Mike Lane, professional wildlife photographer, was the speaker for the February indoor meeting. His illustrated talk A Walk Down a Lane in Polish Marsh showed farming practices known to Britain a 100 years ago. The marsh and wildflower meadows encourage insects and butterflies and, in turn, there is an abundance of bird life - some species no longer found in this country.

Our outdoor meeting on March 2 was a first for the branch when the group travelled to the Chew Valley Lake. The weather was perfect and the green hills of Somerset formed a beautiful backdrop to the lake. An excellent guide from Chew Valley, who was also a keen birdwatcher, guided the group to the lake's hides. Sightings of the day included a green sandpiper, little grebe, shoveler, stonechat, meadow pit, a bank of primroses, a small tortoise shell butterfly and a roe deer.

On Sunday, our outdoor meeting follows on from the indoor meeting with a visit to Upton Warren Reserve, meeting at the Moors car park at 10am. The reserve's warden, Arthur Jacobs, will be our guide.

The first stage of our nesting box project, the placing of nest boxes, is now complete. For further information, please call 01562 67748.