THE KNOT NOTTINGHAM RSPB GROUP NEWSLETTER Volume 10 Number 2 January 2016

Editor’s Notes

One of the problems in putting together a newsletter like this is obtaining material. There are obviously items which have to appear in every issue such as details of outings and meetings but the rest of the content depends on you. I don’t want to have to write all the narrative articles myself and, over the years have been pleased to publish many interesting pieces by our members. Recently the supply has thinned out so I am asking for more contributions, accounts of trips you have made or just small observations you would like to share.

I have quite a large supply of photos to accompany such articles but would like more, especially birds seen on our outings and unusual species seen on your travels. Remember to always identify the pictures, particularly foreign species. They may not be used straight away but will come in handy in later editions.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a registered charity: England and Wales no 207076, Scotland no SC037654.

Articles, photos and adverts should be e- mailed to me at [email protected] or posted to my address: 39, Forester Street, Netherfield, NG4 2LJ. The deadline for the April edition is 1st March 2016

“All gone to look for America”

Following a successful period in Ohio it was time to make the 281 mile trip to Oscoda, Michigan on the search for the endangered Kirtland’s warbler and other new species. Largely along highway 75 we passed Toledo, Flint and Frankenmuth (this last a surprise as they were holding a beer festival!) Suddenly Neil and I found that we were both humming the same song. We were close to Saginaw, the town mentioned in the Simon and Garfunkel song, a few of those words form the title of this report.

In Saginaw County we stopped at the mouth of the Rifle River, seeing Great Northern divers and red breasted mergansers on Lake Huron. A medium sized wader flew past and settled on the water’s edge. It was a willet, another species new to me. After that we were usually close to the lake shore, stopping to see more killdeer plovers until we arrived at Oscoda, where our hotel roof was home to a number of ring billed gulls. That evening we adjourned to Wiltses, a nearby brew pub with an extensive menu. As our table was not quite ready we sat on high stools round the bar like the cast of ‘Cheers’ and watched the baseball on the television.

The following morning we made our way to Tawas Point which was to be our birding centre for the next couple of days. On the way we stopped by the beach at Tawas City where there were a few Bonaparte’s gulls and a

4 couple of semi-palmated plovers pattering along a lawn by the car park. Once at Tawas we had the morning to ourselves before we were to meet up with our local guide. Tawas Point boasts a lighthouse, a small gift shop and a beautifully decorated little ‘house’ with a very tall chimney which proved to be the world’s most picturesque public toilet! We started by looking at the feeders which were occupied by blue jays and rose breasted grosbeaks while the fallen seed was being devoured by chipmunks, much smaller than I had imagined.

We began to walk towards the point. Tawas Point is a bit like a well wooded and broader Spurn and attracts large numbers of migrant birds. There were examples of some of the warblers that we had encountered in Ohio as well as some new birds like the yellow bellied sapsucker, a type of woodpecker, another vireo, this time the blue headed and another of the American birds whose call somewhat fancifully suggests its name, the bobolink.

Tawas Point’s speciality is an endangered species, the piping plover. When we reached the point there they were, small pale looking birds with orange bills and a narrow black breast band. I was roundly abused for ignoring them in favour of a single Iceland gull but my choice was vindicated by the reaction of American birders, for whom the gull was the local rarity. Along with the plovers there were several spotted sandpipers.

I had seen these in the Scillies but in breeding plumage the spots which give them their name were visible.

Back at the car park we met Matt, our local guide. Matt was thirty-seven, a bearded giant with a liking for the music of Black Sabbath. His first question was “Would we like to see a snowy owl?” There was no contest and we headed off, following Matt in his pick-up truck to an area of grassland near a local airfield. Before we saw the owl we spotted the slim elegance of an upland sandpiper. It was a hot day with quite a heat haze and the owl was resting on the ground. Through the scopes we saw that it was almost pure white with only two small black dots at the ‘shoulders’.

