Latest News

Dr. Campbell Murn delivers captivating annual lecture

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 10:01:00 GMT

We were delighted to welcome leading scientist Dr. Campbell Murn from Hawk Conservancy Trust for the evening talk.

Over 400 people attended this fabulous talk where Dr. Campbell talked about various research projects they are involved in which helps support the conservation of birds of prey in Africa, Asia as well as here in the UK. His talk was supported by some magnificent photos of various species of owl, kestrels, kites, buzzards and vultures.

A huge thank you to the Hawk Conservancy for being such a wonderful guest speaker this year. And of course to Winchester College for hosting the talk.

Clare Talks, Jenny Abery, Jamie McKaughan, Louise Cox, Corinne Cruickshank, Campbell Murn and Penny Smout

School children delight in tales of talons and tusks

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:41:00 GMT

On 26th November, Winchester College hosted the Cameron Bespolka Wildlife Talk to an excited audience of 470 primary school children in the afternoon as well as to an audience of 400 adults from the community in the evening.

Our wildlife talk is delivered each year by a nature expert and this year, we were so honoured to welcome the Hawk Conservancy Trust, a local charity dedicated to the conservation of Birds of Prey.

The afternoon talk was an interactive talk full of fun facts, videos and the importance of looking after birds of prey. The children were captivated by this educational fun talk and the vital importance of their work to protect these magnificent birds. The children were delighted to participate in an excercise that demonstrated how birds of prey are rehabilitated at the Hawk Conservancy and how they are trained by continual positive reinforcement.

Stephanie from All Saints Church of England Primary school won first prize. Her sketches of an eagle and an Andean Condor, along with her written account of their importance, the threats and protection of hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and owls set her apart.

The afternoon talk was followed by a competition “Why are Birds of Prey vital to our world and how can we help their survival?”. With many amazing entries to admire and marvel at, it was a very tough job selecting a winner. After much deliberation, Stephanie from All Saints Church of England Primary school won first prize which is a day trip for her class to Cameron’s Cottage in the RSPB Franchises Lodge nature reserve in the New Forest. Her sketches of an eagle and an Andean Condor, along with her written account of their importance, the threats and protection of hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and owls set her apart.

Eco education building completed at Livingstone Homestead in Cumbria

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 08:39:00 GMT

Delighted we could help part-fund the construction of this eco education building in Cumbria by ensuring the new path makes it accessible for everyone.

Groups from schools, local youth organizations and the wider community can enjoy an abundance of wildlife spotting, together with beautiful views all around. An all-ability swing bench completes the wonderful experience.

It was a pleasure to work with ornithologist Andy Lester.

Conservation: The Next Generation

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 09:24:00 GMT

We were delighted to support this initiative to help fund this powerful documentary Conservation: The Next Generation. It was created by Amy King and presented by Mya Bambrick, two passionate, dedicated and knowledgeable young naturalists.

This short documentary follows the unique journeys of four young conservationists, each deeply passionate about the natural world. Through conversations about their experiences, challenges, and aspirations, the film highlights how people from diverse backgrounds are connecting with nature and advocating for conservation. By addressing the barriers young people face in the field, the documentary aims to challenge stereotypes, inspire youth engagement, and encourage meaningful change within conservation organisations.

They will be hosting a premiere screening on 22nd February at the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge, in collaboration with BTO Youth. They’d love you to join them. You can book tickets here: https://www.bto.org/community/events/202502-bto-youth-conservation-next-generation-film-premiere

Well done Mya and Amy, what a great documentary.

Nature Writing Camp

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 11:31:00 GMT

Alicia Hayden writing in nature

Emily Hunt, a multi award-winning young poet, and Andrew Millham, author of Singing Like Larks, are hosting a nature writing camp for 16-21 year olds at Cameron's Cottage, RSPB Franchises Lodge, from the 23rd to the 25th of August.

They will be joined by special guests, including Alicia Hayden, a young nature writer and wildlife artist. This camp is supported by the Cameron Bespolka Trust and is free of charge.

Activities will include a wide range of nature writing styles, moth trapping and nature walks. There will be many guest speakers; the full list will be announced very soon.

Emily Hunt

Andrew Millham

Alicia Hayden

If you fancy a weekend in the New Forest writing and connecting with nature with other young people, please apply.

