The first 'personality' to be featured in this section is Mike Langman. Mike is among the best-known of present-day Devon birdwatchers, now in his second stint as County Recorder and one of the country's outstanding bird artists. The article reproduced here, penned by Allan Tudor, appeared in the (Torbay) Herald Express on Tuesday 27 January 2009, under the very apt title 'Bringing birds to life on the page'.

MIKE LANGMAN is a freelance wildlife illustrator whose work is seen all across South Devon as well as in bird books and on the internet, writes Allan Tudor.

Jon Avon (born 1965)

Dave Jenks, Society Archivist

Jon Avon was born in Nantyglo, Monmouthshire in 1965 where from an early age had an interest in local upland birds and spent much time bird ringing and nesting.

Following School, Jon studied for a National Certificate in Agriculture at Usk College of Agriculture before moving Devon in 1985 to Seale Hayne Agricultural College, Newton Abbot to study for a HND in Rural Resource Management. Early employment included dairy, beef and sheep farming across the UK including the Scottish Borders, Wales, East Anglia and Devon.

Gordon Vaughan (1933-2006)

Dave Jenks, Society Archivist

Gordon Vaughan was born in northeast London in 1933 and lived and was educated there during World War II. He had an inherent interest in natural history and before leaving grammar school had joined the North Middlesex branch of the British Empire Naturalists Association. On leaving school he commenced office work in the City of London and spent many a lunchtime studying breeding Black Redstarts on old bombsites. While on National Service at 18 years of age he volunteered for overseas posting and was sent to the Suez Canal Zone in 1951. Here, when time allowed he was able to study bird movements on one of the main migration routes.

Dr Janet Kear (1933 - 2004)

Tim Davis

Janet Kear was born in London on 13 January 1933. She was educated at Walthamstow Hall in Sevenoaks, Caspar Junior College in Wyoming, and King's College, London, graduating with a degree in biology. As a postgraduate at Girton College, Cambridge, she gained her PhD on the feeding ecology of finches in 1959. In the same year, she joined the Wildfowl Trust (now the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust) as a research scientist – an association that lasted her entire life.

Robin J. Khan MBE (born 1933)

Dave Jenks, Society Archivist

Robin Khan was born in Rajasthan, India on 30 September 1933. His early schooldays were spent at the hill station of Naini Tal and this is where his interest in wildlife began. He can still recall listening to and learning the sounds of the nearby jungle. After the death of his father the family moved to England and he had a brief spell at a school in Surrey before moving as a boarder to Wellington School in Somerset. He still remembers getting many spells of detention for missing classes in order to watch birds or catch grass snakes for the Natural History Society. He went on to win the honour of being Army Cadet of the Year, which gave him a good start for a spell in the Army on leaving school.

Peter Ellicott (born 1932)

Dave Jenks, Society Archivist

Peter Ellicott was born in London on 12 January 1932. The family moved to Devon from Bournemouth in June 1940 to live at Newton St. Cyres until 1952. Peter attended Hele’s School, Exeter, 1940 to 1948. He joined the DBWPS in 1948 and the same year took up his lifetime career as a Quantity Surveyor.

In 1955 he was appointed Assistant Secretary to E.H. (Snip) Ware, becoming Joint Hon. Sec. (with Ware) in 1957 and 1958 prior to taking the Hon. Secretary’s post in 1959. He held this post until 1965 before breaking off for a two-year stint with the RSPB at Sandy.

Humphrey Sitters (born 1944)

Dave Jenks, Society Archivist

Humphrey Sitters joined the Society in 1959. He became Hon. Secretary in 1968, a post he held until 1980.

He was elected President of the society in 1981, serving to 1986. He had two terms of three years on Council. 1987 – 1989 and 1992 – 1994.

He edited and organised the Atlas of the Breeding Birds in Devon, published by the DBWPS in 1974.