bats-n-trees

Why not an ARBTALK calender ,proceeds to a charity of choice of the membership.12 big pics representing the Arb mans year.maybe some smaller ones too.?? No doubting the quality of camera work on the forum !!

I am glad you are so much more rounded than I thought.Get and do some proper work !!!!

Surely you converted it into blocks ?? Or are you trying a lego -ver !!

Hi Tony, There is lots of good advice already.Can I just add a couple from my experiences. I go back to the era of slides.One thing I quickly learned. Never let your equipment out of your site,someone will mess with it without you knowing and then you will be there ,come the presentation,alone in a nightmare scenario !!!!!! Of course things have moved on since those days.Today your Powerpoint Presentation will be on a memory stick. Make sure you take a spare copy that you have DOUBLE checked and keep it in you pocket.Personally I prefer to take my own projector/screen etc because then you know how long it takes to change images/how the remote works etc. You will be nervous whatever so working with kit you are familiar with makes life much easier.You can hire the kit if funding is an issue. Get to the venue early and get set up. Check the lighting, have a brief run through.Know how everything works. As for the performance-because that is what it is.TAKE YOUR TIME. Everyone that is nervous will do one of two things in the early days They will dry on stage and become like the rabbit in the headlights or they will speak so fast as to be pretty much unintelligable. I always prepare some cards-postcard size with keywords as an aide memoir for each slide.Don't have a set script .it will be an immediate turnoff.Bring some humour in from time to time and try and get some topical quips in.IF you know some of the people you regard as "anti" your point of view are in the audience well give them an honourable mention. They are less likely to shoot you down if you have given them recognition. aknowledgement/credence I note in some of your posting you end by saying "I will win because I speak the truth " I know having spent some time with you that you are a really nice guy who cares passionately about the industry and the role of fungi.But this is a very inflammatory statement and does not endear you to someone with a different point of view. Just remember the problems encountered by the opponents to the Flat Earth Society and you will see where I am heading. Even though you are certain that your radical conclusions (to others ) are absolute give the learned ones room to manouvre.Try to engage them in dialogue.After all if you have really strong evidence to support your claims the no one wants to be perceived as a Luddite.Let others share in the process and you will get the changes in idustry thinking you so desire. I know you have the passion , the knowledge and the energy.The industry needs to hear your voice. Just get up there and imagine you are explaining matters to your best friend-or me - You will be fine. Finally invite interaction.Don't be confrontational.If someone asks you a question you don't know the answer to or don't particularly want to answer at that time then be honest.Say you don't know but that you will come back to them with an answer later or that to answer their question will take up a disproportionate amount of the time allocated, but you would be delighted to discuss the topic later. And stop saying you are not good enough etc, etc. that is just insecurity.We all have that in spades !!!! Good luck .

Yes please Lee.Thanks for organizing this.Am looking forward to putting faces to names and learning lots !!Add my name to the orderly Kew !!

very good advice. We have about 60 similar boxes hung in old orchards around here last autumn to gauge lesser spotted numbers There are signs of action already !

hence the expression "saps the strength " !!

cheers for the info

Yep Matadors they were mostly,ex army green.Drivers used to be very nervous if they had a grabbing clutch on the winch drum !!! Cheers for the reply.Where else will you be showing and dates ?

Yes I knew all that now didn't I !!!!!!. But are they common ? Thanks for the enthusiasm. It will be interesting to see if many other people have come across them.

IF your woody was hammering on the bat box recently he is sounding off about territory and possibly trying to impress the girls. They have been observed hammering on metal electric pylons !! The sound carries farther that way. Occasionally they will ruin wooden bat boxes.Some of the bird boxes have metal round the entrance hole to stop them enlarging the holes.When you hear them drumming if it short say about two seconds then that will be the greater spotted. If it lasts twice as long that will be the much more rare lesser spotted. They are very hard to spot.About the size of a large sparrow and spend much of their time high up in the canopy in oak woods.They also frequent old orchards. We are currently surveying Herefordshire for them to try and establish numbers and learn more about them for the future. The green woodpecker is a ground feeder most of the time.Its favourite food is ants. Any bats using your boxes yet ?

Thank you ,you are a Scholar !! It reminded me a little bit of acorn cups. Is it very common ? And what are the little bits like stamens in the middle.What is their purpose ?

Just google the barn owl trust.That will be a start,they are not that far from you anyway. Google owls and you should get plenty of info /diagrams/measurements/materials etc. Any probs pm me and I will get my old files out. Good luck and well done for thinking about nature.