Basingstoke Local Group

BBAASSIINNGGSSTTOOKKEE LLOOCCAALL GGRROOUUPP APRIL 2012 NEWSLETTER http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/basingstoke Contents: From The Group Leader Annual General Meeting Notices What’s Happening? Marsh-Mellow Birding April’s Outdoor Meeting Evening Walks Programme May’s Outdoor Meeting March’s Outdoor Meeting 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 spring! Where have you heard that before, I wonder? Though we’re still in the grip of drought nobody appears to have told the clouds this! The fronts sweeping through on an all too regular basis don’t seem to have delayed our local summer visitants too much however – by mid-April many of the expected visits had arrived and the calls and emails about Cuckoos had commenced. The main difference between the latter and the earlier ‘sightings’ reported in the press however being that we could at least believe Local Group Members! Other notable ‘locals’ have included Nightingale, Black Tern and Osprey while Sand and House Martin, Willow Warbler and Whitethroat have been among the ‘normal’ species already accounted for. By the time we commence the Evening Walks Programme, in early May, just about everything else should have arrived, and generally in numbers. However, have you already noticed that birds are missing – did they turn up later than previously, in smaller numbers, or not at all? Do let us know, as well as inputting your records on to the BTO BirdTrack recording system http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/birdtrack/about. As we’ve said many times in the past, the more we know, the better organised can be our approach to conservation in the future! Let’s hope that the continuing inclement weather settles its’ dispute with terra firma in the very near future and that we, both as a Group and individuals, can make the most of the spring, be it the passage of birds through to further north, the up-and-coming blossoming of plants, the dramatic increase in aerial plankton, or just the opportunity to have the sun shining on us as we go about the more desultory of daily tasks. The weather may not be too exciting, but the birding over the comings weeks is sure to be, so make the most of it and join us on one of the many Outdoor Meetings that have been organised for the Group, whether the series of relatively informal Evening Walks that showcase local sites and their wildlife, or the monthly Outdoor Meeting that may just take that little bit further afield. I look forward to seeing you out there and hearing all about the migrants that are bringing a little more hope to your birding. Peter E. Hutchins Annual General Meeting THE ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS BASINGSTOKE LOCAL GROUP ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The thirty-third Annual General Meeting of the Basingstoke Local Group of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds will take place on Wednesday 16th May 2012 at The Barn, Church Cottage, Church Street, Basingstoke at 7.45pm. AGENDA 1. Chairman’s Introduction 2. Apologies for Absence 3. Minutes of the thirty-second Annual General Meeting 4. Matters Arising 5. Chairman’s Report 6. Treasurer’s Report 7. Appropriation of Surplus 8. Elections 9. Any Other Business Nominations for the Committee, together with the names of the proposer and seconder, should be given to the Secretary by Wednesday 25th April 2012. Geoff Sharp Secretary Notices Garden Party August 4th 2012, from 5pm. We are holding another Garden Party this year at 33 Archery Fields Odiham, phone 01256 702006. This has proved to be a good fund raiser for the Group and a very enjoyable evening. A Raffle will be held during the evening and hope that members will contribute a raffle prize. We ask those who attend to bring a dish of some sort, and suggest that your choice of dishes discussed so we can have a variation. We ask all members to bring their own drinks although Tea and Coffee will be available throughout the evening. We have an outside swimming pool for those wishing to swim but remember to bring your cosies. The cost of the Evening will again be £6.00 per person. Maureen Brailey Help Required! Please find below a request for volunteers to help during Love Nature Week. If you feel that this is something that you could help with, please let the Committee know, or contact Emily directly: Dear Peter I’m contacting you about the RSPB Love Nature Week from 26th May to the 3rd June. We have booked collections right across the South East and now we need the volunteers! These collections are all about saving nature on your doorstep so the money goes to towards conservation projects in the south east this includes saving special places for wildlife and people. We need as many volunteers as possible to help us make Love Nature Week a success so we raise vital funds but also make people aware of the RSPB and what we do. This is why we are also asking volunteers to hand out leaflets about Make Your Nature Count whilst collecting as a talking point to engage with members of the public. I know your local group already helps the RSPB but we are hoping that you could ask all your members if they might be interested in giving a couple of hours to collect at one of the sites. The nearest site for your group members would be Basingstoke Pets at Home on 2nd June. If any of your group members want to find out more about the collection there is a website with more information: www.rspb.org.uk/bucketcollections. Or they can contact me on the details below. Thanks again for your support. Yours sincerely, Emily Clark Community Fundraising Voluntary Intern Tel:01273 775 333 Committee Members With the Annual General Meeting rapidly approaching it’s time once again to remind you that we / the Local Group need you!!! If you would be interested in becoming a Committee Member or even helping to ‘run’ the Local Group in a less formal capacity, do please see a Committee Member prior to this meeting for further information and the opportunity to sit in on the next Committee Meeting. Newsletter Mailings Thank you to those that have now continued to forward their mailing addresses – more trees saved and more time to do other things now!!! Keep them coming, as they say, “The more the merrier!” Wouldn’t it be good to make the Group paper- less / free? We’re getting there! Local Group Website The following area of the Basingstoke Local Group website is currently very much under populated and it would be appreciated if you could help out with respect to this: Places to see birds. If you could pen a few words about a local site that you enjoy visiting we could then gradually add these to the website so as to give other locals an idea of where to go to see birds about the Borough, or even that little bit further afield. Nothing huge, dramatic or specific, just a quick summary of where, what you might see, when to go and what you particularly enjoy about visiting there would be more than appreciated. 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 a range of birdboxes and 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 What’s Happening? A few of the forthcoming local events that will hopefully help keep you entertained when the Local Group is not getting together: Basingstoke Field Society http://basingstokefieldsociety.org.uk/ Outdoor Meeting May 10th. Micheldever Bluebell Woods Meet at 7pm. Summer Surveys June 4th, July 2nd and August 20th. Friends of Loddon Vale Park August 6th. The Lip at The War Memorial Park. For information on meetings and surveys please contact; Patricia & Colin Stubbs: 323324; Diane Rampton: 467533; Nicola Williams: 353194 Dummer Nature Group Dawn Chorus Walk Saturday May 12th, 4:45am Dummer Village Hall, Up Street, Dummer, RG25 2AJ 7 Local birdwatcher Malcolm Dixon will be leading a spring dawn chorus walk in the countryside immediately around the village. Meet outside Dummer Village Hall at 4:45am. Those who can rouse themselves in time will not only learn more about our feathered friends but will be rewarded with a breakfast of locally produced bacon in rolls, homemade snacks and tea / coffee / juice on our return to the Village Hall about 1½ hours later.

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