I got a call from Stuart this morning (well actually yesterday morning if one is pedantic). He had spotted a quite significant glitch in the book after it had gone to the printers! A quick mail to Rob Still with the bad news. Oh goodness we hope this can be corrected and the printers are not too quick off the mark.
A couple of hours later and a further call from Stuart - apparently Rob had spotted the problem and had corrected it before he sent the book to the printers. Relief!
Well, it has been a long process but we really have got to the end of what we can do. Once the book arrives I have a fair block of work sending out pre-publication copies to the 120 or so people who took up the Dipterists Forum offer we made so very long ago - was this early 2011??? I think those that took up the offer will actually have done pretty well because the book is around 20% bigger than when it was advertised, and it is also RRP £24.95 as opposed to £17.95.
I look forward to seeing the finished result. It seems very strange to not having the job hanging over us and this gives us space to get on with new jobs. We have still to prepare the supplement to Stubbs & Falk that we planned for this winter - I will get on with drafting this over Christmas so that Stuart and Alan have something to work on. The other job we need to do is to finalise the Species Status Review that has been sitting awaiting publication. This will be published in Pdf form rather than hard copy, but I think DF may arrange to print a number through Print on Demand and make them available at a reasonable rate. So, it would be useful to know if readers would want a cpy?
Saturday, 8 December 2012
Friday, 7 December 2012
Hoverfly Wildguide
Well, we have got as far as is practicable. The book is finished and we must wait to see what it finally looks like. I think it will be fine and hope that readers think it worth the money. Examples of past pages are provided on previous pages.
Take a look - I think it will be excellent
Arrival date - sometime in March - probably towards the latter end
Take a look - I think it will be excellent
Arrival date - sometime in March - probably towards the latter end
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Wildguide - nearly there
There has been pretty frenetic activity this last week and it looks very much as though we will have the book finished in a few days time. It has now been through the proof reader who spotted very few glaring errors. We remain in trepidation that we have inserted a wrongly identified fly!
Anyway, here are a few illustrations of the species pages just to give a taster of what it will look like. As you can see we have done our best to illustrate features that cause people problems!
Anyway, here are a few illustrations of the species pages just to give a taster of what it will look like. As you can see we have done our best to illustrate features that cause people problems!
Hoverfly course in South London
Stuart and I will be running one our very successful two-day training courses in Whitelands College, University of Roehampton on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 January. There are at least four spaces to be filled and so anybody who is an absolute novice and wants to get to grips with hoverfly identification is welcome to book a place. More details will be supplied closer to the time for those who have booked.
We think the costs will be around £10-15 per head but I've yet to finalise this. It is a bit cheaper than normal because London is a short distance from Peterborough and we will be able to use my mother's home as a base - thus minimising accommodation costs. Anybody wanting to attend should let me know at roger dot morris at Pipex dot com - I will put you in contact with the organiser Amanda Morgan.
We think the costs will be around £10-15 per head but I've yet to finalise this. It is a bit cheaper than normal because London is a short distance from Peterborough and we will be able to use my mother's home as a base - thus minimising accommodation costs. Anybody wanting to attend should let me know at roger dot morris at Pipex dot com - I will put you in contact with the organiser Amanda Morgan.
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| Hoverfly identification course run at Yarner Wood near Exeter in March 2012 |
Programme
Our approach is to run courses in the winter months using specimens that
have been collected specially for this purpose. The species we tend to
use are those common ones that you are most likely to see. We have found
this to be a far more satisfactory approach than running courses during
the summer and relying on specimens caught by students. We usually do a weekend course – timing
generally to suit the venue:
Morning 1 Start around 9.30
- Introductory talk - the Syrphidae (lasts about 2 hours)
- Talked-through run through the key to Tribes - this usually takes up the final bit of the morning.
Afternoon 1 end around 5pm
- Pupils work through specimens - taking a wide number through the key to tribes (duration depends upon ability of the group)
- Variable - may do a talked through run at keys to species (dependent upon ability of the group).
Morning 2 start 9.30
- Talked through run at keys to species /pupils run specimens to species
- Session stops at various points to explain features e.g. wing venation
- Talk on preparing specimens etc.
Afternoon 2 end around 4 pm
- Talk on 'finding hoverflies'
- Further specimen ID
- Talk on the Recording scheme etc.
The programme tends to be a bit fluid to take account of abilities and
the need to give people a break from microscopy. We bring all ID materials etc
plus as many copies of Stubbs & Falk as possible - pupils should bring their
own if they have them. We take breaks for tea/coffee as appropriate.
