BTO news. Did you know that 20% of wintering Redshanks Tringa totanus at a site on the East Lothian coast are eaten by raptors each year? Or that some birds hunt by smell? That owls can breed in baskets, and Merlins Falco columbarius in places you wouldn't think? Find out more from exciting speakers such as Dr Ian Newton, who gives the low-down on what keeps raptor numbers down, and hear what the Game Conservancy has to say on the effects that Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus have on Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus populations. Roy Dennis can be heard talking about Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos and Ospreys Pandion haliaetus, but, if raptors aren't for you, wader-man John Goss-Custard talks about the importance of scale in the lives of birds. Where does all this take place? In Derbyshire, in December, at the annual Birdwatchers' Conference, where you can go on guided birdwatching trips, try out and buy optical equipment , buy books, paintings, wildlife sounds, bird-food and feeders, and enter any of several competitions to test your expertise. You can go to discos, music sessions, workshop sessions, see posters, chat to B T O staff as well as fellow birdwatchers, hear about the latest fieldwork projects, and much, much more. Write to Dr Paul Green at the B T O for a programme, but hurry: there are only 350 places. The date, 6th-8th December 1991. British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Nunnery Place, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU; phone Thetford (0842) 750050.
