Then why not come along to the Boat of Garten Community Hall at 7.30pm to hear about.......
On Monday 20th May, guest speaker at the Boat of Garten Community Hall summer talks programme is Derek Niemann of RSPB. His talk Birds in a Cage, based on his book of the same title, is the untold story of one of the most bizarre and enriching episodes in the history of British environmentalism.
At Warburg, Germany, in 1941, four British PoWs find an unexpected means of escape from the horrors of internment when they form a birdwatching society, and embark on an obsessive quest behind barbed wire. Through their shared love of birds, they overcome hunger, hardship, fear and stultifying boredom. Their quest draws in not only their fellow prisoners, but also some of the German guards, at great risk to them all.
Derek Niemann draws on original diaries, letters and drawings, to tell of how Conder, Barrett, Waterston and Buxton were forged by their experiences as POWs into the giants of post war wildlife conservation. Their legacy lives on, in institutions such as the RSPB and the British Wildlife Trust.
Peter Conder went on to become Director of RSPB and George Waterston established Fair Isle Bird Observatory and went on to become the Director of RSPB in Scotland (1955-1972). It was his early efforts that helped established Operation Osprey, affording protection to the ospreys returning to Strathspey in the 1950s and his vision that led to the opening of the original public osprey viewing facility, at Loch Garten in 1959.
The Osprey Centre is dedicated to the memory of George Waterston and his legacy lives on. If only he knew what his vision has become since opening in 1959. Over two million people have since visited and been thrilled and inspired by the osprey story and the Scottish conservation success story it has become. Derek’s talk will be a fascinating insight into the hardship these men faced and the part their passion for birds played in getting them through their ordeal. Try and come along if you can, or consider buying the book.
Derek Niemann is the editor of the RSPB’s children’s magazines and has written several books on nature and conservation for young readers. He lives in Bedfordshire with his family.
The talk will be given at Boat of Garten Community Hall at 7.30pm on Monday 20th May
The details of the dead osprey found recently in Perthshire are as follow;
Ringed Loch Garten 5th July 1996, a male, ringed red/white TA on right leg. One of a brood of three young that year. Picked up dead 21st April 2013 near Loch Ordie, Perthshire. Aged 17 years. Believed to have been dead for 3 weeks or so, thought to be due to natural causes - inclement weather.