Later in the day Matt took us to one of his favourite spots by the Pine River where a small pond contained a pair of trumpeter swans and we saw the viceroy, a poor relation of the monarch butterfly. Even then the day was not over for after dinner we went out on the American equivalent of a ‘nightjar watch.’ Our first object was the ruffed grouse, a secretive bird slightly larger than our red grouse. Just after we left the vehicles one was spotted to the left of the track. It took off in a whirlwind of black, grey and white feathers and disappeared from view, never to be seen again.

When we stopped again we could see the silhouette of an American woodcock a short way away. This is a peculiar bird which announces its intention to fly by a

6 series of nasal ‘grunts.’ It then takes off, almost vertically before spiralling down, calling as it does so, to land in the exact same spot from which it set off. This action is then repeated. All the while nighthawks were flying round catching moths, their white wing flashes just like our nightjars while in the distance we heard whip-poor-wills calling though we never saw one.

The following day we went back to Tawas Point and in a small triangle of woodland bounded by paths heard a ruffed grouse calling. Despite a prolonged search the bird could not be located. On our way to the point a small flock of birds flew past which awakened for me memories of a famous Nottingham ‘twitch.’ They were cedar waxwings, a slightly smaller version of the Bohemian waxwing with which we are familiar. The walk to the point added willow flycatcher to the list and on our return Matt led us to Tuttle Marsh to look for rails. There was quite a large lake at this marsh on which resided a pair of hooded mergansers while a swamp sparrow sang from the hedgerow. We had a fleeting success with a very elusive sora rail but a Virginia rail was much more obliging, walking up and down the banks of the marsh for our benefit.

Birds were not the only items of natural interest. A passing butterfly was identified as a Camberwell beauty, known by its American name of the ‘mourning cloak.’ Later, on one of the dirt roads we saw a blue butterfly, the spring azure.

Our last full day started at Matt’s house, a log cabin surrounded by his two and a half acre woodland. There was nothing on the feeders when we arrived and inside were reminders of times past in the shape of the head of a white tailed deer and a magnificent pelt of a black bear, both shot by his grandfather sixty years earlier. Matt, though, was fully committed to conservation and we set off for the Huron-Manistee Forest, a stronghold of Kirtland’s warbler. On the way the very attractive hermit thrush and a hairy woodpecker were seen and at the Kirtland’s site was a large cage containing several cowbirds. These birds are cuckoo-like in their habits and threaten the survival of the warblers so they are enticed into a cage and despatched humanely. The jack pines where the Kirtland’s breed have to be a certain height to be suitable so the birds move to another site when the trees grow too high. As they winter in the Bahamas habitat loss there must be prevented or all the work in Michigan will be in vain. As we looked over the stands of pine a blob in a distant tree caught our attention. Through the scope this proved to be a porcupine perched forty foot up the tree on what appeared a very thin branch. Our attention was diverted by the object of our visit, a male Kirtland’s warbler, its breast showing up bright yellow.

We moved on to a small campground and in the surrounding trees saw red breasted nuthatch and a tiny golden crowned kinglet as well as a couple of woodpecker species. We returned to Matt’s to find the

8 feeders occupied by purple finches and scarlet tanagers. The day ended at Oscoda beach where Caspian terns and a merlin completed another memorable day. That evening we were given presents by a lady from the Michigan Audubon Society, a generous gesture typical of the welcome we received.

Time to return to Detroit for the flight home though a final visit to Tawas could be fitted in. The mistiness of the last two days at Tawas had gone and so had many of the warblers. This meant that the birds of prey were having to work harder and during the morning we saw sharp shinned, Cooper’s and red tailed hawks, a northern harrier and another merlin before setting off for the airport. We had a last diversion at Au Gres where we turned down a deeply rutted dirt road with a stream on one side and woods on the other. We had been told to stop when we found some tall cottonwood trees as cerulean warblers had been seen there the previous day. After familiarising ourselves with the song we listened for the birds and before long this delightful sky blue, black and white warbler flew across the path.