Just follow the link below. The deadline to apply is the 31st of July 2024.

Applications are open to those aged 16-21 (as of August 2024). Applicants do not need to have a particular level of skill at writing, but simply a desire to learn more and an interest in nature.

Apply Now

BTO Youth Summit

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 10:08:00 GMT

Our Trustee Alasdair Robertson was delighted to be invited to the BTO Youth Summit held in Cambridge on 17th - 18th February. The summit was organised as a collaboration between BTO’s Youth Advisory Panel, RSPB’s Youth Council, and WWF-UK’s Youth Ambassadors. Read his report below.

It was good to see over 150 young people attend the various talks, lectures and panel discussions that were organised. One panel discussion with RSPB, BTO and WWF was about the right way to do youth engagement within organisations; themes that emerged were around proper resourcing of and commitment to youth programmes, ensuring transparency and meaningful engagement and avoiding tokenism.

The talks were well attended

The leaders and young people then reconvened to put those lessons into action with a workshop where we split into small groups and were prompted to discuss why engagement is important and how to do it effectively. The young people I was grouped with independently brought up many of the issues that had been discussed in the leaders' panel, as well as bringing insight into the barriers that young people face and how they can be overcome.

There was a choice of talks for the afternoon session and I went along to a workshop run by the ZSL Youth Advisory Board members on how organisations can take their youth engagement to the next level. We were taught about Hart's ladder of youth participation and Shier's pathways to participation and how these can inform an organisation's engagement.

I chatted with Juliet Vickery about the work of the Trust, which she was very positive about. The young volunteers wrapped things up at the end of the afternoon and we had some more informal networking time. I ended up joining a small group including some who have been involved with the Trust before for dinner at a nearby pub before returning for the screening of Our Beautiful Wild, a youth-led film created by over 100 young people working together.

The film takes the form of an extended spoken word piece intercut with scenes from nature, covering the beauty of the natural world, it's role in young people's lives and the grief of seeing damage done to it. It was really moving to see the passion with which they spoke, and I was impressed by the confidence with which the panel answered questions in the Q&A afterwards. What was lovely was that they had worked together on the project remotely for months and were meeting each other for the first time this weekend. I spoke to a few members of this group who were keen to start a podcast to tell stories of young people connecting with nature and encouraged them to submit a young naturalist fund application if they saw a way in which we might help.

On Sunday I set up a Trust stall and I met Ieuan Evans from the BTO, who said that the whole summit had really come about because of the BTO camps that CBT had made possible, which was lovely to hear.

Alasdair with Alicia Hayden

After lunch, each organisation had an opportunity to stand up for two minutes and describe their work, so I gave a quick background to the Trust, Cameron's Cottage and the Young Naturalist Fund and encouraged people to come and chat at the stall. We then had the Youth Empowerment Fair, which was very exciting. I spoke to lots of people in quick succession about the work of the Trust as they came to the stall. Emily Hunt joined me for a while and was able to tell people about her experiences and about the wildlife writing camp this summer. The stack of Alicia's books was very popular, and lots of CBT memorabilia was handed out. The final part of the afternoon was a Careers Session; I sat in the main lobby and was approached by a few people asking about working at Natural England. We finished things off with several rounds of applause for the organisers. It really was a brilliant weekend full of inspiring people and I'm sure youth engagement across different organisations will continue to build off the back of it.

What a day with Megan McCubbin

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 08:52:00 GMT

Winchester College welcomed over 900 local pupils and members of the public on Wednesday 15^th November for our annual Cameron Bespolka Memorial Wildlife Talk and Lecture.

Guest speaker, Megan McCubbin, ecologist, conservationist and wildlife presenter enthralled a packed audience in New Hall in the afternoon and evening with her knowledge, passion and expertise. Whilst highlighting species’ vulnerability across the globe to habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade, Megan gave us hope through scientists ‘working miracles’ across six continents, from captive breeding programmes to conserve the Northern White Rhino, to the use of satellite imagery to protect remaining colonies of Emperor Penguin.

‘Look deep into nature and you’ll understand everything better’

Einstein.

