CLUB CALL THE Charnwood Group of the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
If you would like to contribute to Club Call, email loughboroughecho@reachplc.com
Sri Lanka in the spotlight
SILEBY Photographic Society held its usual weekly meeting on Monday, December 13, when visiting speaker, Paul Bingham from Derbyshire, presented digital images under the title ‘Birding in Sri Lanka’.
Despite the fact that Paul’s first interest is not photography, with wildlife and climbing taking preference, his images captured on camera allowed for an excellent presentation of natural history and wildlife which exists in Sri Lanka and did not fail to impress.
Paul joined a group of like-minded people in February 2018 when they began and ended their organised two-week tour in the capital city of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Their journey took them on a circular tour in search of natural history and wildlife where much of the endemic and exotic species of Sri Lankan wildlife could be found. Thus, he was able to capture stunning images representing bird and animal life thriving in their natural habitat amidst the glorious landscape scenery of several National Parks and within the Sinharaja Forest Reserve.
Many different species of birdlife, proudly boasting colourful plumage, had a real impact and images of them just doing what birds do were stunning. Flycatcher, guinea fowl, hornbill, owl, birds of prey, gulls, stork, heron, kingfisher, lark, magpie, parrot, pigeon, lapwing, water hen, pelicans, amongst others, all made a delightful contribution to Paul’s presentation.
Animal life featured strongly too. Elephants, in no particular hurry to go anywhere, mingled with water buffalo, wild boar, bison, small deer, with cheeky monkeys ready to pounce on food left unwittingly in an unguarded rucksack.
Images of reptiles seemingly appearing from nowhere, lizards and snakes, together with a crocodile on the roadside, ensured that Paul was always on his guard.
Their tour concluded with a whale-watching trip from Matara on the south coast.
Paul described techniques used to create a technically correct image in terms of composition and exposure, at the same time having sympathetic consideration to the subject as well as the environment.
Paul was thanked by John
Hoogerwerf, President, for an excellent evening of wildlife photography, and for his supporting commentary throughout.
The next meeting will be held on Monday, January 10, 2022 at St. Mary’s Church Centre when Gary Beaton will judge the Society’s Annual Competition.
Anyone wishing to become a member of the Society should visit its comprehensive website, https://silebyps.org.uk where further information can be obtained
Visit by Santa...
THE Mountsorrel Heritage
Group had a special visitor to their museum on the run up to Christmas when Santa Claus popped in to look at the photographs of the village green over the years to check if the chimneys would still enable his present deliveries to take place.
The group is still making improvements to the museum facilities and have just been awarded funds from the borough council for extra equipment to improve access to the groups photographic archive and a speaker system to improve audibility at monthly talk’s the next one being on the January 11 at 7.30pm.
The speaker will be Mel Gould and the subject will be Loughborough Carillon.
The museum sees a steady flow if visitors some bringing old photographs and documents relating to the village.
The exhibition on The Green features 20 display panels, the production of which has been made possible by a grant from the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society this exhibition will run until sometime in 2023 when the next major exhibition will be “Quarrying in Mountsorrel”
Date for Rolls Royce
MEMBERS of the Rolls-Royce Retired Employees Association will meet on January 11 at Rolls Royce, Moor Lane, Derby at 12.30pm to 2.30pm. New members are welcome to this event. On January 26, there is a two course meal at Rolls Royce, Moor Lane, Derby with entertainment. Anyone interested in this please get in touch with Sheila Furniss on 01332 516 for more details.
Senses in the spotlight
The Loughborough Speakers Club president Sue York opened their November meeting, introducing the guest evaluators, National President Catherine Williamson and Regional Co-ordinator, Sarah Wadsworth.
Visitors Hema Choudhary and Jo Bone enjoyed the meeting, as did our visitors from Newark and Lincoln clubs.
James Davies, the Chair for the evening, started with a warm up on the theme “Christmas senses”.
The first speaker, Bipon Bhakri presented his first assignment ‘Starting Your Journey’ with his title “Diwali”. The speaker spoke about the history and the reason why it is celebrated with vibrant colours, gifts, lights and fireworks within the Indian community. Bipon talked about the meaning behind the celebration - living for others, celebrating cultures and sharing with others. Bipon’s speech was evaluated by Gopal Sharma who praised the speaker for engaging the audience, using descriptive language and his passion for his chosen topic.
Frank Rawson did his Showpiece assignment on “Not Solar but Luna Energy”. The speaker enthralled us with information on the types of renewable energy and pros and cons of using them.
Vince Jupp presented his showpiece speech with his title “Encircled by Predators”. The speaker had the audience gripped with his speech about the “psychopaths in our lives”, leaving us with the message that even family members or friends could be a psychopath, all having in common one thing - a lack of empathy.
Catherine Williamson and
Sarah Wadsworth’s evaluation inspired all, delivered with their constructive feedback on speech structure, voice, audience engagement and humour.
Sue York’s topics theme of ‘Christmas’ had members and guests delivering their 3 minute speech on the topic given to them. Fun and entertaining as always, with a detailed evaluation from Christine Callaway, who announced the winner for the evening, Josephine Peacock.
Valuable feedback by the club’s general evaluator for the evening, Ben Jervis, brought the evening to a close.
Wildlife Trust events
has released its programme for Spring 2022.
Regular indoor meetings are held in Woodhouse Eaves Village Hall on the second Wednesday every month from January to May starting at 7.30pm. Admission is £2.50 for LRWT members, £3 for visitors, children free.
Talks will be organised according to Government Covid guidelines current at time of talk. Please check the website for details as to whether a talk is taking place at Woodhouse Eaves Village Hall, or online via Zoom. https://www.lrwt.org.uk
Wednesday January 12 at 7.30pm, Tales from the Bush: a series of mini-talks by local LRWT members, including: Shetland Summer by Kate
Moore and Wildlife of Belize by Dave Robinson.
Wednesday February 9 at 7.30pm, Cone Shells – Killers or Curers by Brian Hammond: Brian has collected shells all his life and there are over 10,000 specimens from his collection in a Glasgow museum. This talk is about a particular family of molluscs which are venomous and carnivorous. Their venom is complex and is used a lot in drug research.
Wednesday March 9 at 7.30pm, A.G. M. followed by: Enthralled by Galls: Exploring the Plant Galls of Leicestershire by Hazel Graves. Hazel is a keen amateur naturalist and will describe how she become interested in galls. She will discuss the structures and extraordinary lifestyles of those galls she has found in Leicestershire, particularly Charnwood Forest.
Wednesday April 13 at 7.30pm, The Condor’s Feather by Mike and Paula Webster: This talk celebrates the publication of “The Condor’s Feather”, a travel memoir about the 4 years that the couple spent in South America and the filming they did for Birdlife International. It will include excerpts from the book as well as some of the films.
Wednesday May 11 at 7.30pm, A Wildlife Quiz for Everyone: This quiz will be an entertaining, sociable evening with questions for everyone, whether or not you are a wildlife expert, or just enjoy natural history. Organise your own team beforehand, or join others in a team on the night. Bring your own drinks and nibbles to help the evening along.