| Timezone | Meeting Start Time |
|---|---|
| Europe/London (GMT) | Wednesday, 29 November 2023 at 7:00 pm |
| Europe/Frankfurt (CET | UTC+1 hour) | Wednesday, 29 November 2023 at 8:00 pm |
| America/Los Angeles (PST | UTC-8 hours) | Wednesday, 29 November 2023 at 11:00 am |
| America/New York (EST | UTC-5 hours) | Wednesday, 29 November 2023 at 2:00 pm |
Merilyn Simonds Wednesday 29 November 7pm GMT
Topic: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence – an extraordinary recluse who changed the way we see birds
Merilyn started watching birds when she was seven, and she has been a writer for almost as long. Born on the Canadian Prairies, she grew up in Brazil and published her first book at 29. She is now the author of 20 books, published internationally. She writes in a wide variety of genres—literary fiction (such as the novel The Holding, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice) and creative nonfiction, including the Canadian classic, The Convict Lover, as well as personal essay, memoir, and travel.
With her husband, author Wayne Grady, she lives in Kingston, Ontario, during spring and summer and in the mountains of central Mexico in the cooler months, enjoying birds in both their breeding and wintering grounds. She watches birds wherever she is and sits on the Board of Directors of the Pelee Island Bird Observatory in Ontario, Canada.
Her new work —Woman, Watching— is an innovative memoir/biography of Louise de Kiriline Lawrence, an extraordinary recluse who changed the way we see birds.
Margaret Atwood hailed the book as “Lyrical, passionate, and deeply researched.”
Kyo Maclear, author of Birds, Art, Life, wrote, “Woman, Watching is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s radical, it’s ravishing. Simply brilliant.”
And Ian Davidson, Director for the Americas of BirdLife International called it, “A must-read for anyone who wants to understand how the nature ethic is woven into the fabric of our nation.”
Louise Kiriline Lawrence – a remarkable ornithologist who is unknown to most of us.
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Prof. Richard D. Gregory Wednesday 4 October 7pm BST
FREETopic: The State of Nature Report 2023
Richard grew up with a mad keen interest in birds – a passion that has stayed with him for all his professional life. He studied Ecology at York University, completing a Doctorate in Epidemiology and Ecology at Oxford University, before moving on to hold a Junior Research Fellowship at St Cross College, Oxford. From Oxford, he joined the British Trust for Ornithology as the Head of the Census Unit working there to design and set up bird monitoring schemes and understand trends before moving on to join the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as the Head of the Monitoring in Conservation Science in 1999. He was made an Honorary Professor at the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London in 2016 and spend time working from there and teaching. He also works at the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge, as the RSPB is a partner in the Cambridge Conservation Initiative.
His interests are in conservation and biodiversity science – linking conservation science with practice and policy making. Richard’s specific expertise is ecology, in biological survey design, biodiversity monitoring, statistics, metrics and indicators. He has a strong scientific publication record (https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=lfEujmIAAAAJ&hl=en) – and is co-author of the fifth edition of the RSPB’s Handbook of British Birds – a best seller! His team leads work on species monitoring and biodiversity research, often working with partners in UK/Europe and globally to promote biodiversity science and conservation objectives. They have led the production of the State of Nature report series in UK with many great partners and will be talking about it on ICW.
Richard is involved in a wide range of research collaborations with academics, eNGOs and government agencies, engaging with nature practice and policy at national and international scales.
Richard is a very keen naturalist and birder.
What is the state of the UK’s nature?
Topic: The State of Nature Report 2023
Richard grew up with a mad keen interest in birds – a passion that has stayed with him for all his professional life. He studied Ecology at York University, completing a Doctorate in Epidemiology and Ecology at Oxford University, before moving on to hold a Junior Research Fellowship at St Cross College, Oxford. From Oxford, he joined the British Trust for Ornithology as the Head of the Census Unit working there to design and set up bird monitoring schemes and understand trends before moving on to join the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as the Head of the Monitoring in Conservation Science in 1999. He was made an Honorary Professor at the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London in 2016 and spend time working from there and teaching. He also works at the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge, as the RSPB is a partner in the Cambridge Conservation Initiative.
His interests are in conservation and biodiversity science – linking conservation science with practice and policy making. Richard’s specific expertise is ecology, in biological survey design, biodiversity monitoring, statistics, metrics and indicators. He has a strong scientific publication record (https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=lfEujmIAAAAJ&hl=en) – and is co-author of the fifth edition of the RSPB’s Handbook of British Birds – a best seller! His team leads work on species monitoring and biodiversity research, often working with partners in UK/Europe and globally to promote biodiversity science and conservation objectives. They have led the production of the State of Nature report series in UK with many great partners and will be talking about it on ICW.
Richard is involved in a wide range of research collaborations with academics, eNGOs and government agencies, engaging with nature practice and policy at national and international scales.
Richard is a very keen naturalist and birder.
What is the state of the UK’s nature?
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Heather Wolf Thursday 5 October 7pm BST
FREETopic: How to find more BIRDS!
Heather is a Brooklyn-based birder, author, photographer, and educator. She works with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a web developer, teaches birding classes at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and gives walks and talks for various organizations in New York City and beyond.
She enjoys sharing birds and their curious behaviours through her blogs and two books: Birding at the Bridge and the upcoming Find More Birds.
A guide to finding more birds
Topic: How to find more BIRDS!
Heather is a Brooklyn-based birder, author, photographer, and educator. She works with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a web developer, teaches birding classes at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and gives walks and talks for various organizations in New York City and beyond.
She enjoys sharing birds and their curious behaviours through her blogs and two books: Birding at the Bridge and the upcoming Find More Birds.
A guide to finding more birds
© Sofia Runarsdotter