Megan gave hope with talk of captive breeding programmes to conserve the Northern White Rhino. Photo: Jim Pascoe Photography

Bob Guan, President of the NHS, summed up the sentiments of all who attended, ‘What I found most elucidating yet harrowing about Megan McCubbin’s talk was the fact that ‘rock salmon’ and ‘huss’ were just euphemisms for fried shark, spiny dogfish to be exact, which has caused their populations to plummet by 98%.’

Megan had no problem engaging with her audience. Photo: Jim Pascoe Photography

Megan also attended an afternoon tea in College Hall for 100 local pupils and their families and presented prizes to the winners of the Primary Schools Wildlife Competition. The creativity of the 175 entries impressed the judges and brought optimism that our young generation is both deeply concerned about biodiversity loss and determined to bring systemic change to our precious Earth. The legacy of Cameron Bespolka continues to educate us all.

Megan and Corinne with one of the winners of the Wildlife Competition. Photo: Jim Pascoe Photography

Autumn Wild New Forest Camp

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 17:00:00 GMT

We were delighted to once again sponsor the Autumn New Forest Wildlife Camp. The camp was held at the newly renovated Cameron’s Cottage in the New Forest at the end of October. Izzy Fry attended the camp as a mentor and blogged about her experience.

Wild New Forest Camp

by Izzy Fry

This weekend I have been down in the New Forest for the Wild New Forest autumn camp which is sponsored by the Cameron Bespolka Trust.

On the Saturday we spent most of the morning searching for the weird and wonderful fungi around the forest and didn’t we find some amazing specimens! Highlights included Stinkhorns, Hedgehog fungi, Fly Agarics and Purple Deceivers.

The forest is home to an abundance of fungi

I joined the camp this year as a mentor and one of my roles was leading a group as part of a BioBlitz competition! My group was fantastic and preserved through the torrential rain to find and identify a huge 81 species.

In the evening we listened to some great talks about Pine Martins and camera trapping in the New Forest as well as a bird ringing talk from me and also a mentor interview from myself and photographer Dimitri Moore.

There was much to discover in the New Forest

Later that night we headed out for another walk in the dark around the forest. We found lots of new species of fungi including Puffballs, Cauliflower fungus, False Deathcaps and many many more!

We started off our second day in the forest bright and early to do some more bird ringing and the slightly better weather led to a nice selection of birds! The highlights for me were Goldcrests and Marsh tits, one of which I was lucky enough to ring. It was brilliant to see how many of the young people were interested in ringing and the process of it and lots are inspired to start training themselves! (All birds ringed under license with HPAI precautions to ensure all birds and people involved are safe)

Happy Campers

We then checked the moth traps that were put out the evening before and my favourite species was this beautiful Merveille du Jour. Later that morning we headed for another fungi walk that led us up to a patch of heath land. We spotted loads of fungi species including Rosy bonnets, Jelly babies and Hedgehog fungus as well as the rare Nail Fungus which grows on the New Forest pony poo! In the afternoon we had a bit of time to dry off from the torrential rain we walked through earlier and played a couple rounds of bird bingo which has become a camp favourite and tradition over the years.

The BioBlitz is a highlight of the weekend

For our last evening in the forest we headed out to do some more fungi photography and a final walk around the cottage before saying goodbye until next year. I had a brilliant weekend as always and would like to thank Wild New Forest for organising and running the camp and the Cameron Bespolka Trust for funding us to go.

Young Leaders Course moves to Cameron's Cottage

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 15:47:00 GMT

After a successful run at Spurn Bird Observatory, the Young Leaders Course (YLC) has moved to Cameron’s Cottage, a facility ideally suited to educate and entertain.

With the change in venue came some changes in the programme; lecturers from a range of backgrounds and sectors were invited to deliver talks and presentations to the 12 participants who had been carefully selected for the course. One of the key aims of the YLC is to make clear to participants how they can move into leadership positions, even if they are not yet at the CEO level. The sheer wealth of expertise on offer made the course hugely valuable for those wanting to forge a career in this area.