This was the last ‘lifer’ I had on the trip and my thirtieth American warbler. For me it was the trip of a lifetime with a total of 172 species seen of which 126 were ‘lifers.’ My thanks go not only to Neil and Ray, the leaders, but to the other birders on the trip, to Matt as our guide and the American birders, whose willingness to share the sights of their country was a lesson which

9 could be learned by many British birders. My only regret is that some of the pictures I took were not as good as I would have liked. Perhaps I will have to go back one day to put that right though whether I do or not the memories of Ohio and Michigan will stay with me forever.

Paul Daft

A New Year message from your Leader

At the end of the year, it’s time to take stock of our achievements and make our New Year resolutions. We continue to be an active group with a full programme of monthly meetings, coach outings, local walks, a very successful group week-end and now our very own calendar. However we’re making less headway in attracting new members, so please encourage friends, family and acquaintances to join us and come to our meetings or on our trips.

The latest news from Regional Office is that we now have a Schools Officer in our area whose role is to promote the RSPB and involve schoolchildren in our work, starting with the Big Garden Birdwatch. If you feel you can volunteer to support this programme, please contact [email protected] (or me). If you have children/grandchildren, please encourage them to take part. The BGB is coming up at the end of January (see details of events elsewhere) so make sure you have plenty of birds to watch in your garden by feeding them regularly through the winter months.

A big thank you to you all for your support and contributions to our work. A happy 2016 and happy birding.

Doreen Markam

The RSPB

The RSPB is the country’s largest 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.

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.

Indoor Meetings

These are held on the first Wednesday of each month from September to May at the New Mechanics Institute, North Sherwood Street, commencing at 7.30pm. The cost is £3 for adults and £1.50 for juniors.

Wednesday 2nd March ‘Our changing Wildlife’ is the subject of this evening’s meeting. Chris Ward will discuss how it has changed and the changes we can expect in the future.

Wednesday 6th April Old friends Susan and Allan Parker will be talking about some of our favourite locations with their talk entitled ‘Birding in Norfolk.’ 12

Happy New Year 2016

Many thanks and our best wishes for a happy and successful new year to all the local businesses which have supported us and helped us raise funds in 2015 by inviting us to their premises for collections or displaying collection boxes and pin badges.

Balderton Gate Post Office (Newark) Bardill’s Garden Centre, Bridgford Garden Centre Brookfields Garden Centre, Floralands Garden Centre Hardy’s Farm Shop (Farndon), Harrisons Pet Products INTU-Broad Marsh and Victoria Centre London Camera Exchange, Mapperley Pets and Gardens Moore’s Garden Centre (Stanton on the Wolds) Notts County FC, Pets at Home (Castle Marina) Redgate Farm Shop, Reuben Shaw Garden Centre Retford and Gainsborough Garden Centre Rohan Outdoorwear (Friar Lane) Rushcliffe Country Park, Tesco Metro (Victoria Centre) Trowell Garden Centre, Timmerman’s Garden Centre Wheatcroft’s Garden Centre, Wollaton Park Gift Shop.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2015

This was held on Wednesday 6th of May at 7.30pm at the Nottingham Mechanics, North Sherwood Street, Nottingham.

Committee members present were Paul Daft, Giselle Sterry, Doreen Markam, Graham Sadler, Chris Blunsdon, Kim Sadler, Dave Goodwin, Jan Goodwin, Wendy Jackson and Barry Nelson. 27 members also attended with apologies received from Andrew Griffin and Avril Francis.

1) Previous Minutes These were previously available on the local group web-site and in the ‘Knot.’ There were no amendments or matters arising and their acceptance was formally proposed and seconded.

2) Committee Elections All committee members have agreed to continue for a further term. Group members were asked to accept the election of the committee. This was formerly proposed, seconded and accepted.

3) Financial Report This was presented by Wendy Jackson who thanked Terry Adams for his previous service. Overall income was slightly lower though Indoor Meetings had covered their costs. Income had increased at the Autumn Fair and new IT equipment had been purchased for the Indoor Meetings. During the year we had raised £3844 which included £3193.50 from collection boxes and pins and £870 from sales. This year Nottingham Local Group donated nearly £5500 to RSPB funds. Of this amount we were able to donate £2000 to the Langford Lowfields Reserve near Collingham. Wendy raised concerns that the current membership subscriptions would not meet what we are providing members. In 14 particular all members are asked to pick up copies of the ‘Knot’ at indoor meetings and deliver to those local to them. They were also encouraged to have an electronic copy to save costs. A discussion was held relating to the membership subscription. A proposal was made to increase the annual subscription to £7. This was formally proposed, seconded and accepted. The financial accounts were available to members at the meeting and the Financial Report was accepted.

