South East Local Group newsletter August 2019 - No. 91

The RSPB is the country's largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home.

Welcome to the first S.E. Herts RSPB Newsletter of the 2019/20 season.

Well, we have had our summer recess and the new season is on the horizon, so what can we expect in the coming months? Hopefully you have already looked at the new programme, which has been available to download from our website since the end of June. If not, click on www.rspb.org.uk/groups/southeasthertfordshire (after you have read the Newsletter) and have a browse.

Our Programme of Events has 35 activities listed: from the Local Walk at the beginning of September through to our Friday evening stroll at Epping Forest on 3 July 2020. You can look forward to 10 half day Local Walks, including our Dawn Chorus walk at Broxbourne Woods in May and a new site for the group - discovering the upper reaches of the River Lee near Wheathampstead. There are 7 car outings, with a visit to a new and exciting reserve in November, that is being created near Huntingdon, "The Great Fen is a 50-year project to restore a huge wildlife-rich wetland area in the fens. This Living Landscape will be achieved by obtaining land that links or is adjacent to the two existing National Nature Reserves, Holme Fen and Woodwalton Fen". We also have 4 coach outings throughout the year, the first to Rye Harbour, East Sussex in October for late summer and early winter migrants.

For the Indoor Group Meetings our Group Secretary has organised a diverse range of talks, from 'Birds in a Cage', the true story of four POWs in Nazi Germany who kept their sanity by watching and studying birds, to 'India: the wonders of Rajasthan, its people and birds' and 'The Living Rivers of Hertfordshire', to name but a few.

There are two short break holidays during the year: North Norfolk and North Wales, and our popular RSPB Quiz on Saturday 1 February. Plus we have our special event on Sunday 29 September at our local RSPB reserve, , when we celebrate - together with other local RSPB groups - the 50th anniversary of the founding of the first RSPB Local Members Groups.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654 coming events Local Walk Hatfield Forest & Stansted Airport Lagoons Sunday 1 September Our first event for your diary is a new venue for the Group, the Local Walk at Stansted Airport. However, don't think we have changed hobbies! We won't be trying to work out if the big metal 'bird' is a A320 Airbus or a Boeing 737. Walk leader, Jonathan Forgham, will be taking us to see the fauna and flora of Hatfield Forest Country Park near Bishops Stortford, then onto the lagoons at the edge of the BAA Stansted Airport. The three lagoons are used as flood relief for the airport runways but have become a little wildlife haven. They have a fabulous bird, dragonfly and butterfly lists and almost anything can turn up. Meet by 09.30 at The Green Man pub car park, Takeley. A donation is requested for this event. Nearest postcode: CM22 6QU https://maps.app.goo.gl/CRhXa1P1YzUZyNRM7

Car Outing to Two Tree Island, Southend-on-Sea Tuesday 17 September This Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserve on the Thames Estuary was reclaimed from the sea in the 18th century when a seawall was built around the saltmarsh and originally used for farming. Now managed as a nature reserve it is a firm favourite walking destination and a fantastic site for birdwatching. Meet by 09.30 in Belton Way by Leigh-on-Sea train station. Nearest postcode: SS9 2GB. https://maps.app.goo.gl/rDKjYaUE3xNh7Qpg8

Indoor Group Meeting Tuesday 24 September The RSPB's Stephanie Winnard presents 'Saving the Albatross: Conservation Action on the High Seas'. A talk about her work with the Albatross Task Force – an international team of seabird bycatch mitigation experts led by the RSPB and BirdLife International.

The Group Meetings are held at the United Reformed Church Hall, Broxbourne, EN10 7BQ. Doors open 19.30 for 20.00 start. Admission: £3.00 for RSPB members, £3.50 for non-members. Refreshments available during the interval. Parking is available in the car park at the back of the hall or in Mill Lane. Access and facilities are suitable for wheelchairs. N.B. The bays at the side of the hall are reserved for "Teens Unite" and are not part of the URCH parking. Open Day at RSPB Rye Meads Sunday 29 September - 10.00 to 16.00 A fun day for all ages to celebrate 50 years of RSPB groups and a chance to enjoy the local wildlife. South East Herts RSPB will be joined by the Potters Bar & Barnet, North East London and North West London groups and will host a number of activities including a bird race for all ages with prizes for the winners and runners up of the three age groups (under 11, under 16 & over 16). Other activities include a bird call competition, a quiz on what you can see around the reserve, a Gold-themed quiz, cake and preserves sales, a raffle, RSPB pin badges and more.

