Lectures

Pauline Hogg and Elizabeth Preece are members of the Leeds and District Badger Group and will focus on four areas in their presentation: 1) Badgers and why they are special. 2) Threats faced by badgers. 3) The work of the Leeds and District Badger Group. 4) What you can do to help protect badgers.

Where can you go in summer to find abundant bee and marsh orchids, breeding skylarks and reed warblers, together with several species of dragonfly within about two miles of York Minster? In winter, the visitors include up to 50 each of goosander and teal as well as numerous egrets. The location is filled with people too because this is the University of York. There are two campuses close to one another both including a large lake but quite distinct in their landscapes. The first dates back to the sixties but there has been much development since. A formal yew garden and ornamental trees at one end contrast with a conservation area on an island at the other end. The second campus opened in the 2010s on land that was formerly arable fields. It provides a lake that is larger and deeper than that on the old campus, bordered by extensive reedbeds and meadowland. The talk will show how the wildlife differs on the two campuses and why the new campus has been such a success for biodiversity. Finally, these campuses teach us much about nature-friendly development.

The title of the talk is the same as a new book written by Craig (to be published in January 2026) which covers the changes in the bird populations of 295 bird species recorded in the Lower Derwent Valley NNR, in records that stretch back as far as 950AD. The talk will also cover recent science and research carried out on the reserve to better understand how to target the most effective conservation measures for some of those species, as well as discussing species recovery projects, but perhaps most importantly, this new book also reveals what we still don’t know and helps sets the agenda for bird conservation in the area for future generations.

A brief introduction to the work of the BTO, followed by some insights into which birds come into our gardens and how to encourage and identify them.

Dr Kelly Harmar is Biodiversity Officer at Nidderdale National Landscape. Kelly will describe the NNL reptile project – a rolling programme of reptile surveys undertaken across the National Landscape since 2017.  The surveys have recorded over 30 individual adder hibernation sites, of which five are believed to have nationally significant populations while other sites are thought to only have small, isolated and vulnerable populations.  Kelly will describe why Nidderdale is important for adders, outline the steps taken to locate new adder sites and will give an overview of the local adder population at a landscape scale.

Dr Will Askew is a senior specialist in genetic technologies at Natural England.  Will is leading a Natural England funded project, working with Bangor University, that is examining DNA samples from adder populations in Nidderdale, the North Pennines, Norfolk and Suffolk.  The DNA sampling will provide insights into the genetic health of adder populations in Nidderdale, allowing the National Landscape Team to plan conservation actions to protect and better connect local adder populations.

The geological origins of the Okavango Delta and the salt pans; the effects of these geographical features on the wildlife; and the destructive effects wrought on the wildlife by the EU. 

Lots of wildlife pictures and behaviour interspersed amongst the more serious topics.

With recognition that climate change and loss of nature’s diversity is a threat to future generations, change of ownership gave opportunity for a new direction. 

Committing to the bold ambition to ‘rethink everything’, Denton reserve combines landscape restoration with sustainable food production, circular design and a deep respect for craft. Each space across the estate is being designed to restore- the land, the guest and our relationship with nature. Denton Reserve invites guests to connect with something lasting: a slower rhythm, a lighter footprint and a more hopeful future.

The talk will cover who YDRT are, what we do and why, and delve into detail regarding our projects on the Nidd – with a focus on river health. Learn how to get involved with what we do.

Photographic Encounters with Some of Our Most Charismatic Wildlife.

Oman is a country with a variety of habitats holding a large number of bird species. The talk will describe both resident and wintering birds seen both on the sea and whilst travelling the length of the country.

The remarkable story of Britain’s rarest plant, the Lady’s Slipper orchid. How we lost it to unscrupulous collectors in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and was then refound at a site in Wharfedale in 1930. How the discoverers managed to keep the site secret for over 20 years and how conservationists have protected it since it became more widely known in the 1960s including efforts to propagate it in laboratories before returning it to some of its former haunts. Told by someone who has been intimately involved in its conservation since 1993.