All talks take place in the Baptist Church Hall, Keynsham BS31 1DS. They commence at 7:30pm, with refreshments available from 7:15pm

Entrance fees: £3.50 for Avon Wildlife Trust members and £4 for non-members, to include the refreshments.

Everyone is welcome to attend with no pre-booking necessary, just turn up and pay on the door with cash or card.

The Last Sunset in the West

The wild and rugged waters of the Hebrides, Scotland, are home to a culturally and ecologically distinct group of orca, known as the West Coast Community. With just two elderly bulls remaining, it is inevitable we will lose this population in the coming years. It is a race against time to learn all we can from them in the hope of better protecting other populations that face a similar fate. Marine biologist, Dr Natalie Sanders joined the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust crew on the Silurian to seek them out before they are lost forever. In her talk we will hear about these individuals, and the many issues surrounding their lives.

Friday October 11th

with Dr Natalie Sanders

Lamplighter’s Marsh, situated on the banks of the River Avon in Shirehampton, forms part of an important wildlife corridor along the tidal river near the Bristol Channel. The rich natural history of the area led to its designation as a Local Nature Reserve in 2016. This talk, with Stephen Judd from Friends of Lamplighter’s Marsh (FOLM), will cover the history and how this has influenced land use, with subsequent development of the site to increase diversity, supporting the national and regional rarities so far discovered. Conservation efforts have led to this former ‘wasteland’ becoming a treasured local resource.

Haven on the Avon

"Lamplighter's Marsh"

Friday November 8th

with Stephen Judd

A Christmas Cracker

Travelling down under to New Zealand!

Short talk , film and quiz

Our members evening this year comprises a short film introduced by Dr Peter Smithers, on the tree lobster of Lord Howe Island between Australia and New Zealand; short talk "Antipodean Adventures in New Zealand" with our VC Kathy Farrell, and a wildlife quiz compiled by Rita Andrews alongside festive refreshments
The evening is not restricted to members, and is open to all.

Friday December 13th

Jaguars in the Clouds

Friday January 10th

Xavier has spent months in the field in Brazil tracking jaguars and giant otters. He has worked with Brazilian/National Geographic teams researching five metre+ black caiman, 150kg+ arapaima, tucuxi and pink dolphins. Those teams GPS tagged, surveyed, measured and sampled tissues for studies from genetics up to distribution.

In this lecture Xavier speaks about some of his experiences with these animals and conservation research he has been involved with. He focusses on the significance of alpha predators and habitat connectivity, linking these concepts to projects being run from Bath, such as the incredible work of Rainforest Concern.

with Xavier Tobin

Seeing the Wood for the Trees!

Friday February 14th

Avon Needs Trees is a charity working to create new permanent woodland throughout the Bristol-Avon catchment to fight the climate and nature emergencies. Now with 4 established woodlands and a community of over 1,000 volunteers, they are embarking on their most ambitious project yet; to create the South West’s largest new woodland in a generation, the Lower Chew Forest, their groundbreaking 422 acre woodland project between Bristol and Bath.

This is a project of huge significance for climate action and nature recovery for the region. It is a perfect opportunity to find out more about how to get involved before tree planting commences at the site this winter.

with Mark Funnell, chair of Avon Needs Trees

Claws for Thought!

Saving crayfish in the South West

In a quest to halt the decline of the Endangered white-clawed crayfish – the UK’s only native freshwater crayfish - the Bristol Zoological Society teamed up with other conservation experts over a decade ago and formed the South West Crayfish Partnership. This partnership is a ‘tour de force’ in helping to conserve this elusive crustacean, an ecosystem engineer of our freshwater habitats and an important part of our English heritage. Dr Jen Nightingale will explain how a group of experts came together to work out how to save a species and will discuss the different ways they have worked in partnership to ensure that this keynote species remains part of our aquatic ecosystems for future generations to enjoy.

Friday March 14th

with Dr Jen Nightingale

Discover Tasmania's Wild Wonders

Kathy travels worldwide with her husband Martin seeking out unusual wildlife for their photography. Their trip to Tasmania last year was a highlight with such diverse environment and unique wildlife. The tale of their trip combined with amazing photos and video will transport you down under to this captivating island.

Friday April 11th

with Kathy Farrell