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Newsletter of the RSPB Medway Local Group Summer 2013

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Newsletter of the RSPB Medway Local Group Summer 2013 giving nature a home BirdsEye Newsletter of The RSPB Medway Local Group Summer 2013 Events for Next Four Months Sunday 17 November - Elmley - 9.00 am (HT 12 noon) Saturday 23 November - Seaton Gravel Pits - 9.30 am Indoor Presentations See Programme for More Information August - No Meeting **** 17 September - Meetings with Remarkable Birds - Public Events Dominic Couzens 15 October - Transatlantic Travels - Mike Mockler Friday 9 August – Big Wild Sleepout, Northward Hill. 19 November - Little Owl - Ian Rumley-Dawson Sunday 8 September - North Kent Marshes, Wildlife & **** Countryside Fair, Bromhey Farm. Outdoor Visits (Walks) Saturday 12 October - Quiz Night, Wainscott Memorial Hall. Saturday 20 July - Samphire Hoe - 10.00 am Saturday 19 October to Sunday 3 November - Wednesday 31 July - Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve - Riverside Country Park. Evening Walk - 6.45 pm (HT 7.00 pm) Monday 11 to Saturday 16 November - Sales Stall, Sunday 4 August - Bough Beech Reservoir - Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre. 10.00 am GROUP LEADER’S NOTES Sunday 18 August - Oare Marshes - 8.30 am (HT 10.00 am) Many of you will be aware of some changes that are being made by the RSPB. The change you will Thursday 29 August - Botolph’s Bridge/Royal notice first is the slight change to the RSPB logo and Military Canal Hythe - 10.00 am new strap line of “Giving Nature a Home”. I’m assured that the onus is still very much on bird Sunday 8 September - Cley Marshes NWT Reserve conservation! However the organisation wants to Coach Trip make everyone aware that in order to keep bird populations viable we need to focus on the Thursday 12 September - Dungeness RSPB Reserve - conservation of wildlife and the environment. 10.00 am By making more people aware of the RSPB’s Sunday 22 September - Hastings Country Park, East conservation aspirations it is hoped that our Sussex - 10.00 am membership will increase as, let’s be honest, it is the one million membership that carries weight with the Saturday 5 October - Sandwich Bay/Pegwell Bay - government. If anyone thinks nature is not in trouble I 9.00 am recommend they read the State of Nature report recently published by RSPB in partnership with the Thursday 17 October - Mote Park Maidstone - other wildlife organisations including the Wildlife 9.30 am Trust, BTO, Marine Conservation Society and Butterfly Conservation, to name just a few. I found it Sunday 27 October - Reculver Country Park - a startling alert as to the real state nature in this 9.30 am country! 1 If you wish to view this document, which has a Continuing on the note of volunteering, David Low, forward by David Attenborough, then go to who has valiantly been in charge of the raffle since www.rspb.or.uk/stateofnature . June 2005, has to stand down due to other commitments, so we are looking for someone to It was my pleasure at the last indoor meeting to replace him. present long service awards to some of our volunteers. Carole and John Nixon were presented The work is not onerous and involves displaying with a Golden Eagle pin badge for 40years service. goods, selling tickets and organising the draw at They are two of the founder members of the RSPB Indoor Meetings. The raffle is an integral part of our Medway Group and have worked hard for the RSPB fundraising so if you feel you could take this on then over the this time and I’m pleased to say they please speak to me about it. continue to do! Sue Carter was awarded a Silver Avocet for 25years service and, as many of you Please note, at present we no longer accept know, was my predecessor as Group Leader. I’m secondhand books as we have no volunteer for this. pleased to say Sue is still on the committee and The books need to be brought to indoor meetings, produces our very successful Outdoor Walk priced, displayed, sold and those remaining stored Programme. ready for the next Indoor Meeting. If you are interested in volunteering for this please talk to me or Helen Hall, who is Des and Carol’s daughter, was one of the committee. awarded a Puffin for her 10 years volunteering with the childrens craft table at our outside events. Marie Tilley Giuseppe Raffa was presented with a Swift for five years service. Guiseppe has helped out on some of our outdoor events and therefore a welcome addition OUTSTANDING LONG SERVICE AWARDS to our volunteer base. Finally George and Margaret Wise a Swift for their five years of volunteering. I haven’t yet had a chance to personally thank the What with Rob and my 15 years Kingfisher badge the volunteers on the list below. If your name appears evening represented 160 years of volunteering for the please contact me to arrange the receipt of you award. RSPB. My grateful thanks go to all the above and all our volunteers. 