Dipterists Forum: Dipterists Day, AGM and Indoor Meeting

We return to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History after a break of 8 years, with a series of talks, your own exhibits, Pemberley Books and chat on Saturday, and a workshop on photography on Sunday along with the opportunity to use the museum’s Diptera collection. The meeting is open to all, is free and you don’t need to be member of Dipterists Forum. There should be plenty of space for displays in the area where we will have refreshments, so do please bring an exhibit. This can be specimens, photos, posters – almost anything to do with flies. The traditional Dipterists’ Supper will take place at a nearby restaurant.

Two of our speakers have an Oxfordshire connection. The museum houses the Verrall-Collin collection of Diptera, probably the most important collection of British flies, so it is fitting that we have Adrian Pont to give an account of James Collins’s life, commemorating the 50th 50th anniversary of his death. In the surrounding countryside, Judy Webb has been studying flies of the Oxfordshire fens, particularly the rare soldierflies but many others too, and will compress several years’ work into 25 minutes. Peter Chandler’s recording scheme for flat-footed flies has been running for two years; his talk should give us some impetus to look out for these attractive, if illusive, flies. Karl Wotton from Exeter University is talking about his research on hoverfly migration, which is highly relevant to pollination and pest control – good to see that flies are getting a higher profile in research. A mix of light-hearted but serious discourse will be given by Alan Stubbs to help set us up for 2019. On Sunday, Steven Falk, whose Flickr site is well known, will run a session, after which you should be able to emulate his outstanding photos yourself. The Diptera collection will be open for examination for much of Sunday.

Here is the programme.

Saturday                                           

10.00     Meet – there’s the museum cafe or DIY coffee in the Annex

10.30     Zoe Simmons, Collections Manager, Hope Entomological Collections

              – Introduction & welcome to the museum

10.40     Adrian Pont – James Edward Collin (1876-1968) - his life, his achievements, his legacy

11.05     Karl Wotton – Syrphid migration

11.30     Break for refreshments

12.00     Peter Chandler – Flat-footed Flies, a challenge to record

12.25     Judy Webb – Soldierflies and Horseflies of the Oxfordshire fens

12.50     Lunch – bring your own, use the museum café or forage in town

2.15       AGM

2.45       Prize for exhibit

2.55       Alan Stubbs 2019 –Year of the Fly

3.20       Chat, refreshment

5.30       Doors close

6.30       Dipterists’ Supper at local restaurant

Sunday           

10.00     Access to Diptera collection

11.00     Steven Falk  Flies on Flickr and fly photography made simple, the Falky Way

1.00       End of workshop, lunch

4.00       Collection closes