We would welcome any donations towards the cakes and preserves stall. These can be handed in at the September meeting on Tuesday 24th (as long as they will still be fresh on the 29th), at the reserve a day or two before the event or on the day. We would also welcome any donations towards the raffle and these can be handed in at the same time.

You will find the Gold Quiz attached and if you take part please return the form and money to Kathleen Lord (who kindly compiled the quiz) as stated on the form.

We hope to have a large number of visitors and the Reserve car park is likely to be very busy all day. We suggest you park in Plumpton Road alongside the New River next to Rye House station if you are able to walk to the reserve from there. If you have more than one person in the car you are welcomed to drop them off at the reserve first. garden watch

You may have looked at the South East Herts Local Group Programme of Events and Speakers, and possibly one or two activities have caught your eye. On the other hand, perhaps you are quite content just watching the wildlife in your garden.

It is estimated that almost half of the UK's households feed their garden birds and it is without doubt one of the most pleasing and relaxing of pastimes, enabling us to intimately connect with nature in a way that is not always possible in the wider world. We are able to entice our feathered friends close enough to observe their behaviour and characteristics; the squabbling Starlings, the gaudy Goldfinch, the cute and fluffy Long-tailed Tits and everyone's favourite, Robin Redbreast, enthralling and entertaining us just yards from our windows.

Garden Watch is a new feature looking at what we can expect to see in our backyards over the year, with tips and ideas from the RSPB and various wildlife charities (perhaps even yourselves) on wildlife gardening. So, with a seasonal change just around the corner, what might be happening in our gardens this month!? September September seems to be when summer suddenly gives way to autumn. Colours in the garden become more muted as seeds and fruit ripen and leaves take on the first hints of red and brown.

As nights become colder, birds and other wildlife can be seen preparing for the winter to come. Most of our summer visitors, such as the warblers and swallows, have left to begin their migration south. Resident birds become quieter and no longer fight over territories, returning to warm roosts each evening.

Although this is a time when gardeners traditionally start to clear up, if you want to encourage wildlife, you could adopt a more natural approach. Leaving seedheads, especially on plants such as teasels, thistles and sunflowers, and allowing vegetation to die back naturally, provides food and shelter for birds through the coldest months. September can be ideal for planning and creating borders. The end of the month is a good time to plant herbaceous perennials. The soil is still warm to encourage good root growth and there is usually enough rain to ensure plants don't dry out.

With the breeding season over, it is a good idea to clean out the nest boxes in your garden. Place the contents in your compost heap and use boiling water to clean out any parasites. Wrens and other small birds may use the box to keep warm during the winter. And of course keep those bird feeders clean and topped up. Good hygiene around your feeding stations and taking care of your bird table and birdbath will reduce the chances of spreading diseases. local sites and wildlife

Naturalists often talk of their 'local patch' - a reserve or site they regularly visit near their homes to observe wildlife. For the majority of us, our most local of 'local patches' is our own backyard but what is out there beyond the confines of your garden fence?

