The advertising in Birds magazine is even more important than it is for most magazines - the income we receive from our advertisers allows us to print the magazine at no cost, so we have more money for conservation work.
I work closely with the advertising team, Henry, Charlotte - and Louise who has join us recently to look after the classified ad section. We work together to make sure that the advertising and the editorial in the magazine work well together and also ensure that there is a clear demarkation between them, but not so much that it's hard to tell what is an ad and what isn't. We also try to make sure that the advertising is on subjects that we know our readers could be interested in.
The advertising team work with advertisers to let them know what is coming in Birds, so we had a planning session last Friday where we sat surrounded by flatplans (these are the page layouts of Birds) and I talked them through the plans for the next issue. We were meeting not far from RSPB Fowlmere nature reserve, so for the creative side of things, we talk a walk round the reserve for an hour to inspire us to come up with plans for the next few issues.
We're working on a feature on turtle doves at the moment for the maagzine and I'm working with our conservation scientists to bring uou what I know will be a fascinating article on these highly-endangered summer visitors that have now become so rare. It was good to see a pair, and another single, at Fowlmere as I'd only seen one other all year. Look out for our feature on our tracking work with turtle doves, and what we've found out about their migration, next year.
Fowlmere is a mix of wetland, reedbed, old watercress beds (foreground), a beautiful chalk stream with brown trout, and scrub
Of course Joel is actually looking at something
A new look for the 21st century nature lover - a blend of executive chic (topped off by a man bag), and binocular-bearing birdwatcher.
Unlikely to catch on? I agree.
Some fantastic slugs around in this wet summer...
One of my finer moments of the day. "That grass pile looks like a good place for grass snakes everyone".
Ok, admittedly I didn't have the conviction to actually stop and look but I'm glad the others did - a grass snake slithered into the depths.
A handful of common lizards, including this one also played hide and seek in the pile.
Thanks to Charlotte for taking the photographs.