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THE KNOT NOTTINGHAM RSPB GROUP NEWSLETTER

Volume 12, Number 1 October 2017

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Editor’s Notes What makes a particular species a ‘favourite?’ Some are attracted to the spectacular and a great white egret or great skua might spring to mind. Many are entranced by raptors and barn owl hunting in the twilight or the graceful flight of a red kite captures the imagination. Still others prefer what might be called ‘cute’ birds and would choose the puffin. All of these choices depend on the ability to go out birding but for some this is not an option. For them the favourite bird may well be one that visits their bird table on a regular basis. Here the goldfinch and the blue tit score heavily. Whatever your preference we have to agree that we are fortunate to have such a variety of species to choose from. Preserving the habitats for all these birds is a vital part of the RSPB’s remit and we wish them every success as they aim to conserve our bird life for this and future generations. Articles, photos and adverts should be e- mailed to me at pgdaft@yahoo.co.uk or posted to my address, 39, Forester Street, Netherfield, NG4 2LJ. The deadline for the January edition is 1st December 2017.

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A letter from your leader

I hope you have all had a good summer, enjoyed your walks, outings and holidays and are now looking forward to a new programme of talks, winter walks and outings. First of all a reminder: if you haven’t yet contacted us to tell us you still wish to have a paper copy of the ‘Knot’ (rather than the on-line version) please do so immediately. I am sure you will all understand that we are trying to reduce our expenditure. Some members have told us they prefer a paper copy and are willing to pay an extra cost. We aren’t going to start charging you but donations, however small, are always welcome. Apologies for the late arrival of this year’s programme. It has been available on-line since July and copies have been available on outings and at the September meeting. If you find that you have more than one copy please return it or, better still, pass it on to someone else who might want to join us at our meetings or on our outings. The best news over the summer has been the work of the RSPB in Sherwood Forest (see the article by Nadia Archer.) Work has begun on developing visitor facilities in Edwinstowe and the new centre should be finished next summer. Some visitors at the Robin Hood Festival expressed anxiety about our plans for the area, so please reassure your friends and neighbours and give

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them a positive image of future developments. Traditions will be preserved, whilst at the same time the ancient woodland (an SSSI) will be restored and more nature orientated activities introduced. I hope some of you will respond to Nadia’s appeal for volunteers and that all of you will visit the new centre next year. Lastly, a date to keep free for next year. The RSPB’s Members conference is to be held in Nottingham again, on 6th-8th April 2018. Doreen Markam

Read our news on www.rspb.org.uk/groups/nottingham. E-mail us at RSPBnottmlginfo@gmail.com.

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Outings Sunday 10th December - Coach trip to Old Moor As usual our December trip is to one of our closest reserves. Old Moor is a mixture of reed beds, wader scrapes and flood meadow. It has a good list of birds seen and these include kingfisher, little owl, tree sparrows and, at the time of our visit, up to 8000 lapwings and golden plover. These numbers attract their share of raptors.

Facilities: Visitor centre, café, toilets and hides Bookings: from 1st November Cost: £14.50

Sunday 14th January 2018 - Coach outing to Far Ings A reserve re-born but still little known. It has extensive reed beds, open water, meadows and scrub. It also has the River Humber, which at this time of the year holds large numbers of wildfowl and a good few waders. The reserve itself has bitterns and the reed beds have attracted other wildfowl including smew.

Facilities: Toilets, visitor centre and café Bookings: from 1st December 2017 Cost: £17.50

Sunday 18th February - Coach trip to Pitsford Reservoir A large area of water (up to 120 Ha). It has mixed woodland and grassy areas attracting up to 10,000 wildfowl. Our last visit was exceptional with divers, smew and a great white egret. It was a case of not knowing where to look first. Will it happen again?