It was a busy four days for participants and lecturers

The Lecturers
The course was hosted by Faye Vogely who is Youth Entertainment Manager at the BTO. She was ably supported by youth staff member Rachael Griffiths and youth volunteer Mya Bambrick. There was a very busy programme with lectures and sessions from 9am until 6pm. Faye led practical sessions on delivering presentations, CVs and job applications, giving guided walks, and running successful meetings. Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link focused on negotiating and influencing with his interactive workshops showing participants how they can influence others by using effective storytelling and understanding people.

“A huge thank you to the incredible staff and people supporting the course. It has been a valuable week, where I learned priceless lessons which I will carry with me throughout my career, and personal life.”

Dr Anjana Khatwa, Earth Scientist and EDI specialist, focused on creating inclusive communities and understanding how to be an ethical leader. Her workshop forced participants to think about their own privilege and how to use it as a leader. Jack Baker, Pangolin Podcast creator and PhD student talked about the importance of communicating effectively as a leader, and showing the different ways we can communicate to different audiences. Helen Robinson and Paul Walton from New Forest National Park Authority looked at the importance of partnership working and how leaders need to be able to understand the needs of different stakeholders.

The outdoor classroom proved an ideal learning environment

There was plenty of opportunity for socialising

Students gather media content for presentations

Social activities were not neglected; ice breaker games were played at the start of the programme to help people get to know each other and after dinner each night camp fire games were played and evening walks undertaken. In addition attendees were given the opportunity to go birdwatching before and after the programme each day. This was an offer that was eagerly taken up. RSPB staff joined the course at times during the four days to talk about life as wardens and demonstrate bats in the hand as part of a ringing programme.

Roasting marshmallows on the open fire

The feedback for the course has been overwhelmingly positive. All sessions were well received and were found to have relevant elements that will help participants in their career. Most of the participants reported that their confidence increased during the four days and said they recognised that their self-worth was key for successful leadership.

A Young Ornitholigist's Passion

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 07:38:00 GMT

The Trust is proud to sponsor the four bird camps that run every year in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. We always hope that these events will ignite a passion for the natural world in the budding ornithologists who attend them.

For 12 year-old Naomi who attended the Scottish camp in 2022, the event further flamed her interest in bird watching that began during Covid and set her on the course for active conservation fundraising. Writing in the Scottish Ornithologists Club journal Naomi wrote; “Recently, my friends made me aware of how many birds were dying from avian flu – before then I didn’t know much. It reminded me of the trip to see the Gannets at Bass Rock that I did at the SOC/BTO Scotland Scottish Bird Camp last summer”. Naomi decided to do something proactive and, utilising her love of art, joined with her friends at school in running a fundraising stall selling cards and painted pieces featuring birds and animals.

I want to help because I love birds - when I’m birdwatching, I lose track of time, it’s just me and the bird and nothing to worry about.

Naomi

The fundraising team (from left to right) Maeve, Julie, Naomi, Evie and Cadi. Photo: Anoushka Matthew

At the time of writing the article Naomi and her friends had raised £480.00 which they plan to donate to the BTOs avian flu support appeal.

Read Naomi’s Article

A Wonderful Wildlife Camp

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 16:29:00 GMT

At the end of July an enthusiastic group of youngsters travelled down to Cameron's Cottage for the summer Young Persons' New Forest Wildlife Camp.

Once again we had a great group of campers and there were many memorable wildlife experiences over the weekend.

Highlights included sightings of a host of scarce and rare invertebrates and moth trapping producing over 60 species including Dingy Mocha, Dark Crimson Underwing and the very smart Beautiful Snout. But for many it was watching a Nightjar hawking over the heath and then ringing a second year male that proved to be the most exciting moment of the camp.

The young nature lovers had plenty of stories to share round the campfire

Fungi were also a feature of the weekend, and a very fresh clump of Silky Rosegill right next to the cottage really caught our attention.

Amazing time with brilliant people. Great to spend a weekend surrounded by such enthusiasm. The highlights of my weekend were seeing my first Nightjar and Silky Rosegill.

Emily Hunt

Many thanks to the volunteers, Andy Page, Jane Pownall, Nigel Jones Tara Squire and mentors, Dimitri Moore, Max Cantrell and Tom Saunders, without whom the weekend wouldn't have been possible.

