really need to be used up, and they give the rest to their friends.

Both the found produce and the beautifully presented meals they prepare are photographed in detail, so that they can then make a graphical presentation of the scale of the problem. Waste during food production and in supermarkets is represented in a number of ways. For example, we see in a time-lapse sequence how a pepper plant grows from a seed, and then the pepper, having been processed in the factory and transported to a store, as it lies rotting in a refrigerator.

Doors and bar open 5.30/5.45 pm, screening starts at 6 pm. Members free, guests £4 on the door.

]]><![CDATA[Update to the Field Trips programme]]>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:07:35 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/update-to-the-field-trips-programmePlease make a note that we have cancelled the Fernhill Farm trip which had been listed for 3rd June and there is now an updated programme for the Society accessible on the Field Trips page. As Peter mentioned at our last talk, Fernhill do run their own events from time to time and perhaps you may wish to attend one of those in the future. 

]]><![CDATA[New page to website]]>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:25:32 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/new-page-to-websiteWe now have the Constitution and the Safeguarding Policy available for download from a new page under Home. Please locate them at Documents & Policies]]><![CDATA[Reminder: Talk on Wiltshire bats next Thurs 12th March]]>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:38:26 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/reminder-talk-on-wiltshire-bats-next-thurs-12th-marchPicture
Our indoor meeting this month is a talk on Thursday March 12th at 7.30pm by Gareth Harris talking about Wiltshire bats. Gareth is the Wiltshire Recorder for Wiltshire Bat Group and Wiltshire Mammal Group.

This talk will highlight the importance of dark skies for these amazing mammals.
​
As always, doors and bar will be open from 7pm, free for members and people under 21 years of age and £4 for guests. 
]]><![CDATA[Field trips listing]]>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:26:03 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/field-trips-listingJust a note to say that the Field Trips now appear on the Field Trips page as a list. We're finalising the details of times and meeting points so bear with us until then. It should give you an idea of which ones you want to pencil in your diaries!]]><![CDATA[Rooks (Focus - March)]]>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 20:52:55 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/rooks-focus-marchAlthough not always appreciated by those who live nearby, the calls of rooks from a busy rookery are all part of the arrival of spring. Rooks are sociable birds and generally nest communally. From February onwards, they have been repairing damage to old nests or building new ones for the breeding season. Frequently, they will steal twigs and other nesting material from a neighbouring nest, leading to noisy squabbles over ownership.

​Although youngsters, with their all-black beaks, can be mistaken for crows, adults are distinguished by the visible, large area of white skin in front of the eye at the base of the bill. This makes the beak appear longer than it actually is and, to some, makes the bird look rather sinister. They also have somewhat shaggy plumage around their legs—something absent from the similar-sized crow. So sociable are rooks that they are usually seen in flocks. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but I remember being told years ago: “if you see a flock of crows, they’re rooks; and if you see a rook on its own, it’s a crow.”

In winter, they often flock together with jackdaws, but as spring approaches they go their separate ways, as jackdaws prefer to nest in holes and on buildings. A rook’s diet includes fruits, nuts, seeds, acorns, and berries. The strong, anvil-like beak is well-adapted for probing soil to seek out earthworms and insect larvae, which make up most of the rest of their diet. To find such food, they prefer open agricultural land, pasture, and arable land, provided there are tall trees nearby in which to nest. They appear more than happy to build rookeries in and around farms, villages, and towns, and are willing to fly good distances between rookeries or roosting sites and where they gather food.

However, they don’t seem to like large woodlands; while you will often hear crows and ravens in Great Ridge or Grovely Woods, rooks will only be found in the surrounding farmland. They also avoid heaths and moors and are generally confined to lowland areas. Like other corvids, they are clever and resilient creatures. There was a one-legged bird that frequented our garden for several years, but as the average lifespan is only six years, it may have led a full life despite its disability.

​Andrew Graham

]]><![CDATA[Programme for 2026]]>Thu, 29 Jan 2026 09:41:20 GMThttps://www.tisburynaturalhistory.com/blog/programme-for-2026The programme for 2026 is now available for viewing!

Thanks to our hardworking volunteer committee for preparing this.

Download a PDF here. 
]]>