Dr Anthony Lowney from Hartpury University will talk about the tiny African Pygmy Falcon – Africa’s smallest bird of prey. Anthony spent seven years in South Africa where he carried out his PhD and post-doc at the University of Cape Town and in the Kalahari where he studied birds and bird nests in arid environments. One species that Anthony studied in detail is the African Pygmy Falcon, as part of a research team that had followed a population of up to 40 territories since 2011, and he will share his knowledge of this charismatic but understudied species. Anthony will discuss the falcon’s breeding biology and their rather strange relationship with Sociable Weavers (a species the falcons rely on for their nesting sites).

We will work our way around the reservoir from the car park at the bottom of the hill approaching from Stoke Dry SP852963 Meet up time 10am Large numbers of wildfowl gather during winter and these often include Divers and Smew. Contact: outings@oos.org.uk