Birds

Mike and Annie West
We have both had an active interest in birds and bird watching for many years, also both being members of the R.S.P.B. Annie worked as a Midwife at the Walsall Hospital before meeting and marrying Mike. Mike spent over 10 years in the Middle East where, he, along with other birders set up the Emirates Bird Club. Mike was the first Chairman. On return to the U.K., he joined the West Midland Bird Club where he spent some time as Secretary. He is now a Vice President of the Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory where both he and Annie spend a week most years. Annie has also has an active interest in birdlife and with her interest in photography, will combine the two, furthering her knowledge in both. Her travels in Spain have given her a good knowledge of European Birds and birdsong, which is very useful, both in bird identification and for photography studies.

 

Conservation

Peter Shirley MBE FRES Dip Em
Peter is a professional nature conservationist and an amateur naturalist. He held various senior posts with the Wildlife Trusts, and has continued his involvement with them, and other organisations, since his retirement in 2006. His core interest is urban environments and the wildlife where people live. His main natural history interest is plant galls, especially those caused by cynipid wasps. He is a past Chair of the British Plant Gall Society, and is co-author of the Society's identification keys to plant galls published as part of the Field Studies Council AIDGAP series. In addition to the gall keys, Peter has written four other books, contributed numerous articles to environmental and natural history publications, and writes a fortnightly column to the Birmingham Post. He was one of the editors of 'The Nature of Wyre'. For the last few years he has worked as a voluntary curator of Birmingham Museum's natural history collection, including Richard South's collection of British moths and butterflies.