Basingstoke Local Group
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BBAASSIINNGGSSTTOOKKEE LLOOCCAALL GGRROOUUPP DECEMBER 2010 NEWSLETTER http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/basingstoke Contents: From The Group Leader Notices North Wessex Farmland Bird Project Pin Badge Collection Scheme What’s Happening? December’s Outdoor Meeting January’s Outdoor Meeting November’s Outdoor Meeting Night Watch ? Local Wildlife News Quiz Page A million voices for nature Charity registered in England and Wales no. 207076 From The Group Leader Welcome to the December / Christmas Newsletter and, for those of you reading a hard copy, Christmas Social Meeting, or your armchair! Hopefully the latter, in front of a roaring fire, or steaming radiator, full of mince pies and Christmas cheer and looking forward to a few days rest from „normality‟ as the festive season reaches its peak. My „message‟ this month, short and sweet, unlike the break that I hope you all manage over the coming weeks. Please make the most of the better days, keep that shopping to a minimum and get out and enjoy the wonders of winter wildlife. The Christmas robin! Don’t forget, It’s not just birds that you are helping to protect by supporting the RSPB Wishing you all the very best for the remainder of the festive season and hoping that 2011 starts as you would wish. We‟ll see you again then, if not at Titchfield Haven later this month. Peter E. Hutchins Notices Mid-week Walks John Cahill recently organised two mid-week walks. The first, at Dinton Pastures Country Park, unfortunately attracted no attendees, the second, at Fleet Pond, however we have yet to hear about; possibly a bad sign unfortunately. Did you go? If yes, what did you see, who else was there, and, most importantly did you enjoy this mid week saunter? South Devon Long Weekend Trip Please be aware that if you have yet to book for this, it’s still possible to do so. Approaching 1/3 of the group have already booked for this latest long weekend away bird-watching, but more can be accommodated. The proposed itinerary for this is as follows: Friday 18th February Saturday 19th February Sunday 20th February Morning o 11:00 Meet at Topsham o Local Teign Estuary and o Checkout Reserve walk o Visit Topsham Reserve o Visit Dawlish Warren Reserve Afternoon o 17:00 Check in at o 13:30 Exe Estuary Cruise o Travel Home Passage House Hotel Evening o 19:30 Dinner o 19:30 Dinner For further details, please see Gerry Gardner at this or the January Indoor or December / January Outdoor Meetings, or contact him on 01189 – 700859. Newsletter Submissions As Christmas approaches, perhaps again all too rapidly, with the excitement of the autumn now seemingly far behind us, I am once again pleased to say thank you to those that have continued to submit items for the Newsletter. As always, there‟s room for plenty more, so don‟t feel shy! As has already been noted, you don‟t have to be a literary giant, write page after page, or even be able to spell properly! As they say in the advert “Every little helps”. Winter will soon be upon us, so there ought to be plenty of time on those dark evenings to put pen to paper, digit to key or even call me with your news – I look forward to seeing / hearing about all the things I‟m missing out on! Bird Food We are happy to supply any bird food to you at any time, just call on 01256 – 770831, 07895 – 388378 or mail us on [email protected] and we will arrange delivery to you. If you have any requirements that are not listed, please do let us know and we will ensure that they are available when you, or your birds, need them. Bird Food Pricelist: The below are examples of just a few of the items that we can supply. Please do enquire after anything else and we will provide you with a cost, time of delivery etc. As both of us are currently working in / about Basingstoke delivery can be expected to be completed within a day of an order being received – can you get that service anywhere else? Wild bird Mix 30p/lb or 66p/kg Niger £1/lb or £2.20/kg Peanuts 65p/lb or £1.43/kg Fat Squares £1 each Black Sunflowers £1/lb or £2.20/kg Fat Pecker Balls 25p each Sunflower Hearts £1.10/lb or £2.42/kg Also available are birdboxes, at £6.50, or two for £10, and a range of feeders. A variety of items will be available at most Indoor Meetings but if there is something „missing‟ that you want, please do let us know. Peter & Alison North Wessex Farmland Bird Project (Seeks Keen Volunteer Bird Surveyors for 2011 and Onwards) An exciting new project on Farmland Birds has recently begun in the Berkshire and Hampshire Downs, and volunteer bird surveyors are being sought to survey farms in the area. The North Wessex Farmland Bird Project, funded jointly by the RSPB and Natural England, roughly covers the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Hampshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, with an aim of boosting numbers of farmland bird species. The area holds key populations of nationally declining farmland bird species, such as Corn Bunting, Grey Partridge and Lapwing, so it is important to maintain and increase numbers in this stronghold and help re-populate the surrounding countryside. Diane Nicolle is North Wessex Downs Farmland Bird Project Officer based at the NWD AONB office in Hungerford, and her role is to work with farmers and land managers in the area, encouraging them to enter or renew environmental stewardship (ES) schemes, choosing the management options that will provide most benefit to farmland birds. These need to provide the „Big 3‟ – nesting habitat, insects as summer food, and seed as winter food. As part of the project Diane is working closely with the Volunteer and Farmer Alliance scheme (V&FA), an RSPB initiative where farmers can have 3 or 4 free bird surveys carried out in one year on their farm. The farmer is then sent a laminated map of these results, with information about the birds found on the farm during the surveys. Andy Hay rspb-images.com Most farmers are very interested in the wildlife on their land, especially arable birds, and are keen to know more, so they appreciate the map whilst also hopefully gaining a positive impression of the RSPB, birders and nature conservationists in general. This can prove invaluable when Diane is building a new relationship with a farmer and encouraging him or her to choose ES options that provide most benefit for farmland birds and other arable wildlife. The map can also be used to support a farmer‟s 5 application to the competitive Higher Level Stewardship scheme, as one of the criteria is having certain species of farmland bird on or near the farm. Diane is keen to find volunteers living in or near to the North Wessex Downs AONB in Berks, Hants or Oxon who would like to get involved in V&FA by carrying out 3-4 surveys on a farm near their home in 2011 or years thereafter. Volunteers are placed on a list and matched to a local farm if there is one that has asked for a survey to be carried out. This does mean that there is no guarantee that a volunteer will be given a farm to survey straight away, but we try to match people up as soon as a suitable farm and volunteer become available. The surveys are carried out between April and June and results sent to the Regional V&FA Officer who produces the map and sends this and further information back to the farmer. If you are interested in becoming involved with the V&FA, or would like to know any more about the North Wessex Farmland Bird Project, please contact Diane, overleaf, on 01488 680452, or [email protected]. Volunteer & Farmer Alliance Frequently asked questions Q Can I claim expenses? A Yes. We will reimburse any expenses you incur whilst volunteering for the RSPB. The main cost is likely to be for travel, and you can claim travel expenses to and from your training session, as well as to and from your survey site. As from June 2008, the rate increased to 23p per mile. Please fill in the expenses form (Appendix 14) and return it to project staff. Q Can I submit the bird records to the BTO as roving records? A All the birds records are confidential except for the transfer of information that project staff undertake. We would appreciate it if you kept the records confidential. 6 Q What should I do if the farmer’s children want to go birdwatching with me? A Please do not take the farmer’s children with you while surveying. For your own protection, as well as for theirs, avoid being alone with young people, particularly one- to-one contact, and especially in isolated areas. For further information please read pages 11–14 of the volunteers’ booklet, contained in this pack. Q How many farms will I be surveying? A Usually you will be matched up with one farm on which you carry out three to four surveys. Every volunteer, or pair of volunteers, will survey a different farm. Q Will I survey the same farm next year? A No. Every year we have new farms that we plan to survey, so you will not be asked to re-visit the same farm.