ANNUAL MEETING on Saturday 21st March 2026

Lower Smite Farm, Hindlip, Worcester WR3 8SZ

Non members welcome £15 (members £10) 

Theme – Mammals

AGM 10:30 to 11:30am.

11:30 to 12:30am – Johnny Birks – Out of the frying pan and into the fire? Pine Marten recovery in Britain. Johnny is a mammalogist who has been involved with research and conservation work on pine martens for over 30 years, initially with the Vincent Wildlife Trust and subsequently with Swift Ecology. He is an active member of the International Martes Working Group, and was Chair of The Mammal Society from 2009 to 2015. He started his first ‘proper job’ in 1985 with the Nature Conservancy Council as Assistant Regional Officer for Worcestershire. Although supposed to be retired, he is still involved in pine marten projects in the north and west of Britain, and he hopes that the species might return to Worcestershire one day soon. 

12:30am to 1:30pm – Lunch (Light refreshments will be available, but bring your own lunch.)

1:30 to 2:15pm – Matthew Terry – The Bats of Worcestershire Bats in the county and what the Worcestershire Bat Group have been doing in the last couple of years. Matthew is Chair of Worcestershire Bat Group and Vice Chair of the Bat Conservation Trust, the UK’s national bat conservation charity.

2:15 to 3:00pm – Andy Bucklitch – 30 Years of Hazel Dormouse research in Ribbesford Wood, Wyre Forest – The story so far. Andy works as the Practical Land Management Officer at Worcestershire Wildlife Trust recruiting & managing the team of five Conservation Trainees and carrying out work on the Trust’s 75+ reserves across Worcestershire. Andy previously worked with the Canal & River Trust and Scout Association in the UK, US and Switzerland and spent 20 years as a Tree & Woodland officer with Bromsgrove & Redditch Councils before a period of consultancy work and joining the Trust on 2022. Specialising in UK small mammals, veteran tree, ancient woodland & wetland management, Andy has carried out surveying, habitat creation and management for Water Voles in Worcestershire & Shropshire since 2005, led work on the Bromsgrove Water Vole recovery programme for nearly 10 years and has been involved Hazel Dormice surveying, training & habitat management at several sites in Worcestershire & Warwickshire as part of the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme working with the Forestry Commission, Natural England and Worcestershire & Warwickshire Wildlife Trusts since 2009.

3:00 to 3:45pm – Tom Simpson – Beavers in the Wyre Tom has been working in the Wyre Forest for the last 10 years and has a keen interest in beavers for most of that time, so it was a dream come true when the opportunity arose to take a lead role in the reintroduction of beavers to the National Nature Reserve.

There will be a stand selling secondhand wildlife books on behalf of the Wildlife Trust, and the Shrawley Wood book and old copies of Worcestershire Record will also be available. Light refreshments will be available, but bring your own lunch.

Details and bookings: email:   worcestershire.recorders@gmail.com