20 years volunteering (Silver Osprey) - Pam Cetera Des Felix 15 years volunteering (Kingfisher) - Tony & Sue Urwin and Robin West 10 years volunteering (Puffin) - Adrian Olsen 5 years volunteering (swift) - Noel & Pat Boulting, Elaine Carlsen, Elaine Chance, Carol Coulthard, Jennetta Foss, Janine Hewlett , Grahame & Sue Mills, Christine Munns, Edward Towne. Marie Tilley CONDITIONS AND RULES FOR 2013 PHOTOGRAPHIC COHPETITION The subject is Wildlife in the RSPB Medway Local Group Area, i.e. ME1 – ME12. (This includes The Medway Towns, Hoo Peninsula, Sittingbourne, From left : - Giuseppe Raffa, George Wise, Marie Tilley, Faversham, Isle of Sheppey etc.) Rob Tilley, Carole Nixon, John Nixon, Sue Carter and Margaret Wise Wildlife includes living creatures as well as plants and trees etc. There are still some of our volunteers who have not received their badges. Further on in the magazine All entries will be submitted to one email address as you will find a list of these volunteers. If your name follows:- appears then please contact me and I will arrange for [email protected]. you to receive your award. 2 The maximum entry per person will be three pictures. We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Bristol Airport Hotel, located at the foot of the Mendip Hills in the All entries must be accompanied by date taken, the beautiful Somerset countryside, and is our perfect subject matter e.g. blackbird, venue e.g. Riverside base for trips to Blagdon Lake, Slimbridge WWT and Country Park and the competitors name and contact Chew Valley Lake. telephone number. We will observe native, migrant and captive wildfowl All entries will be uploaded by us, minus the (ducks, geese and swans) and get the chance to meet competitors name and telephone number, onto a the resident Slimbridge otters. The price is £179 per Medway Local Group FLICKR account to which person and this includes two nights hotel everyone has access. accommodation, all meals, entrance to Blagdon, Chew Valley and Slimbridge reserves, an after-dinner Viewers will be invited to 'like' as many of the photos quiz (with prizes) and the use of the hotel mini-gym. as they wish. Further details can be found by contacting Richard Hanman on [email protected] or All entries to be submitted as above by the 22nd of 07785 707 797. September 2013. Five days Bargain Birding in Morocco: (from £599 The 'likes’ will be totted up and the top 13 will go per person) forward for inclusion in the 2014 Medway RSPB Local Group Calendar. The Bargain Birding Club is now running five day bird-watching trips to Morocco. So if you fancy The most ‘liked’ will go on the front cover and the adding greater flamingo, Eurasian spoonbill, black- remaining 12 will be spread throughout the calendar winged stilt, little bittern, glossy ibis, northern bald as befits the month. ibis, black-crowned tchagra, Moussier's redstart, black wheatear, blue rock thrush, marbled duck, The subject, venue, time of year and photographer’s Audouin's gull and Barbary partridge to your year/ name will appear at the bottom of the photo. lifer-list then this is the trip for you. Full details are available on www.bargainbirdingclub.com. In the event of any photos tying the committee will decide which one/s will go forward. Richard Hanman Entry will be free and open to any member of The RSPB Medway Local Group. MEDWAY LG QUIZ NIGHT In order not to exclude those without access to a Saturday 12 October 2013 computer, if it is not possible to email as above please Wainscott Memorial Hall call David SAUNDERS on 07788202445 or ask someone to email me on [email protected] This years Medway Local Group RSPB Quiz Night and we will make every effort to make alternative will be, as before, at the Wainscott Memorial Hall in arrangements. Wainscott Village near Frindsbury, Rochester. One hundred A5 desk calendars will be printed and The date is Saturday the 12 October 2013. will be available at the RSPB Wine and Wisdom Quiz Night on the 12 October 2013 for only £3.00 William Wallace will once again be the Quiz Master each, and the subsequent indoor meetings. aided and abetted by his lovely wife Carol. David Saunders 10 teams of six are invited to apply. Entry will be £5.50 PER PERSON all profits to go to BARGAIN BIRDING CLUB (OVERNIGHT the RSPB. STAYS) Please will Team Leaders submit their entries and Three days Bargain Birding Winter Wildfowl team names to [email protected] Weekend (£179 per person): Nibbles will be provided, please bring your own The Bargain Birding Club is running a 'Winter drinks. Wildfowl Weekend' trip from Friday 1st November to Sunday 3rd November 2013.
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