The camp was a great opportunity for the youngsters to learn more about nature

You can read more comments from the campers on the Wild New Forest Blog

Read Blog

Brilliant Bird Camps 2023

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 07:50:00 GMT

It has been another hugely successful year for the BTO Bird Camps. The Cameron Bespolka Trust helps fund these amazing events which run in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The camps expose the young birders to the world of the bird conservation and allow them to learn some of the skills that form part of the conservation professional’s toolkit.

One of the most important aspects of the camps are the local experts who come along to share their expertise with the young birders. In Wales, Bob and Annie rejoined us to teach about moths and help count seabirds. In England, we were joined by Tom who helped us find Turtle Doves and a myriad of owls. In Northern Ireland, Stephen and Claire shared their knowledge of nesting birds and wetland birds. In Scotland Katty Baird introduced the campers to moths and moth traps

Bird ringing is an important skill for the budding birder; all camps included a ringing demonstration to allow campers to get truly up close and personal with birds. Licensed ringers are always on hand to add context and a wealth of information.

Art is a great way for young people to express their love of nature. At every camp an effort is made to introduce this creative outlet to the campers.

The benefits of nature on mental health are well documented and each camp had guided meditations and mindfulness sessions to learn how nature and help us look after our mental health.

Wales

Stackpole: 16–18 June

Activities included a visit to the Greater Horseshoe Bat roost with local expert Paul, moth traps with Bob and Annie, and drawing sessions with Alicia.

Campers working on their art pieces

The highlight for many was the visit to Skomer Island. Participants took a two-hour cruise around the island seeing thousands of seabirds including Puffins, Guillemots and Kittiwakes. On the way back the campers stopped for rockpooling at Marloes beach and a mindfulness session back at the accommodation.

Bird ringing

Moth identification

Group photo

Drawing Seabirds

Beach trip

Extensive citizen science projects were covered, including a territory mapping session, a Pollinator Monitoring Scheme session, songbird ID workshops, and a Garden BirdWatch trial. Lastly, Alicia supported the young people in creating an art exhibition displaying what they learned on the weekend. This was then presented to the families at the end of camp, which is an approach we replicated across all camps.

"Camp changed my life and as a result I would love to get into conservation."

Read Wales report

England

Flatford Mill: 30 June–2 July

This was a new location for 2023. The campers were joined by Adam, part of the BTO Youth Advisory Panel and Tom, a local young birder. Both were participants at the England camp last year and have now progressed to leader roles. Tom's activity of finding owls was considered the highlight of camp for many, followed by a boat trip to the coastal seal colony, expertly guided by BTO Youth Advisory Panel member Matt.

Trying Garden Birdwatch

Boat trip to see the seals

Bird ringing demo

Pollinator monitoring

Group photo

Looking for owls

Campers also got to see the brilliant RSPB wildlife garden, which was used as a setting to try out BTO's Garden BirdWatch. The group was brilliant, with new friendships made very quickly.

"It was amazing and the birds we found were only possible to view down to the expertise of the guides staff and volunteers"

Read England report

Northern Ireland

Gortin Activity Centre: 21–23 July

This was a new location for 2023. Despite having a more novice group in NI, the campers were filled with enthusiasm, bolstered by a brilliant ringing demo. The birthday of one of the campers was celebrated with great enthusiasm. Local artist Stéphanie led the birders through an entertaining class, working on large art pieces.

Walking in Davagh Forest

Dark Skies Observatory

Moth identification

Campfire games

Other highlights included a visit to the OM Dark Skies observatory, an archery session, campfire games, and a bioblitz in Davagh forest. This was a great first camp at this location, and it is clear that the NI staff team is growing, so they can continue to support the young people who have started their birding journey.

"I loved my time here! And I have made friends! I think it was very helpful! And I loved the bird ringing also, I loved everything!"

Read NI report

Scotland

East Lothian: 26 – 28 May

Buoyed by the success of the first ever Scottish Bird Camp, in May 2022, SOC and BTO were excited to run Bird Camp 2023, which took place over the weekend of 26–28 May. We based Camp in East Lothian again and, perhaps miraculously, for the second year running, we enjoyed superb weather for the whole weekend, which meant all activities could go ahead as planned. Local moth expert Katty Baird arrived on the Saturday morning bringing with her two very full moth traps. Some took photos of the moths whilst other brought them to life via sketch, which led neatly into the next activity – a workshop led by inspirational wildlife artist and Waterston House regular exhibitor Darren Woodhead.