Facilities: Toilets and hides Bookings: from 1st January Cost: £17

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If after booking for one of the trips you find you cannot make it for any reason please let us know as soon as possible as we may be able to let someone else have the seat. Keep in touch with all our activities via our excellent web-site at www.rspb.org.uk/groups/nottingham. Cheques made payable to ‘Nottingham RSPB Local Group.’ Paid at the indoor meetings or sent to Jan & Dave Goodwin at 22 Wray Close, St Ann’s, Nottingham, NG3 2FS. Please note that stout footwear and all weather clothing should be worn on all trips. In emergency please phone 0751 097816. Please note that personal possessions such as bins, scopes etc. are only covered by personal insurance. Please note that, as we have to pay for the bus, booking fees are NOT REFUNDABLE. Pick up points are as follows. Children are welcome though the trips are not suitable for children under seven years old.

Lowdham 7.10am Burton Joyce 7.15am Carlton Square 7.20am Mount Street (by Gala Casino) 7.30am

Following the introduction of car parking charges on Sundays in Nottingham, though free parking is available at Carlton Square and there are streets near Mount Street with limited space at £1, people have wondered if other pick up points can be arranged. The following will now be REQUEST stops only. Requests must be made to Jan and Dave before the trip date and it is YOUR responsibility to be at the stop on time. If you are not there the coach will not stop and wait.

For trips leaving Nottingham eastbound by the A52 the coach will stop by request at Trent Bridge. For trips leaving Nottingham by the A453 the coach will stop by request at the Man of Trent, Clifton. For trips leaving Nottingham by the A60/A614 the coach will stop by request at the Vale Hotel. For trips leaving Nottingham westbound by the A52 the coach will stop by request at the Priory Island.

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Booking Forms

Please reserve seat(s) on the trip to Old Moor on Sunday 10th December

Name

Address

Postcode Telephone

Pick up point

Bookings commence 1st November Cost £14.50

Please reserve seat(s) on the trip to Far Ings on Sunday 14th January

Name

Address

Postcode Telephone

Pick up point

Booking commence 1st December Cost £17.50

Please reserve seat(s) on the trip to Pitsford Reservoir on Sunday 18th February

Name

Address

Postcode Telephone

Pick up point

Bookings commence 1st January Cost £17

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Miscellany

Winter walks Once again we have a programme of winter walks. The first is our traditional Tinsel walk round Colwick Park which is held on Sunday 17th December. Meet by the Warden’s car park at 10 am. The second walk is an ideal opportunity to walk off some of the Christmas excess by meeting at the car park at Rufford Park at 9.30 am on Sunday 7th January. 2018 Calendar

After the success of our 2016 calendar we have produced one for 2018. The price will be £6 for one calendar or £10 for two. This is an ideal present that lasts all year and it is small enough to post anywhere. If you want us to send one please provide full details and add £1 for postage. For orders contact Jan Goodwin on 0115 9120796.

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Another Blue Day

This title, taken from a poem by Thomas Carlyle, perfectly describes the sky every morning as seen from the villa we hired at Tavira in the Algarve. This was at the end of July, not the best time for birding but, as this was a family holiday, I had to make the most of the opportunities that arose. The villa next door was empty but provided plenty of ledges for families of swallows whose twittering was more welcome than the monotonous three note call of the local collared doves. The mornings frequently found me on the veranda, glass in one hand, binoculars in the other, hoping to see any passing birds. I was not disappointed when, on the first day, three white storks flew over, shortly followed by one of my ‘target’ species, four azure winged magpies. From below the azure wings are not visible. All you see is a long tailed light buff coloured bird with a black cap. That was just a start. A trip down to Tavira produced a little egret on the Rio Gilao and a passing little tern from the colony nearby. A ride on the tourist road train round the town gave us an early view of the salt pans for which the town is famous and a bird I had not expected to see in the shape of a western reef heron. Being self-catering meant visits to the supermarket . On the waste ground next to the store was a crested lark. I