We will provide:
- 12 Microscopes
- 12 Sets of course literature (charged at £6.00 per person)
- All specimens & broader collection
- Powerpoint presentations - we usually bring a computer
What the organisers need to provide
- Venue
- Sufficient bench space for 12 students – layout ideally in a standard classroom format.
- Powerpoint projector & screen (if advised in advance we can provide a projector)
- Tea/Coffee facilities
Please note we can only accommodate 12 students
as the specimens we carry are only sufficient for this size group and we will
only have sufficient microscopes for such a group.
Costs etc - we charge for:
Fuel, tolls etc
|
At cost
|
Overnight accommodation
|
Work on £70-80 per night for a twin room + £30 per day for subsistence
= £220
|
Cost of course handouts - a new version of the key to tribes in colour
+ a package of additional information
|
£6 per set per person - with a class of 12 (max) this would be £72
|
So, we reckon the costs for a single weekend are in the order of £350 for venues within a 250 mile radius of Peterborough.
Of course that depends upon fuel costs and guest houses. We will travel as required, but clearly more remote venues may cost a bit more, especially if they involve a very long journey on the Sunday.
What usually happens is that the organising venue charges pupils
at a suitable rate - usually around £30 per head. If groups decide to
charge to make a profit we usually ask for a donation to Dipterists Forum.
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Developing local hoverfly groups
Stuart and I spent today with a group of hoverfly enthusiasts from Northamtonshire - part of the Northants Diptera Group. It was great to see seven people who had specimens to have checked and wanted to get a better understanding of tricky genera - Platycheirus and Cheilosia.
What is very apparent is that a combination of factors are needed to get a group mobilised and enthused. The influence of the local Wildlife Trust's continuing interest in training is very apparent. They have several venues where courses can be run, and also have microscopes available. Perhaps other Trusts could consider doing the same?
However, the biggest factor is that one person (John Showers who is Dipterists Forum's Membership Secretary) has organised field meetings and has given the group clear leadership. It would be great to see other groups doing the same. A similar level of interest has been developed in Shropshire through the Field Studies Council's 'Invertebrate Challenge' at Preston Montford. This sort of investment will hopefully yield long-term benefits with new active recorders in formerly poorly recorded counties.
We are keen to play our part. We are always happy to run courses for novices and can also run follow-up meetings if called upon to do so. We can supply most if not all of the necessary equipment but need a local organiser to handle the venue and take bookings. As I have previously blogged - our approach is to charge the basic costs and no more - a two-day weekend course usually works out in the region £300-£350 depending on the distance from Peterborough and the local cost of guest house accommodation. Does anybody fancy developing a hoverfly group in their area? If so, let us know and we will see what we can do to help move it forward.
What is very apparent is that a combination of factors are needed to get a group mobilised and enthused. The influence of the local Wildlife Trust's continuing interest in training is very apparent. They have several venues where courses can be run, and also have microscopes available. Perhaps other Trusts could consider doing the same?
However, the biggest factor is that one person (John Showers who is Dipterists Forum's Membership Secretary) has organised field meetings and has given the group clear leadership. It would be great to see other groups doing the same. A similar level of interest has been developed in Shropshire through the Field Studies Council's 'Invertebrate Challenge' at Preston Montford. This sort of investment will hopefully yield long-term benefits with new active recorders in formerly poorly recorded counties.
We are keen to play our part. We are always happy to run courses for novices and can also run follow-up meetings if called upon to do so. We can supply most if not all of the necessary equipment but need a local organiser to handle the venue and take bookings. As I have previously blogged - our approach is to charge the basic costs and no more - a two-day weekend course usually works out in the region £300-£350 depending on the distance from Peterborough and the local cost of guest house accommodation. Does anybody fancy developing a hoverfly group in their area? If so, let us know and we will see what we can do to help move it forward.
Monday, 26 November 2012
Basic microscopes for novices
I noticed today that there was a question about suppliers of basic microscopes for novices wishing to start recording hoverflies (or for that matter other insects). I've posted a reply there but then reflected that it might make a useful subject for this blog.
Stuart Ball and I have bought micropscopes on two occasions in the past couple of years. The first time we did this was facilitated by an OPAL grant - we bought a zoom microscope together with an optical camera and software for use on our hoverfly training courses. The following year we bought 13 basic microscopes which we use to run courses at venues where microscopes are not available. These too were funded through an OPAL grant.
In both cases we went to GX Optical near Cambridge
http://www.gxoptical.com/html/gxm_stereo_microscopes.html#c2d">Stereo
The model we bought was fairly basic and cost around £250 without a light. We chose not to have a fixed light as fixed lights can get a bit hot and will fry the entomologist and the subject-matter. Instead we use a goose-necked lamp from Homebase - about £6.00. A setup like this will not give you Leitz quality but it is pretty adequate for the basics. The camera is also pretty good and is certainly suitable for what we want to do. The combination of camera microscope and teaching kit has been a huge success and we are indebted to OPAL for the finance that made their purchase possible.