Meeting the Lothian Ringing Group

Boat trip to Bass Rock

A boat trip to Bass Rock was the highlight of the weekend. As the powered across the Forth the birders spotted Puffin, Razorbill, Guillemot, Fulmar, and numerous gulls, but needless to say, the Gannets stole the show.

Sunday saw the camp meet up with the Lothian Ringing Group members at one of their Constant Effort Sites. Over the course of the next couple of hours, the young birders got to experience firsthand the various stages of the ringing process: they were taken around the nets used to catch individuals for ringing, shown how the birds are carefully extracted, and then observed the detailed process of measuring and attaching a ring to a bird.

"Thank you very much for what sounded like an incredible weekend. Our son loved every minute and I'm sure it will be an experience he will never forget. We have heard so much about it and I'm sure we will hear even more over the next wee while!"

Parent of 2023 Bird Camp participant

Read Scotland report

Cameron’s Legacy: Cameron’s Cottage in the New Forest

Tue, 23 May 2023 15:57:00 GMT

To celebrate the official opening week at Cameron’s Cottage, we are very proud to share this video which shows the result of many years of collaboration between us and the RSPB.

Thank you to everyone who attended various events during the week to help us celebrate this very special moment. This video highlights the huge amount of thought and work that has gone into completing Cameron’s Cottage, nestled in the RSPB Franchises Lodge and will be beneficial to young people for generations to come.

Thank you to Daisy Hubble for making this wonderful video. If you’d like to contact Daisy, please email daisyhubblevideos@gmail.com or via Instagram @daisyhubble videos to discuss commissions.

Cameron's Sustainable Cottage

Thu, 11 May 2023 09:45:00 GMT

Joe Moorhouse of Moorhouse Architecture Ltd will be delivering what is sure to be a fascinating talk on the sustainability credentials of Cameron's Cottage.

The talk will be held Cameron’s Cottage on 16th May at 6pm. This event is free and gives a unique insight into how this off-grid Cottage was renovated and how it will be powered by solar panels. The presentation is a must for anyone interested in sustainability and beautiful architecture.

Thank you RSPB for hosting and Joe for giving this excellent talk. Please book via the link below.

Book Event

Arjun and Mya in Guardian Documentary

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 14:23:00 GMT

Two of our former Young Ambassadors Arjun Dutta and Mya Bambrick feature in a new Guardian documentary entitled Skyward

In the documentary the pair talk about how they are feeling the threat of climate breakdown and the biodiversity crisis. They also reveal how birdwatching is a source of comfort. For Mya the fascination is with bird migratory patterns and she spends her time searching for rare bird species.

Arjun focuses his attention on the beauty of birdsong suggesting that perhaps people rely too heavily on their eyes when it comes to identifying and appreciating birds.

You need to take the positive conservation stories and cling on to them for hope and motivation

Mya Bambrick

The 1000 mile walk through a British Spring

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 16:21:00 GMT

Have you ever thought about walking 1000 miles? Roger Morgan-Grenville did just that and for this year's Cameron Bespolka Memorial Talk he very generously gave up his time to come and tell us all about it

Hosted by Winchester College, Roger told a captive audience of 450 school children from local primary schools about what he learned about our beautiful British countryside as he walked an average of 20 miles a day for 51 days. Together with Ellen Bradley they also talked about the endangered Curlew and how Curlew Action is helping to understand and protect these birds.

It was our pleasure to host Roger and everyone who helped to make the occasion so special.

Clare Talks, Winchester Colleage

This talk was followed by a poetry competition which showed some wonderful and thoughtful observations about wildlife. Congratulations to all, especially the winners.

And in the evening Roger was good enough to share his story again with another local audience of 350 people.

We are hugely grateful to Roger, Ellen, Winchester College, especially Clare Talks, and everyone else involved in making this a day to remember.

New Forest Wildlife Camp - Autumn 2022

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 15:41:00 GMT

The popularity of the New Forest Wildlife Camp persuaded the organisers to arrange an Autumn event in addition to the traditional Spring one. The response was excellent; 19 young wildlife enthusiasts travelled down to Cameron’s Cottage in RSPB Franchises Lodge at the end of October.

