Members filled the New Road Methodist Church on July 2 to hear a fascinating talk by Ashley Grove entitled, Shetland to Scilly. Ashley is one of the country’s leading wildlife photographers.

He treated us to a feast of beautiful photographs of birds, ranging from the very north of the British Isles to its south western tip and told us about their habitat, breeding and migration habits.

Thanks to the advances of modern photographic technology and Ashley’s immense skill and patience we saw wonderful close ups and could study the unique features of each variety from the colourful puffins we sometimes see on television to rare species such as the red kite and the wood warbler. Take care when you are walking in the countryside in the north of England, the Arctic tern has been known to attack humans, especially if it fears that its nest is threatened.

We left the meeting with a much sharper eye for the bird life we will see the next time we walk over the Clent Hills and Kinver Edge. The 30 interest groups of the U3A continue to meet and study, including the canal club, who explore the rich canal network and gaze at its variety of bird life. The U3A meet on the first Thursday of each month at 2pm at New Road Methodist Church. Contact the group by visiting u3asite.org.uk-stourbridge