4) Annual Review Doreen thanked the individual committee members for their support and hard work during the year. Particular note was made that we had an interesting and varied programme of speakers, the high quality of the ‘Knot ’, the successful outings and group weekend and the commitment to fund raising and sales. Thanks were expressed to the volunteers at fundraising events. Doreen asked members to support the RSPB in its wider aims of influencing decision makers and national policies and to continue to support its core aims.

The Meeting closed at 8.20pm and was followed by a presentation from Local Group Members.

Membership

The time has come to remind all Nottingham Group members that their annual subscription is due. This is a very reasonable £7 a year and covers all family members living at the same address. Payment can be made by Standing Order or Cheque made out to ‘Nottingham RSPB Local Group’ and sent to the Membership Secretary, Chris Blunsdon, 20,Elmswood Gardens, Sherwood, Nottingham NG5 4AW.

A Rose Breasted Grosbeak resting at Tawas Point, Michigan

A Yellow Warbler, one of the commonest American warblers 16

Chris Hall’s photo of a Shetland gannet in flight

An Arctic Skua seen in Shetland. This one photographed earlier by Val Kirkham. 17

The Great White Egret at Saltholme

Great Grey Shrike was ‘Bird of the Day’ at Spurn. This one was photographed by Dave Thorpe.

Dave Goodwin’s shot of a Purple Sandpiper at Filey

Dave Thorpe’s shot of the Night Heron at Attenborough 19

Bird of the Day

September 2015, Saltholme There was never really going to be any surprise at the ‘Bird of the Day.’ A three way tie between a redhead Smew, August’s winner the Whinchat, and passage migrant the Curlew Sandpiper meant that they shared the ‘runner up’ spot. They were totally overwhelmed by a beautiful Great White Egret, a worthy claimant of the title.

October 2015, Spurn It was a perfect morning for spotting rare migrants: low grey skies and periods of drizzle. The birds were going nowhere. Literally within seconds of getting off the coach, some of us had seen a Great Grey Shrike. For a while anything seemed possible but on the coach going home only five species were nominated as Bird of the 20

Day. The Short eared Owl didn’t make the list, the perfect Ring Ouzels received only one vote and the elusive Hawfinch only two. Too few people saw the Pallas’s Warbler to swing the vote so, as they’d been seen by all and had been active (sometimes with prey) throughout the day, it was no surprise when the Bird of the Day turned out to be the Great Grey Shrike.

November 2015, Filey Brigg Rarely does another creature capture the attention of birders but the seal pup stranded by low tide at Filey must have become one of the most photographed mammals in Yorkshire on the day of our trip. As is to be

21 expected at this location sea and shore birds dominated the ‘Bird of the Day’ vote with a tie for runner up between the distinctively patterned Oystercatcher and a wintering Great Northern Diver. The clear winner was a bird that many of us especially wanted to see, the Purple Sandpiper.

Why have a ‘Bird of the Day’?

The there are several reasons for this. Firstly it means that on the outings we keep our eyes open and, if we see either a rare species or a common species in particularly fine plumage we can share our pleasure with other group members. In addition we want to encourage you to share in our outings. They cover a variety of habitat and, in the course of a year you can see well over a hundred species of birds, as well as mammals, butterflies, other insects and wild flowers. A great way to learn about the wonderful variety of natural life in Britain. As the old song says ‘Come and join us.’

