Looking Closer: An Introduction to invertebrate macrophotography
The Biodiversity Shorts are a series of webinars that delve into a range of natural history topics, with live discussion and tuition from an expert tutor. All webinars will be hosted on Zoom, and they will be approximately one hour long, including time for questions from participants.
This River and Riparian Stewardship course is a four-day extended residential experience with additional online learning and assessment delivered in partnership between the Field Studies Council and Riverlution. Designed for those looking to build real-world skills, the course combines hands-on river and habitat management with expert tuition.
The Aquatic Insects Special Interest Group event brings together researchers, conservation practitioners and enthusiasts to explore cutting-edge approaches in aquatic ecosystem monitoring and management.
Through hands-on workshops and expert presentations, participants will gain practical skills in modern analytical techniques while engaging with current challenges in freshwater biodiversity conservation.
The event will comprise of a full day meeting on Thursday 26 February with an optional morning workshop on Friday 27 February (included in the price).
Join us as part of the Northern Damselfly Project in Deeside to improve the habitat for these beautiful and rare damselflies. Meet at 10am at the Muir of Dinnet/ Burn o’ Vat NNR visitor centre at What3Words ref https://map.what3words.com/frightens.land.stretcher
Wear wellies (or waders if you have them), as well as waterproofs and warm clothes, including gloves. We’ll be putting in dams and removing pine regen and it will be a wet and muddy job (though great fun)! Bring your lunch and a drink though biscuits will be provided.
Please book by emailing Project Officer Mark Tasker with your phone number so we know how many tools & biscuits to bring. Please note this task is subject to receiving landowner approval and the weather not being too icy or snowy.
We look forward to seeing you there!
During 2023-2025, the BDS trained a group of young people to identify and survey dragonflies at
Stover. The results will be presented, and the opportunity will be taken to provide updates on dragonflies
in South-west England to a BDS and wider audience.
Book tickets here
09:30 Arrival, refreshments
10:00 Welcome and introduction (Dave Smallshire, BDS County Dragonfly Recorder for Devon)
10:05 Stover Country Park and its Dragonflies (Dave Smallshire)
10:30 Restoring Stover Park: Desilting the Lake (speaker tbc)
10:50 Monitoring the Dragonflies of Stover Lake (Dave Smallshire)
11:30 Break – refreshments
11:50 Dragonfly larvae (Jon Van Gowler, Joint Somerset CDR)
12:30 Lunch (please bring your own)
13:30 Cornwall update (Steve Jones)
13:50 South Devon update (Dave Smallshire)
14:10 North Devon (update – Andy McGeeney; South West Water and new discoveries – Liz Crow;
Lundy vs the mainland – Mandy Yates)
14:55 Break – refreshments
15:15 Somerset update (Chris Cardno/Mark Webb?)
15:35 South Peatland Restoration (Steve Edmonds)
15:55 Priority Sites in Devon: targets for 2026 (Dave Smallshire)
16:15 Final words and depart
The theme of the 2026 conference is ‘Peatlands Under Pressure’, and it will be exploring the challenges peatlands face from development, intensive land management and a changing climate, as well as the opportunities presented by scaling up nature-based solutions to environmental pressures.
The conference takes you to Swansea University’s Bay Campus in South Wales, a beautiful location with its own beach, seafront promenade and on-site accommodation, and the perfect base from which to explore the peatlands of South Wales. Over three days, there will be plenary sessions, workshops, topic deep dives and field visits bringing together research, policy and practice. Alongside this diverse programme, there will be additional opportunities for networking and knowledge sharing, with dedicated poster sessions and networking events, and an exhibition area throughout the event.
Join BDS and Angus Alive Rangers to help improve the dragonfly ponds at our first ever Dragonfly Hotspot, Crombie Country Park, near Monikie in Angus. Meet at 10am in the car park at What3Words ref https://map.what3words.com/centrally.torn.centrally
Wear wellies (or waders if you have them), as well as waterproofs and warm clothes as we’ll be removing sedges from one of the ponds and it will be a wet and muddy job (though great fun)! Bring your lunch and a drink though biscuits will be provided.
Please book by emailing Ranger Calum on Callum.Lyall@angusalive.scot so we know how many tools & biscuits to bring.
We look forward to seeing you there!
There are two walks on this day:
Morning: 10:30-13:00
Afternoon: 14:00-16:30
Book your tickets here – limited spaces available
£5 per person (kids go free); please bring it on the day.
These are joint walks between Natural England and the British Dragonfly Society.
This guided walk will introduce you to the rare quaking bog habitat and the endangered White-faced Darters that live there.
Meeting/ parking place: Grid reference: SK 02219 28970. Meeting point is on A518 Stafford to Uttoxeter road, 4 miles west of Uttoxeter and 7 miles east of Stafford. Approaching from the Stafford direction, please park on the wide grassy road verge 1 mile beyond Chartley castle. Approaching from Uttoxeter the meeting point is 0.3 miles past the timber yard/ former filling station. A useful landmark at the meeting point is a tarmac farm drive with green iron gateposts and a number of copper beech trees. Please be extremely careful when parking, this is a very fast and dangerous stretch of road.
Image by L.B. Tettenborn
The 8th edition of the European Congress on Odonatology (ECOO) will take place for the very first time in Poland!
The organizing team is working tirelessly to ensure an unforgettable experience and a warm welcome to the land of Polish dragonflies. Poland is home to over 70 species of Odonata – from the commonly seen to the exceptionally rare. Among the rarest are Cordulegaster boltonii, Aeshna subarctica, and Coenagrion armatum. Learn more at https://wazki.pl/start.html
Conference Venue
The congress will be held from 23 to 26 June 2026 in Teresin, located just 40 km west of Warsaw. The venue is the historic Niepokalanów Monastery, founded over a century ago and run by the Conventual Franciscan Friars.
What to Expect
Over three days, participants will enjoy a rich program of engaging presentations, discussions on the latest research in Odonatology, and of course—good coffee and delicious pierogi!
One full day will be dedicated to a field trip to Kampinos National Park and its surroundings, including unique peat bogs and raised bogs. Located near Warsaw, Kampinos is one of Poland’s largest national parks, offering a rare mix of forests, wetlands, and dunes.
For the more adventurous, a post-congress tour is planned for 27 June to 3 July 2026, exploring the wild and beautiful nature of northern Poland, including the scenic Kashubian region.
Stay Tuned
We are currently finalizing all organizational details. Information about registration, travel, accommodation, and meals will begin to appear starting this autumn via our newsletter, website, and social media channels.