Winter 2026-27

Upcoming Meetings

Wednesday October 14th 19:30-21:15
A Journey with Science, Animal Behaviour and Behind the Scenes of Wildlife Filmmaking   – Sam Stewart

Sam Stewart is a documentary and wildlife filmmaker from Dorset. His work has taken him all over the world to some of its most remote corners.
From traversing the deserts of Oman and the snowfields of Alaska for Netflix and the BBC, to  filming with Sir David Attenborough for Wild Isles.
This talk takes us on a journey with science, animal behaviour and behind the scenes of wildlife filmmaking.

Wednesday November 11th 19:30-21:15
The Beauty of Ponds – Robert Aquilina

Robert states that ‘ponds are the single most beneficial addition for biodiversity to any garden or landscape’. His talk will explore why this is the case, and looks at some of the many animals that call ponds home. This is a very apposite talk for us as we have a number of important ponds in our recording area, including the Quarry Pond, the Lily Ponds and the Nursery Pond.

Robert is the founder of the Freshwater Recording Group, is the Freshwater Recorder for Dorset, the founder member of Dorset Dragonfly Group and Dorset Flora Group, conducts Butterfly transect walks on Sopley Common (including Dragonflies), and is a volunteer for Dorset Amphibian and Reptile Network pond surveys.

Wednesday December 9th 19:30-21:15
The Curious Plant Life of Hengistbury Head and Stanpit Marsh  – Sarah West

Sarah is the Heathland Mitigation Ranger and has a passion for plants, particularly the many varied species within our CHOG recording area.

As such Sarah’s talk will focus on the plants of Hengistbury Head and Stanpit Marsh, with an emphasis on the rarities and those most in need of our protection. The talk will include how better to identify plants, interesting facts about them, how wildlife interacts with them, and some folklore too!

Wednesday March 10th 19:30-21:15
Bird Songs and Calls – Keith Betton

What better way to get ready to enjoy the 2027 breeding season than to brush up on our listening skills. We all want to know about bird songs and calls. Keith will run through the sounds made by around 40 species, explaining the key points to help identify them.

Many of you will know Keith as the Chair of the Hampshire Ornithological Society.  He is also a past trustee of both the RSPB and BTO – and Vice President of the latter, he has also chaired the Ornithological Society of the Middle East and is Chair of the African Bird Club. A former media relations director, he delivers all of the media training around the world for BirdLife International.

When not birding locally, Keith is a keen world traveller having seen nearly 9,000 species in over 120 countries.

Unless stated, each meeting will take place at 7:30pm at St Nicholas’ Church Hall, The Broadway, Hengistbury Head, BH6 4EP.

Entry is free for CHOG members and £2:00 for non-members.
Refreshments will be available at each meeting.

Previous Meetings