List of forthcoming training courses and presentations.
Lots more excellent training courses are available from the Field Studies Council, and for more formal training in biological recording see Manchester Metropolitan University.
Upcoming Events
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Spring Moths for Beginners
This one day course provides an introduction to moths; their identification, natural history and conservation. There is a good range of species to be found in spring, allowing you to get familiar with the main groups and learn about how to find and identify them before the busy summer season takes off. Note the 2pm start time, and the late finish that will allow us to run light-traps to attract moths among the ancient trees of Epping Forest. Lesser Swallow…
Find out more »Surveying Terrestrial Invertebrates for Biological Recording
This course is designed for anyone interested in the amazing diversity of invertebrate life found in terrestrial habitats. It is suitable for both countryside professionals and amateur naturalists. Field excursions will introduce a variety of collecting and surveying techniques appropriate to a range of habitats. These will be complemented by workshop sessions back at the Centre, helping you to identify specimens to the correct taxonomic group and, where appropriate, to species level. Illustrated talks will provide an insight into the…
Find out more »Bees, Hoverflies and Flowers: Pollinators and Pollination
Bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects play an enormously important role in natural habitats and agricultural systems alike. Some pollinators are known to be declining, and their conservation is a cause for concern. This course introduces the insects that play a role in pollination, helping you to recognise them, understand how they interact with flowering plants, and find out how to play your part in conserving them.
Find out more »Developing your Skills in Entomology
FSC course participants studying flower meadow insects Insects are fascinating creatures: many are attractive, and have amazing life histories and behaviour. They also play important roles in ecosystems, for example in pollinating plants and providing food for birds, making the decline of many insect species a cause for concern. Using a mix of field work, microscopes and identification keys this course will explore the huge variety of insects. We’ll help you find and identify insects, and explore their ecology and…
Find out more »Bees, Hoverflies and Flowers: Pollinators and Pollination
Bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects play an enormously important role in natural habitats and agricultural systems alike. Some pollinators are known to be declining and their conservation is a cause for concern. This course introduces the insects that play a role in pollination, helping you to recognise them, understand how they interact with flowering plants and find out how to play your part in conserving them.
Find out more »Learn to love flies
If you’re interested in flies but never felt ready for a beginner’s ID workshop, then this day is for you! It’s a day for people who are (or could be!) fascinated by flies but don’t know where to start with them. It’s a very gentle introduction to the world of flies and the art telling one type of fly from another. Come and see different types of live British flies Learn some of their names Learn how to tell a…
Find out more »Bees, Hoverflies and Flowers: Pollinators and Pollination
Bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects play an enormously important role in natural habitats and agricultural systems alike. Some pollinators are known to be declining, and their conservation is a cause for concern. This course introduces the insects that play a role in pollination, helping you to recognise them, understand how they interact with flowering plants, and find out how to play your part in conserving them. This course introduces a range of pollinating insects, including the variety of different…
Find out more »Get To Know Butterflies and Moths
Butterflies and moths are beautiful and fascinating creatures, and good indicators of the health of the environment. This course provides an introduction to butterfly and moth natural history, identification and conservation, using a mix of indoor activities and presentations, plus field work in the varied habitats at Bishops Wood. The course will help you understand how butterflies and moths use their habitats, and how you can find and identify them. We will also look at the opportunities for conserving these…
Find out more »Field identification of flies
This course will look at different types of fly and how to identify a select few distinctive species in the field. On this course you will be: introduced to fly ecology shown how to identify distinctive species and groups shown how to use a pooter and hand lens to look closely at living specimens practice identification techniques shown how to get help with identification of flies introduced to submitting fly records and the recording schemes of the Dipterists Forum There…
Find out more »Introduction to Butterflies in the Chilterns
A wide variety of butterfly species can be found in the attractive grasslands and woodlands of the Chilterns. We will help you recognise the different species, learn how they depend on their habitats, and find out how you can help conserve them. Using a mix of indoor activities, presentations and fieldwork in the varied habitats at our Amersham Centre we'll help you develop the skills and knowledge needed to enjoy watching and recording butterflies.
Find out more »Identifying Difficult Invertebrates
This invertebrate identification course is designed to help students develop higher level skills in the identification of invertebrate species. Sampling techniques will be discussed but the main emphasis will be on the collection, preparation, identification and curation of invertebrate specimens. Participants will be expected to select a suitable taxonomic group in which they will start to specialise by building up a reference collection of specimens. This course can be taken as part of the MSc Biological Recording jointly with Manchester…
Find out more »Butterflies and pollinators at Sheepdrove Organic Farm
Details to be announced.
Find out more »Entomology – Techniques to Find and Identify Insects
Rose Chafer on the Devon coast Insects are fascinating creatures: many are attractive, and have fascinating life histories and behaviour. They also play important roles in ecosystems, for example in pollinating plants and providing food for birds, making the decline of many insect species a cause for concern. Slapton is an ideal location for seeing and learning about insects. The wide variety of habitats – woodland, reedbed, maritime grassland and coastal cliffs – will allow us to study a range…
Find out more »Site Assessment Using Invertebrates
A course designed to help students develop higher level skills in the interpretation of invertebrate survey data. The role of standardised sampling protocols will be explored through fieldwork and through team work a set of accurate species determinations will be obtained. for analysis and interpretation. Analysis by a variety of different techniques (including species richness, Wetscore, SQI, and PANTHEON including ISIS) will be discussed to demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of each technique. The relevance of population size, indicator species,…
Find out more »Discovering Diptera: Flies Under the Microscope
Hoverflies, horseflies, houseflies, fruit flies, soldierflies, bee-flies, craneflies, greenbottles, mosquitoes and more: flies are all around us, but are often overlooked or even actively discouraged. In fact the true flies, or Diptera, are one of the most species-rich orders of insect in the UK, with over 7,000 species to choose from. This day course will provide an introduction to the Diptera, getting familiar with some of the major families and with a focus on some of the larger and more…
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