Talk: Idle Days in Patagonia – And the Home Counties

Conor Mark Jameson is a writer and naturalist. He is author of the books Silent Spring Revisited, Shrewdunnit, and Looking for the Goshawk. His current project is a book about the life and times of W H Hudson. Conor is also a feature writer and has written for television and radio.

He worked for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and BirdLife International for 25 years, and has also worked for the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

W H Hudson, a one-time author and naturalist was very influential in the founding of the RSPB. He lived out his days in London, the base from which he explored the southern counties. His first British nature book, Birds in a Village, was published in 1893, based on his explorations of Berkshire.

This evening, Conor links his life and legacy to today and compares then and now in a costume drama with plenty of birds! The talk reveals how this unschooled, impoverished, battle-scarred immigrant came to be so influential in the creation of the RSPB by its founding women, and in the rise of the modern day conservation movement.

Conor travels to Hudson’s homeland and discovers that he is very well remembered and celebrated there, including by the RSPB’s partner organisation, Aves Argentina. He links Hudson’s life and legacy to today, and compares then and now. It’s a costume drama, with plenty of birds.

The in person meeting takes place in Room 109 in the Palmer Building, Reading University, but you can also join remotely via Zoom if you prefer.  Please click here to join the meeting. You can join from 7.45 pm and the meeting will start at 8 pm.  You will be muted when you join; please stay muted except when you have been asked to unmute, for recent sightings, questions, etc.