Events

Dorset Moths

Events - last updated on 30 January 2012 01:13

Outdoor events are subject to weather conditions and may be cancelled at short notice, so best to check before departing.

Lepidoptera Events 2012

National Events

David Brown from Warwickshire has been running lepidoptera courses at Leeson House in Dorset for some years now, and offers similar courses at other locations throughout the UK. For details of these courses see here.

Events on our local Butterfly Reserves Winter 2011-2012

CONSERVATION ACTION DAY AT LANKHAM BOTTOM RESERVE - Sunday 5^th February

Continuing the task of gorse and thorn scrub clearance on this important downland reserve.

Meet 10.00 am. or walk down the hill to find us.

CONSERVATION ACTION DAY AT BROADCROFT BUTTERFLY RESERVE, PORTLAND - Sunday 12^th February

Broadcroft is Butterfly Conservation's Portland reserve managed specifically for butterflies, notably the Silver-studded Blue. Our management work involves cutting back the encroaching scrub, particularly the clematis and thorn, to maintain the open warm areas of grassland for the butterflies.

CONSERVATION ACTION DAY AT ALNERS GORSE - Sunday 18^th February

Continuing the woodland and scrub management work. There will be a bonfire with soup and baked potatoes for lunch.

Do join us if you can between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm

CONSERVATION ACTION DAY AT ALNERS GORSE - Sunday 11^th March

We continue the woodland and scrub management work. There will be a bonfire with soup and baked potatoes for lunch.

Do join us if you can between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm.

Alners Gorse reserve entrance is on the road from Kings Stag to Hazelbury Bryan beside the Hazelbury Bryan village sign and 30mph sign. Park on the wide straight road verge on the Kings Stag side of the village sign, well away from the dangerous bend.

Map reference: ST 736100.

Lankham Bottom The reserve entrance is off the minor road from Cattistock to the A37 about ½ mile west of the A37. Park inside the metal gate. Map Reference ST 606004.

Broadcroft Quarry Reserve Turn left off Easton Road onto Grove Road and about 100 yards on the right is a track (opposite Portland Football Club) which leads to the car park, map reference SY 695723.

Unless otherwise stated, all these tasks begin at 10am and end around 4pm, but please feel free to join in for whatever time you can spare. Where it is practical, we will bring baked potatoes or soup to share for lunch.

For further information please contact Nigel Spring on 01963 23559 or 07981 776767, or email nigelspring@yahoo.co.uk

National Moth Recorders’ Meeting - January 28th 2012 at the Birmingham and Midlands Institute, central Birmingham.

The programme for the day has been drawn up and the line up features both amateur moth recorders and academic researchers. We are really pleased to have Professor Gareth Jones from the ‘Batlab’ at Bristol University speaking about how bats and moths try to out-wit one another in their predator/prey relationship. This year there is a £5 (per person) registration fee for attendees. This includes morning and afternoon tea/coffee and a buffet lunch all subsidised from Butterfly Conservation budgets. It has been necessary to impose a charge this year as we no longer have Heritage Lottery Funding to cover holding such an event. Advance booking is essential, to book your place please contact info@butterfly-conservation.org or telephone 01929 400209.

DRAFT PROGRAMME - NATIONAL MOTH RECORDERS’ MEETING 2012, Lyttelton Lecture Theatre, Birmingham and Midland Institute, Birmingham

Saturday 28 January 2012

10.00 am Arrival and coffee

10.30 am Welcome Dr. Martin Warren, Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation

10.45 am National Moth Recording Scheme Update Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation

11.10 am Uncertain and Confused – automated validation of moth records Les Hill, Butterfly Conservation

11.30 am A Snapshot of Ireland - recording in the Republic of Ireland Don Hodgers, Republic of Ireland Moth Recorder

11.50 am What makes Sussex Moth Group tick? Graeme Lyons, Chairman Sussex Moth Group

12:10 pm Discussion session

12.30 pm Lunch

2.00 pm Insect High Flyers: studying long-distance migration of moths Dr. Jane Hill, York University

2.30 pm Warriors of the Deep and other Welsh Wonders Dave Slade, County Moth Recorder, Glamorgan

2.50 pm A ‘big’ book of little moths Dr. Phil Sterling, County Micro-moth Recorder, Dorset

3.10 pm What difference does a decade make? Mark Parsons, Butterfly Conservation

3.40 pm Tea

4.10 pm Sky Wars: Moths v Bats Professor Gareth Jones, University of Bristol

4.45 pm Discussion session & closing remarks

5.00 pm Close of meeting

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Alners Gorse reserve entrance is on the road from Kings Stag to Hazelbury Bryan beside the Hazelbury Bryan village sign and 30mph sign. Park on the wide straight road verge on the Kings Stag side of the village sign, well away from the dangerous bend.

Map reference: ST 736100.

Lankham Bottom The reserve entrance is off the minor road from Cattistock to the A37 about ½ mile west of the A37. Park inside the metal gate. Map Reference ST 606004.

Broadcroft Quarry Reserve Turn left off Easton Road onto Grove Road and about 100 yards on the right is a track (opposite Portland Football Club) which leads to the car park, map reference SY 695723.

Perryfields Reserve, Portland. The reserve lies above the Museum car-park, on western side of Pennsylvania Road, Easton, on the Isle of Portland. Take the A354 onto Portland and through Easton. Continue along Wakeham to its end - the public car park is on the right hand side of the road opposite Pennsylvania Castle. Walk up the steps onto the reserve.

Map reference: SY 695713 Ordnance Survey Landranger Map: 194

This site was last updated 01/30/12