This was the fifth New Forest Wildlife Camp the Trust has sponsored. These camps are co-ordinated by Wild New Forest who do an excellent job in guiding, informing and entertaining the campers.

“I wanted to thank you so much for running the Wildlife Camp a couple of weeks ago - I had a great time and am now a keen fungi spotter - even if I can’t identify a lot! Also, I enjoyed the bird ringing. I also enjoyed meeting some new people who are into wildlife.”

The campers met up on the Friday night and after a quick dinner and an icebreaker quiz, they headed straight out into the forest under the cover of darkness to search for nocturnal wildlife. Several Fallow Deer were glimpsed, and a roaring buck in the distance indicated that the rutting period was in full swing. Despite the damp conditions, they were able to find and discuss a good variety of fungi and various invertebrates, including some giant Leopard Slugs.

Saturday saw an early start to check the moth traps. The rest of the morning was spent exploring Franchises Lodge nature reserve and hearing about reserve management from RSPB residential volunteer Sonja Bottomer.

The traditional group photo

The bioblitz competition on the Saturday proved a hotly contested event with the group splitting into teams and challenging each other to find as many species as possible in an hour. 160 species proved to be the winning score, showing just how alive with wildlife Franchises Lodge is. The afternoon was given over to a bird ringing demonstration.

In the afternoon they returned to the cottage for a brief rest, before the group split and headed out for bird ringing, mammal camera trapping, or yet more fungi finding. A hearty dinner was then followed by another nocturnal jaunt, which bizarrely produced a Common Toad five feet off the ground on a fallen tree.

Marcus showing the key features of the False Deathcap fungi

On the Sunday early rain meant a delayed departure, so Marcus usefully filled the time by providing an excellent slide show on the New Forest Pine Marten Project. Once the rain had cleared, they headed out to the open forest. Campers were accompanied on the walk by Andy Page, Head of Wildlife Management at Forestry England who was able to share his wealth of experience of forest management.

“Thank you so much for last weekend. I had the best time! Thank you for sharing your expertise on fungi with me, I really was fascinated. The people on the camp were wonderful, I have made some great friends and we are all keeping in touch on WhatsApp. It's fair to say that everyone misses being at the Cottage together! Overall, thank you for bringing us all together and teaching us so much. I'll definitely remember that weekend for a long time!”

A snack break on a hillside overlooking a block of woodland was rewarded with the sight of three Goshawks drifting over the treetops, while back at ground level the attendees were treated to the subtle delights of the internationally scarce Nail Fungus. A flurry of more charismatic fungi after lunch included a brief search for the tiny but beautiful Holly Parachute - with so many keen pairs of eyes it took less than a minute for the first to be located, with another cluster following soon after. A probable Lion Shield, a tier of giant Southern Brackets, and some fine Parasols also helped to keep the budding fungi photographers happy.

This Palmate Newt was a popular find

On the long walk back to the cottage there were ominous clouds looming on the western horizon, but the weather gods and the explorers arrived back at the cottage without incident and in good time for a final clear-up and a de-brief session. However, as the parents started arriving for the scheduled pick-up at 1600 hrs an impressive thunderstorm broke overhead and torrential rain ensued for several minutes.

Many thanks to the support team and volunteers who make the weekend such success; particularly Sonja Bottomer, Andrew Colenutt, Ali Dennis, Andy Page, Jane Pownall and Christine Sams as well as New Forest Wildlife directors Marcus Ward and Russell Wynn.

You can read a full report on the weekend's activities on the Wild New Forest website

Report

Andrew Colenutt ringing a Great Tit at Cameron's Cottage

Campers enjoying the comforts of Cameron's Cottage

Toasted marshmallows around the camp fire

Indoor games kept the attendees entertained while we waited for the rain to clear

Marcus provided an impromptu talk on the New Forest Pine Marten Project

Dislodged Southern Bracket

Trust presented with tree from 'Tree of Trees' sculpture

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 11:43:00 GMT

We are delighted to announce that the Cameron Bespolka Trust has been gifted one of the 350 trees that made up the “Tree of Trees” sculpture by the Queen’s Green Canopy

The spectacular 21-meter sculpture was designed by Thomas Heatherwick and was displayed outside Buckingham Palace in the heart of the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The 350 trees have been awarded to a diverse group of organisations by His Majesty The King’s Lord Lieutenants throughout the UK.