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have never been anywhere where the birds are so reluctant to be photographed but I never succeeded in getting a shot of this or several other species all week. The main beach at Tavira is on an island reached by a ferry. On the way we passed the salt pans and had our first view of greater flamingos. The island itself seemed free of any birds except house sparrows bur out to sea on the Atlantic coast side of the island were yellow legged gulls and both Balearic and Cory’s shearwaters. Day after day my trip list slowly increased. One delight was walking down to the local bakery every morning to fetch some bread rolls and being passed at below head height by parties of red-rumped swallows. One day I was near the bottom of the road when a very small bird shot out of a bush. Instead of flying away it clung to a grass stem. With mounting excitement I ticked off the features. Grey head, greyish-white throat, breast that seemed to be between pink and brown and a white eye-ring. Had to be a spectacled warbler. I managed to fire of five shots with my camera before it flew away and looked forward to seeing the result. Disaster! In my haste I had the camera on the wrong setting and all the shots were blurred. I won’t list all the birds I saw though it wouldn’t take long. There were also small lizards, brown with transverse red and green stripes and a few butterflies, the most notable being the Damon blue, distinguished

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by the white hairstreak on the underwing and the mallow skipper. I’d like to go to Portugal again, at a different time of the year, and with someone who could hire a car. So far I’ve only scratched the surface.

The RSPB

The RSPB is the country’s leading conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast and countryside will teem with life once again. We also play a leading role in a worldwide partnership of Nature conservation organisations. The RSPB is a registered charity: England and Wales no 207076, Scotland no SC037654.

Bee Prepared

Visitors to the bee-eaters at East Leake were impressed by the friendliness and helpfulness of the volunteers at the car park and at the view point by the quarry. They have sent congratulations to us, one of the local RSPB groups. We’ve not been formally involved as a group but if you volunteered yourself then well done; your efforts have been much appreciated.

Disclaimer

All articles in this newsletter convey the opinions of the writers and not necessarily those of the RSPB. Similarly, any advertisements enclosed with this newsletter are not specifically endorsed by the RSPB or the Nottingham Group.

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A swallow rests on the villa at Tavira

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A greater flamingo on the Tavira salt pans

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A redstart in Sherwood Forest. Photo by Dave Thorpe

A turtle dove at Fowlmere

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Puffin at Flamborough Head. Photo by Tony Wardell

Meadow Pipit at Flamborough Head. Photo by Tony Wardell

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A great white egret takes off. Photo by Brian Smith

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Sleeping spoonbill at Holme Dunes

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News from the Forest

My name is Nadia Archer. I am the community and volunteer development officer for Sherwood Forest. I’m sure that you will have heard the news by now in that next year the RSPB will be taking over management of the Sherwood Forest National Nature reserve from Nottinghamshire County Council and building a new visitor centre which will be open in summer 2018. We already manage a section of the nature reserve, heathland to the north of the visitor centre called Budby South Forest. We started managing this site in 2015. You can read more about it at https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/find-a-reserve/reserves-a-z/reserves-by-name/b/budbysouth forest/. You can also read more about the new visitor centre and Sherwood on our website. Sherwood Forest is a national treasure, rich in both cultural and natural heritage. The RSPB is delighted to become guardians of such a special place. Over 350,000 people visit each year, making this our biggest reserve in terms of visitors and we are aiming to offer an exciting and inspiring day out. The new visitor centre will have a shop and a café of course, but we will also have a welcome area where we will meet and greet visitors. The centre will be the gateway to the forest and the information and trails on offer will help visitors discover more about Robin Hood and the extraordinary wildlife that can be found amongst the characterful oak

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beams and branches. My role on the project is to support the recruitment of a volunteer team to make it all happen. Everything from practical volunteers helping to nurture and manage the precious woodland habitat, to meet and greet volunteers offering a great welcome. If you have ever thought about becoming a volunteer for the RSPB, perhaps this could be your chance to have a go. I am looking for volunteers to perform all kinds of roles. With a project on this scale we will need an army to deliver the outstanding visitor experience we are aiming for. Have you got a spare day or half day in a week or fortnight? Do you have a talent or experience you want to offer? If you want to share your administration skills in the office or your keen eye for detail in the shop, please feel free to call me. Unlike on our typical reserves there is a new volunteer role that I am seeking out, live interpretation volunteers. These are costumed volunteers who will tell visitors all about the legend of Robin Hood and about nature’s riches. By wearing costume our stories are brought to life and we hope this will make visits unforgettable. If you’re a whizz on the sewing machine, that would come in handy too as I am sure we’ll need more costumes. If you are intrigued and want to hear more, please get in touch with me via e-mail at nadia.archer@rspb.org.uk or call 07764290629. Nadia Archer

