OOS Centenary Publication
Incorporates the 2021 Annual Report. Available for £12.50 inc. p&p from the Secretary.

Next Meeting

30/10/2024 (Wed)
Online meeting: Bernard Tucker Memorial Lecture: Honeyguide-Human Cooperation: The natural history of a human-bird mutualism
By: Prof Claire Spottiswoode
Cooperation and communication between humans and wild animals is vanishingly rare. Yet probably for at least as long as we’ve been human, wax-eating African birds called greater honeyguides have led people to honey. Honeyguides exchange their superior knowledge of where bees’ nests are located, for humans’ unique abilities to use smoke and tools to subdue the bees and open their nest. Cooperation thus yields wax for the honeyguides and honey for the humans. During a cooperative honey-hunt, honeyguides signal to humans using a distinctive guiding call, and in return people signal to honeyguides using specialised honey-hunting calls that vary culturally across Africa. Over the last decade, we have studied this mosaic of entwined species and cultures in collaboration with honey-hunting communities in Mozambique, Zambia and elsewhere in Africa. In this talk, Prof Spottiswoode will share some of her findings together on how the honeyguide-human partnership functions, how it may have shaped the ecosystems we evolved in, and what it might be able to teach us about communication and the coevolution of cultures across species.

Next Outing

17/11/2024 (Sun)
Outing to Blenheim Park
Walk led by Glen Pascoe using the public rights of way
Meet up time is 9am at Combe Gate SP426157 Parking available along the approach road from Combe Transfers from/to Hanborough rail station available upon request Walk will cover New Park, Great Park and Blenheim Park as well as Queen Pool and The Lake. Contact: outings@oos.org.uk

Bird News

Date Species Count Site Who
2024-10-16Rock Pipit1Farmoor Reservoir: CausewayDJ
2024-10-09Sky Lark35+Bury DownIL
2024-10-09Goldfinch80+Bury DownIL
2024-10-09Corn Bunting20Bury DownIL
2024-10-04Meadow Pipit2Farmoor ReservoirSPB
2024-10-04Raven6Bury DownIL
2024-10-02Bullfinch2Ewelme: GrundonsBJWy
2024-10-02Raven14Ewelme: GrundonsBJWy
2024-09-30Rose-ringed Parakeet17Oxford: Boundary Brook RoadSL
2024-09-28Kestrel1University ParksRCA
2024-09-28Jay1University ParksRCA
2024-09-24Mandarin Duck2Dorchester: Days LockBJWy
2024-09-23Ringed Plover1Appleford: Appleford GPBJWy
2024-09-23Sandpiper1Appleford: Appleford GPBJWy
2024-09-22Little Gull1 juvFarmoor ReservoirIL
2024-09-22Black Tern1 juvFarmoor ReservoirIL
2024-09-22Caspian Gull1 juvFarmoor ReservoirIL
2024-09-22Dunlin1 juvFarmoor ReservoirIL
2024-09-22Sandpiper4Farmoor ReservoirIL
2024-09-21Kingfisher1Iffley: Iffley LockSL
more...

Latest Photos

Meadow Pipit
Caspian Gull
Caspian Gull