Nottinghamshire ‘Bird of the Year’

Since we started introducing colour photography to the ‘Knot’ in July 2010 I have been fortunate to receive many fine photos from members of birds from all parts of the world. We are lucky that our county sits astride the Trent Valley flyway and this brings many unusual visitors to our region. In 2011 I decided to select one species a year as Nottinghamshire ‘Bird of the Year.’ The first selection was the wryneck which appeared near the centre of Nottingham, unfortunately on the day of one of our outings, to the dismay of our trips organiser, whose son, Rick, took the photo. Robin Brace’s shot of a long billed dowitcher in the north of the county was selected for 2012, and, either by luck or judgement, Robin captured the 2013 selection, a melodious warbler at Tiln. The following year proved less fruitful and the accolade was not awarded but for 2015 Attenborough provided a night heron, photographed by Dave Thorpe. If only the crag martin at Chesterfield had strayed over the county boundary! Eyes open for 2016!

2016 Calendars

It’s not too late to purchase one of our 2016 calendars which feature photos taken by group members over the year. We hope you like our selection, and more importantly, will purchase the calendars to raise funds for the RSPB. The postage costs if you are sending them to friends are £1 second class or £1.50 first class. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Nottingham RSPB Local Group’ and sent to J&D Goodwin, 22, Wray Close, St Ann’s, Nottingham, NG3 2FS. To order by telephone call 0115 9120796. If you would like to see these calendars they are on view at the Indoor Meeting and the January coach trip. They may also be seen on the Nottingham RSPB web- site at www.notts-rspb.org.uk/.

Big Garden Birdwatch

We will be present at Brookfields Garden Centre on Mapperley Plains for the Big Garden Birdwatch on 30th and 31st January. The survey can be completed on-line or, if you prefer, you can collect a survey form from us on the day. This survey is an increasingly important tool in helping track fluctuations in the populations of our garden birds so please spare an hour to complete the survey if you possibly can.

Shetland in the ‘Simmer Dim’

Driving north along the length of the ‘Mainland’, through a treeless moorland landscape, we cross the line of latitude marking 60 degrees north, just 6.5 degrees short of the Arctic Circle. No wonder we are seeing northern birds like Arctic skua and Arctic tern, along with red-throated diver, eider, great skua and a rare velvet scoter, plus dunlin and sanderling in breeding plumage. The ferry crossings from Mainland to Yell and Yell to Unst produce fulmar, shag, gannet and black guillemot.. Journey’s end is the UK’s most northerly hotel in Baltasound on Unst, where it is still light at 11.30pm.

Today we take the ferry to Fetlar, and in the first bay on the south coast (Wick of Houbie) we spot a couple of common seals just offshore. As we watch their playful antics they gradually approach to within thirty yards, ‘standing’ tall in the water to satisfy their curiosity and get a better look at us with their big dark eyes. Less than two miles down the road, the next bay (Wick of Ath) produces a pod of at least five dolphins, with arching grey backs and slender dorsal fins. Fetlar is home to most of the British population of red-necked phalaropes, and although the Loch of Funzie is the place to see them there is no sign of any when we arrive. We have to make do with close views of snipe, redshank and dunlin as well as a family of wheatears with five recently fledged downy chicks and a red-throated diver with a visibly red throat. After lunch by the loch and a stroll to nearby Funzie Bay, with its flock of ‘real’ rock doves, it is looking like we may miss the target bird, when suddenly two drop in to the nearest corner of the loch to show off in the scope, just in the nick of time, before we catch the return ferry to Unst.

Not far from the hotel is a bay called Harold’s Wick where we begin the day watching five common seals cavorting together and making a big splash just yards from the beach. Next stop is

Herma Ness National Nature Reserve where we find Britain’s most northerly lesser whitethroat singing in the stunted bushes below the visitor centre! From here it is a walk of about an hour through ‘Bonxie Land’ to spectacular cliffs, stacks and arches, white with gannets in their tens of thousands, a sight with a high ‘wow’ factor. We enjoy a stunning view of the Muckle Flugga lighthouse and Out Stack, the most northerly point of the British Isles, and a long way from the Bishop Rock in Scilly where some of us have also birded together.

