Bird Flight – Jeff Blincow

Jeff began county birding in Northamptonshire during the 1960’s, British birding in 1970’s and World birding in the 1980’s. He works as a teacher of Information Technology and has been lecturing about birds since 1980 on such topics as Birds of Australia, Birds of Ecuador, Bird Flight and Bird Families. He has travelled widely, most especially in South America. He has helped to write a book on South American Mammals and in recent years has spent each summer recording wildlife in Finnmark.

After a short look at the evolution of flight and avian adaptations for flight, the focus is on an enjoyment of birds in flight. Birds have many different lifestyles and each requires specialist flight skills. This lecture looks at the reasons for flying, the diverse modes of flight and the experts in each field. The Common Swift Apus apus is one such expert that graces our skies for just 3 months a year; its talents are drawn on to highlight this fascinating topic. It is illustrated by over 150 photographs of birds in flight and will hopefully engage, educate and entertain the audience.