Amelia Riviere, the Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire awarded the Queen’s Lime tree, which was planted outside Cameron’s Cottage in the RSPB reserve Franchises Lodge, in the New Forest.

“ It was a great honour to visit Cameron’s Cottage and to see all the extraordinary work that The Cameron Bespolka Trust and the RSPB are doing in supporting young people. It seemed doubly fitting to plant a tree in memory of our late Queen in a royal forest.”

Amelia Riviere, the Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire

Amelia Ashton, Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire, Corinne Cruickshank, co-founder Cameron Bespolka Trust, Richard Snelling, RSPB Franchises Lodge Site Manager

We are thrilled and feel very honoured to be entrusted, together with the RSPB, to look after this tree. It will be planted for all to see at Cameron’s Cottage, in the heart of the RSPB nature reserve, Franchises Lodge in the New Forest. Cameron was a passionate naturalist and this tree will help ignite a connection and love of nature by all those young people who visit.”

Corinne Cruickshank, co-founder of CBT

Anneka Schofield, RSPB Cameron’s Cottage Project Officer and Amelia Riviere

The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. The living sculpture had sought to put the importance of trees in the heart of the historic milestone to celebrate Her Majesty, who planted over 1,500 tress all over the world during her 70-year reign.

Anneka Schofield, RSPB Cameron’s Cottage Project Officer was delighted with the recognition; “It is a honour to host one of the Queens Green Canopy trees from the “Tree of Trees” sculpture at Cameron’s Cottage. It is fitting that as this tree grows, it will see a new generation develop their connection to nature. We plan to share with the young people the significance of this lime tree as a sign of hope and inspiration”.

Further information

The Queens Green Canopy

Cameron Bespolka Scholarship Winner

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 15:38:00 GMT

We are delighted to report that Esther Rumsey from Gloucester has been awarded the Cameron Bespolka Scholarship for 2022 as part of her prize for winning the 17-18 age category in the Zeiss Young Birders Awards.

Esther Rumsey, Cameron Bespolka Scholarship winner

Esther submitted a wonderful journal entry detailing her passion for the humble Swallow. In the follow up call with the judges she demonstrated her knowledge of birds, conservation and the natural world. Esther can now look forward to travelling to Itaca, New York to attend the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Young Birders weekend.

Corinne Cruickshank, Founder and Trustee of the Cameron Bespolka Trust was delighted with the quality of the entrants: “It’s wonderful to see the passion, knowledge and aspirations of these young naturalists. We are thrilled to partner with ZEISS, Cornell, BBRC and British Birds for these awards. It’s very exciting that one UK youngster can experience and learn all that Cornell Lab of Ornithology can offer when attending their bird weekend in Ithaca, New York. This course will give them a trip if a life-time and an opportunity to learn from eminent ornithologists. By creating opportunities to get young people involved, it’s a wonderful way to connect them with wildlife and nature.“

“Birds and the natural world mean a lot to me so I feel very privileged to have this opportunity to support my future in conserving birds and nature.”

Esther Rumsey, Cameron Bespolka Scholarship winner

Esther Rumsey's journal entry

The Zeiss awards included two further age categories. Muhummed Hussain, aged 11 from Preston, won the prize in the 6–12-year-old category with his descriptive story about a day out birding. Benjamin Rumsby, aged 15 from Essex won the 12-16 category with his detailed description of a Greenish Warbler. Read the Zeiss blog on the event

Benjamin Rumsby collects his award

University dietetics group visits Cameron’s Cottage

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 09:07:00 GMT

The Winchester University Dietetics group visited Cameron’s Cottage recently for a spot of team building, cooking and getting closer to nature

Cameron's Cottage and RSPB Franchises Lodge nature reserve proved to be the ideal location for the group to enjoy some team building exercises; a blindfold trail communication game and walking on a slack line. They also spent time exploring the reserve listening and looking out for wildlife. The main focus of the trip howerver, was to use the open fire pit to develop menus for future groups to follow.

The group use the fire pit to create menus for future visitors to use