The Kingsbridge Natural History Society talks 

are held on the third Monday of every month

September to April inclusive 



Start Time: 7.30pm, Doors Open: 7.00pm


Location: West Charleton Village Hall TQ7 2AQ on the A379 West of Kingsbridge

https://www.devoncommunities.org.uk/~devoncommunities/community-buildings/charleton-village-hall


Non-members are welcome for just £5 per talk 

Please just turn up and introduce yourself, 

or if you prefer you can click contact KNHS



The Kingsbridge Natural History Society Talks Programme

September 2026 to April 2027

  2026 Dates

Topic

Speaker

Speaker Profile

Monday

28th September

Want to Catch a Fish?

Plant a Tree

Sam Manning

Sam is a forest ecologist and environmental writer for the Woodland Trust. There are hidden connections between forests and oceans, to save our oceans, we need more trees.

Monday

26th October

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna of SW England and Beyond

Dr Matthew Witt & Dr Lucy Hawkes

About the wider biology of the Bluefin Tuna and related fish populations. Why have Bluefin Tuna tuned into the tidal currents off Start Point

Atlantic bluefin tuna: Feeding the Comeback - Exeter Marine

Monday

23rd November

Fabulous Fish and their Colourful Lives in our Shallow Seas

Dr Paul Naylor

Lots of new discoveries about fish behaviour in our coastal waters. Marine Photo

Monday

14th December

AGM followed by

Life on the Edge

Nigel Mortimer & Sam Skevington

Giving some of the UK’s most threatened invertebrates, living along the South Devon coast between Plymouth and Torbay, the space to recover and thrive. Life on the Edge - South Devon National Landscape

2027 Dates

Monday

25th January

Bats and Ladders; the good, the dodgy and the really interesting stuff.

Mrs George Bemmet

George has been involved with bats for nearly 40 years. She sat on the Council of the Mammal Society for ten years and is a founding member of the Devon Mammal Group

Monday

22nd February

Could Britain's Rarest Mammal Return to Devon?

Cath Jeffs

Cath works for Devon Wildlife Trust. With Forestry England they are putting together a plan to bring back the European Wildcat. Also, a brief overview of other reintroduction projects

Monday

22nd March

Dragonflies in Devon

Dragonflies-in-Devon.pdf

Dave Smallshire

Dave is an ecologist, lecturer, and wildlife tour guide, and plays an active role in the British Dragonfly Society. He formerly worked as an environmental adviser to the UK government

Monday

26th April

Tree rings and the Climate of the past

Rory Clisby

Rory is a Climate Analyst, at Swansea University. The talk will be an introduction to dendrochronology and the application of tree rings to archaeology, climate science, and ecology. The talk will include his research on Bristlecone pines

Recent talk topics have included; 
Exeter Peregrines, Dartmoor Commons, and 
AONB Conservation Projects
Peregrines sit at the top of their food chain and, as such, reflect the health of the environment beneath them. They are fiercely territorial which limits their numbers in areas of favourable habitat, such as remote sea cliffs and upland crags. Fifty years ago, the peregrine came close to extinction through contamination by persistent toxic chemicals. Since then, they have not only recovered their numbers, but the population has grown to its highest recorded numbers in the UK. Its fortunes and history are interwoven with mans developments, and the peregrine can now be found in closer to proximity to man than ever before. Peregrine falcons are now nesting in many towns and cities across the country, with tall buildings, cathedrals and churches now replicating the traditional cliff faces. Peregrines are also utilising man-made structures in rural areas, with power stations, bridges, refinery chimneys, cooling towers, pylons and radio masts also being occupied. As Increasing numbers of peregrines are recorded on man-made structures in towns and cities across the country, so too comes the opportunity to watch, study, record and learn about the species to ensure that some of the mistakes of the past will not be repeated.
people disagree about how Dartmoor's Commons should be grazed and managed
South Devon National Landscape is one of a family of protected landscapes in the UK. With the guidance of a Partnership Committee, the SDNL Team work to enhance South Devon’s outstanding beauty, for which the designation was applied. The special qualities of South Devon National Landscape includes rugged coastline, sandy beaches, secretive estuaries, patchwork countryside and historic villages