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Autumn Fair

At the Autumn fair this year we will be stocking all of your favourite items. We have a comprehensive range of Christmas cards and calendars plus the ever popular RSPB diaries. Additionally we will offer a good range of potential Christmas gifts for adults and a great selection of stocking filler toys for children. Finally our comprehensive range of bird food will be on offer with new lower prices on sunflower hearts and ‘no mess’ mixed seed. The fair is held on Saturday 25th November at St Helen’s Old Church Hall, Burton Joyce, between 10 and 12 noon. Coffee, cakes, books and a raffle will also be available to help make this an enjoyable event and a good fund raiser for the RSPB.

Subscriptions

As January approaches it is time to remind you all that subscriptions are due on 1st January for the coming year. The annual subscription remains at £7, a real bargain, so please ensure that your payment is up to date. This covers all members of the family living at the same address. Following a decision taken by the membership at the last AGM you will receive three copies of this newsletter, in January, May and September for your £7. Payment can be made by Standing Order or cheque, with cheques made out to ‘Nottingham RSPB Local Group’ and sent to the Membership Secretary, Chris Blunsdon, 20, Elmswood Gardens, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 4AW.

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Bird of the Day

June 2017, Fowlmere Even our discredited opinion pollsters couldn’t have got this one wrong. In Dave Goodwin’s pre-trip piece he suggested what our top hopes were and, true to form, they were realised. In joint third place were yellow wagtail and reed warbler while the runner up was a perennial favourite the barn owl. However, garnering all but four of the votes cast was an increasingly rare bird, the much persecuted turtle dove.

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July 2017, Flamborough Head

It was a glorious afternoon at Flamborough Head and we were treated to good views of nearly all the birds we would have expected to see up the coast at Bempton. Only gannets kept their distance. Several people said that the views of birds on and around the cliff faces at Flamborough were better than those at Bempton. This probably explains why the group’s bird of the day was never in doubt. One of you was able to vote for arctic skua, a few voted for fulmar but the vast majority of you voted for, of course, the puffin.

August 2017, Holme Dunes

A warm and sunny day made for a great day out in Norfolk. On arrival many of the group went to try to find the ‘star’ visitors and the two leading contenders, from a selection of no less than seventeen nominations, came from this pair. There was a tie for third place between the often overlooked grey plover and the elegant green sandpiper. Runner up was the very photogenic great white egret but the narrow winner was a spoonbill which, by spending almost the entire day asleep, proved that activity isn’t necessary to attract attention.

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Indoor Meetings

Wednesday, November 1st It’s great to welcome back old friends and this month we see the return of Alan and Susan Parker. Their subject relates to an area which is accessible to most of us with a talk entitled ‘Some Yorkshire Birding’. Wednesday, December 6th We move further north this month as Steve Williams’ subject is ‘A nature trek to northern lands and beyond.’ It will be fascinating to see what Steve selects from the riches this vast region has to offer. Wednesday, January 3rd Frequently our ‘Bird of the Day’ features raptors and raptor fans will be well catered for when another welcome guest, Nick Williams, gives us a talk entitled ‘Birds of Prey.’ All meetings are held at the Nottingham Mechanics Institute, North Sherwood Street, commencing at 7.30 pm. The cost is £3 for adults and £1.50 for juniors.

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Odd Droppings

Shrinking Congregations

There is no need for alarm as this is not a piece about falling church attendance but on the way back from the outing to Holme Dunes no one I spoke to had seen a lapwing. A couple of days later I went to Gibraltar Point and once again failed to add lapwing to the list of species seen. The same week I had a trip to Chesterfield and, at last, above the fields to the north of the station at Langley Mill, there was a congregation of about fifty lapwings circling over the water meadows. If it was just lapwings that are declining this would be serious but not catastrophic but the change in farming practices has meant that many other once common species such as skylarks and yellowhammers are seen much less frequently than hitherto. Sights that were easy for us to see are being denied to our grand-children. This is why it is important to support the work of organisations such as the RSPB and the Council for the Preservation of Rural England as they seek to ensure that the sights and sounds of the countryside are enjoyed by future generations.