Our contact at GX Optical is Bob Town who is absolutely excellent - really helpful and willing to look at the options needed to provided the microscope you need. Do tell Bob that you come with our recommendation as we are very happy to endorse their microscopes.
uffolk CB9 9AF
Stuart Ball and I have bought micropscopes on two occasions in the past couple of years. The first time we did this was facilitated by an OPAL grant - we bought a zoom microscope together with an optical camera and software for use on our hoverfly training courses. The following year we bought 13 basic microscopes which we use to run courses at venues where microscopes are not available. These too were funded through an OPAL grant.
In both cases we went to GX Optical near Cambridge
http://www.gxoptical.com/html/gxm_stereo_microscopes.html#c2d">Stereo
The model we bought was fairly basic and cost around £250 without a light. We chose not to have a fixed light as fixed lights can get a bit hot and will fry the entomologist and the subject-matter. Instead we use a goose-necked lamp from Homebase - about £6.00. A setup like this will not give you Leitz quality but it is pretty adequate for the basics. The camera is also pretty good and is certainly suitable for what we want to do. The combination of camera microscope and teaching kit has been a huge success and we are indebted to OPAL for the finance that made their purchase possible.
Our contact at GX Optical is Bob Town who is absolutely excellent - really helpful and willing to look at the options needed to provided the microscope you need. Do tell Bob that you come with our recommendation as we are very happy to endorse their microscopes.
uffolk CB9 9AF
Friday, 16 November 2012
Wildguide update
Fear not! The WILDGuide is progressing towards its trip to China for printing. Stuart and I have spent several more evenings sorting out further issues and preparing additional inserts. The end result will be pretty spectacular and we hope that it will act as a real stimulus to hoverfly recording.
I've had quite a few enquiries recently as to the book's progress so I thought it was probably about time we put some illustrations out that showed what it will look like. The following images are therefore a taster of what the introductory sections of the book will look like. It is packed with all sorts of information that is not in Stubbs & Falk, and will really be a genuine improvement to the literature. As I have previously commented, our aim has been to cover all of the genera and a selection of species rather than the entire fauna. Producing something comprehensive would be too big a job and would really require very different treatment. However, a combination of our book and the keys in Stubbs & Falk should make the hoverflies a great deal easier to identify.
The work of preparing this book has been a huge job and it would be extremely difficult to distribute royalties in any meaningful way. The photographers who have contributed to the book will each receive a complimentary copy. We have asked that Royalties will go to Dipterists Forum and we hope that
they will be used to support initiatives to increase participation in Diptera recording.
The training roadshow is currently under-way. Last weekend we went to Bristol Museum. In two weeks time we will be doing a session for the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust. In the New Year we will be going to Carlisle and to London, and are in the process of finding a date to run an improvers class (possibly at Cardiff Museum).
Must dash - let me know what you think of the book.
I've had quite a few enquiries recently as to the book's progress so I thought it was probably about time we put some illustrations out that showed what it will look like. The following images are therefore a taster of what the introductory sections of the book will look like. It is packed with all sorts of information that is not in Stubbs & Falk, and will really be a genuine improvement to the literature. As I have previously commented, our aim has been to cover all of the genera and a selection of species rather than the entire fauna. Producing something comprehensive would be too big a job and would really require very different treatment. However, a combination of our book and the keys in Stubbs & Falk should make the hoverflies a great deal easier to identify.
 |
| Readers who have done our hoverfly course will recognise this page! We have made regular use of the material prepared for the training courses we run, but have added further information. |
 |
| Some of the stories about the last thirty years efforts to find hoverflies are illustrative of the advances that have happened since Stubbs & Falk was first published. It will be interesting to see what happens as a result of this book. |
 |
| Although we have not specifically created conventional keys, the introductory sections have been designed along the general concept of a key. We shot nearly 200 specially prepared photographs of specimens to show characters that are described by line drawings in Stubbs & Falk. These follow the experience we have gained in teaching hoverfly identification. |
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| We are indebted to a large number of photographers who have supplied the fabulous photographs that pack this book. |
The training roadshow is currently under-way. Last weekend we went to Bristol Museum. In two weeks time we will be doing a session for the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust. In the New Year we will be going to Carlisle and to London, and are in the process of finding a date to run an improvers class (possibly at Cardiff Museum).
Must dash - let me know what you think of the book.
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