Having ‘done’ Unst and Fetlar we retrace our route across Yell back to the mainland and head west to the lighthouse at Esha Ness with another spectacular seascape and our first kittiwakes of the trip. Despite a lot of searching we still need an otter and, just like buses, you wait for one and then two come along! At Stenness on the Esha Ness peninsula a particularly blonde otter is out on the rocks between dives, plucking out prey including crabs, sea urchins and fish. Shortly after it disappears behind the rocks another otter pops up right below us, working its way along the rocky shore toward the point where the first otter disappeared, where it poses on a rock while munching on a sea urchin. After forty five minutes of otter watching we continue south toward Scalloway. Here a brief stop at the Loch of Vatster produces a scene reminiscent of the Arctic tundra with a pair of whooper swans and five cygnets on the loch, and three mountain hares, with thick coats and white fringes to the ears, feeding on the heather.

It’s 11pm on 20th June and the ‘simmer dim’ is at its peak as we set sail for Mousa. Once ashore the stone walls are purring with the strange calls of tiny storm petrels nesting within the crevices. By the time we reach the massive stone broch which has weathered the storms for two thousand years, storm petrels are whizzing around the high walls like bats. By midnight there must be hundreds, showing best as they briefly cling to the walls before disappearing into their private nest holes. Back at the boat at 1.15am it is still not properly dark. What an amazing experience.

We have a well- earned lie in this morning until 9am and then take the 10.45 ferry from Lerwick across to Bressay and on to Noss with an exhilarating Zodiac ride akin to the Special Boat Squadron! A great skua sitting outside the visitor centre emphasizes how bulky these birds are, and, with a mean looking eye and sharply hooked beak, are not to be messed with. We arrive at the cliffs on the east side of the island in time for lunch with the puffins. Further on, the vertical cliffs of the Noup are plastered with tens of thousands of gannets while others cruise by at fairly close range, and fulmars hang on to updrafts like puppets on strings. On the way back the short turf is covered with the pink of thrift and the blue of spring squill. We spot dunlin, wheatear, ringed plover and Arctic skua.

On our last full day we explore south Mainland, beginning with a walk across the breezy tombola to Saint Ninian’s Isle, site of an ancient trove of buried treasure hidden from the Viking raiders. Next stop is the Loch of Spiggie where new birds include mute swan, grey heron and a corncrake, calling but invisible in the tall hay meadow. Last stop is Sumburgh Head with plenty of rock pipits and guillemots, many with white ‘spectacles’ and a nice show by the very obliging puffins.

Chris Hall

Widen your birdwatching with New Horizons

 Eighteen years in the business  Air holidays protected by the CAA (ATOL number 6266)  Total financial protection and no surcharges  Carefully selected quality accommodation  Small friendly groups and a nice social atmosphere  Impressive sightings  Gift vouchers available  No wonder repeat bookings are the norm  Why pay more?

I am currently planning the following birding holidays. Please request a brochure or visit the website.

14th – 16th March Upper Teesdale to Teesmouth £240

21st – 27th March The Netherlands ~ Birds & Bulbfields £685

11th – 17th April Southern Portugal £795

25th April – 10th May England & Scotland ~ A Grand Tour £1770

18th – 20th May Anglesey £240

15th – 24th June Awesome Iceland ~ Birds, Whales & £2155 Landscapes 29th June – 8th July North Spitsbergen ~ Polar Bear Special £3155/36 90 6th – 13th September Spain & Morocco ~ Migration across the £1495 Straits 6th – 30th September The South Coast £590

11th – 18th October Hortobágy & Bükk National Parks £1345

9th – 27th November Patagonia & Iguazu Falls £3990 + £930 6th – 21st January Discover Taiwan ~ The Beautiful Island £3795 2017

Go for a Day Break at £25 per person with free transport, or £20 if you meet us at the venue.

3rd February Middleton Lakes (RSPB)

17th February Slimbridge (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust)

9th March Ferry Meadows Country Park & the Nene Washes (Nene Park Trust & RSPB) 30th March Potteric Carr (Yorkshire Wildlife Trust)

6th April Frampton Marsh (RSPB)

20th April Eyebrook Reservoir & Rockingham Forest (RSPB)

25th May Otmoor (RSPB)

8th June Cannock Chase (Staffordshire County Council)

Go for a Morning Walk at £9 per person, fully guided, with own transport.

