A Zoom presentation by Edward Mayer
Date: Saturday, 5 June 2021
Time: 19:00–20:00
Location: Online (Zoom)
Following the popular talk from Edward Mayer last month on urban biodiversity, BirdLife Malta is happy to welcome him back for another informative online talk! Edward will be helping us to celebrate World Swift Day, which is on 7 June. World Swift Day is a global celebration of the Swift – this most fascinating and mysterious of birds whose survival is threatened.
Many of our European and migratory bird species are in trouble and are facing severe declines. During this informative presentation Edward will be talking us through the various complex reasons for this issue. This is an issue that is beyond the ability of one person to solve, however during this presentation we will be focusing on Swifts. Swifts are a bird that you can personally help, and are a frequent visitor to Malta!
Edward Mayer is a Swift & Urban Wildlife Conservationist who has been studying Swifts for years and has given many talks over the years. If you missed our last presentation by Edward, you can watch it on our Facebook here.
In 2003 Edward Mayer pioneered an approach to preserving the future of the Swift through advice, talks and the encouragement of widespread volunteer action. He studied the efforts of Swift experts in Germany, and began his work by creating “London’s Swifts” – an internet-based advice service focusing on how to preserve existing nest sites and create new provision. It was such a success that the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) asked him to make it a national service and Swift Conservation was born. After getting a request for help from Spain, Edward widened its scope to cover Europe. Edward’s previous career helped. For 12 years he had managed the property, infrastructure and facilities of the Tate Gallery. As Swifts are now dependent on holes in buildings for nesting, his work at the Tate gave Edward the expertise for practical discussions with builders, architects, and those responsible in local government for planning, biodiversity policy and the conservation of old buildings; all of whom have influence on the survival of these charismatic birds.
This presentation will be best suited for 14+ due to the scientific language Edward will be using, he will also be discussing the mating techniques of Swifts. Of course we welcome anyone to join but please do bear this in mind.
Participants and members interested in joining can book a screen for the Zoom presentation by registering their details on this google form, by no later than 3 June 2021.
A link will then be sent 24 hours prior to the presentation. Those participating should ensure they have the relevant Zoom Video Conferencing app installed on their devices.