8th January Netherfield Lagoons (near Carlton)

29th January Willington Nature Reserve (near A38/A50 intersection) 5th February Hoveringham Sailing Lake (near Lowdham)

12th February Trentlock (near Long Eaton)

4th March Fiskerton (near Southwell)

11th March Burton Meadows (near Burton Joyce)

18th March Darley Abbey (near Allestree)

8th April Elvaston Country Park (near Borrowash)

Outings

Coach trip to Top Lodge and Fineshade Wood on Sunday 20th March This reserve in the middle of Rockingham Forest, Northamptonshire is run by the Forestry Commission. It is an area of mixed woodland and open areas. The specialist birds are red kite, goshawk, crossbills and other woodland species.

Facilities: Toilets, cafe, visitor’s centre Bookings: From 1st February Cost: £13

Coach outing to Cley on Sunday 17th April What more can I say about this reserve, its species record speaks for itself. A ‘bird magnet’ we are going during spring migration. There will be good birds there already and anything may turn up. Plenty of waders will be present in their breeding finery. The Birdwatchers Year Book describes Cley as “ A reserve with an international reputation as one of the finest birdwatching sites in Britain.” Don’t miss it!

Facilities: Toilets, café, hides and shop Bookings: From 1st March Cost: £21.50 or £17 for NORFOLK Wildlife Trust members

By coach to Wyre Forest on Sunday 8th May Our May trip is to an oak forest, hoping to see species like wood warbler, redstart and pied flycatcher. We can also hope for ravens, kingfishers and dippers as well as the usual woodland species. A lovely reserve well worth a visit.

Facilities: Toilets, cafe Bookings: From 1st April Cost: £16.50 31

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 notts-rspb.org.uk/

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. Children are welcome though the trips are not suitable for children under seven years old. Pick up points are as follows:

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

Other trips and Walks

Sunday 6th March Own car trip to Idle Valley. Meet at the car park at 10am.

Wednesday 27th April Spring morning walk round Netherfield Lagoons. Meet on Teal Close at 9.30am.

Tenby Weekend

Will those of you booked on the Tenby Weekend (22nd-25th April) please send the remainder of the monies, £165, by the first week in March. With your Cheque please also put your Pick Up Point. This is important as we will not be ringing round at the last minute.

Data Protection Statement

The RSPB Nottingham Local Group would like to keep your details to send you further information about group activities and the work of the RSPB. If you want to amend or update your details or you do not want us to use them in the way stated, please contact me at this address: Chris Blunsdon, 20, Elmswood Gardens, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 4AW. If you wish to receive this information electronically, please confirm your e-mail address.

Booking Forms

Please reserve seat(s) on the trip to Top Lodge and Fineshade Wood on Sunday 20th March Name Address

Postcode Telephone Pick up point Bookings commence 1st February, Cost £13

Please reserve seat(s) on the trip to Cley on Sunday 17th April Name Address

Postcode Telephone Pick up point Booking commence 1st March, Cost £21.50 or £17 for Norfolk Wildlife Trust members

Please reserve seat(s) on the trip to Wyre Forest on Sunday 8th May Name Address

Postcode Telephone Pick up point Bookings commence 1st April, Cost £16.50

Odd Droppings

The Case of the Missing Species

This is the time of the year when we start making our annual lists of the birds we see.

As some of you may know one of my little jobs is to keep a record of the species seen by the group during our annual week-end. For this purpose I use the check list at the end of the RSPB diary. Though this does not cover very rare species like the western sandpiper we once saw at Brownsea Island it does include birds like the scarlet rosefinch and capercaillie, birds not usually seen on a regular basis. However, I found that one species is missing. This bird has spread from its original stronghold in the south-west and is now seen regularly in Scotland and we rarely have a day trip without encountering one or more. Fortunately I noticed the omission when keeping a record of our visit to Great Yarmouth and added a space for it in my diary. That bird is the little egret and I am pleased to find that the 2016 diary has made good this inexplicable omission.