For a relatively small inland county Hertfordshire is quite rich in wildlife sites, with a variety of habitats across the region: woodlands, heaths, chalk streams, wildflower meadows etc. However, perhaps the most obvious natural feature in our area is the Lee Valley. The River Lee (or Lea) starts its life just north of Luton in the county of Bedfordshire before flowing 42 miles (68 km) though Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and London down to the Thames. It could be argued it enters South- around the county town of Hertford. From here it begins to alter its course from west to east to a north/south direction and gradually becomes more diverse and attractive for wildlife as the valley widens. We have a number of wildlife sites in the Lee Valley: the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust reserves at Lemsford Springs and Stanborough Reedmarsh on the upper reaches of the river, with the Trust's reserves of King's Meads, Amwell and Rye Meads - a site which it shares with the RSPB and the Society's only Hertfordshire reserve - further down the Valley. As the river flows south it passes through the Lee Valley Regional Park, much of which is in the neighbouring county of Essex. This 26 mile long country park consists of a number of lakes, ponds and marshes - a consequence of gravel extraction, a major industry along the Valley for more than 80 years - with perhaps the best known site, Fishers Green near Waltham Abbey. The river then flows out of Hertfordshire and into Greater London. Here a series of reservoirs were built as the Capital's demand for water increased: the King George V, the William Girling and Banbury, with further south, Walthamstow Reservoirs (recently regenerated and renamed Walthamstow Wetlands, it is now Europe's largest urban wetland nature reserve).

However, our region is not just about the Lee Valley! A quick look at our Local Walks programme and you will find visits to Stansted Airport Lagoons; Therfield Heath, near Royston; Hertfordshire's only National Nature Reserve at Broxbourne Woods and London's largest woodland - Epping Forest.

Visit the websites of the reserves and sites mentioned for further details or contact us via our email address for more information regarding wildlife reserves in our region and our local events programme.

Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust https://g.co/kgs/4wD6gE

RSPB Rye Meads https://g.co/kgs/umgLBR

Lee Valley Regional Park https://www.visitleevalley.org.uk/ rspb news

On Sunday 15th September the RSPB will be hosting the first-ever "Love Minsmere Festival", to celebrate the reserve, its rare wildlife and to send a powerful message to EDF that we all Love Minsmere and want to see it protected from the impacts of Sizewell C.

"We will be hosting a range of fun family activities, guided walks and will be joined by Bill Turnbull (and maybe other celebrities!). To add a party atmosphere, we will be joined by a variety of local food and drink stalls who are also passionate about protecting Minsmere. The climax of the day will be at 1pm when we will all come together with one act of solidarity, creating the outline of the Love Minsmere love heart on Whin Hill, one of the reserve’s most amazing viewpoints with the Sizewell estate in the background. We are aiming for 1000 people to join us to make this performance a successful and powerful visual reminder to EDF that we Love Minsmere".

For more information, see the EventBrite page.

"You are very welcome to join us on the day, share this event with your members at indoor meetings (and via your websites), and share the event on social media". For more information, email Emily Kench: [email protected]. other news

Birdwatching! "What's in it for me?"

Spending time in the great outdoors - according to research - is healthy! Regular walks in the countryside and connecting with nature reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death and increases sleep duration. Scientific studies have also confirmed that exposure to, and contact with, the natural world have a beneficial effect on mental health.

It's available to everyone regardless of age or mobility. You can birdwatch whether you are 8 or 80. An outing to your local country park or nature reserve could involve three (even four) generations of the same family, enjoying the countryside and watching the wildlife together. And restricted mobility is not necessarily a barrier! Many reserves have trails, hides and facilities to cater for disabled visitors.

It is one of the few hobbies that you can do all of the time and virtually anywhere! Alright, so you don't carry binoculars around 24/7 - the kit that sets you out as a birdwatcher - but you can watch nature from your kitchen window, while walking the dog, from your car; in fact any time you are looking onto the outside world. Plus, listening to nature - especially bird song - requires no specialist equipment.

It's local! Wherever you live, there is bound to be a wildlife site nearby. There are literally thousands of reserves and sites around the country: woodlands, lakes, reedbeds, heaths, meadows and - with no-one in Britain living more than 70 miles from the sea - we can add coastal habitats such as estuaries, saltmarshes, cliffs and sea shore to the list.

And it's cheap! Okay, a good pair of binoculars can set you back a couple of hundred pounds but once you have them they will last for years, with some manufacturers offering a 30 year warranty. You can visit most wildlife sites for free: country parks, National Nature Reserves and county Wildlife Trust reserves, also your membership of the RSPB allows you free unlimited entry to more than 170 of its sites across the country.

Group Wildlife Photography

With the advent of digital cameras wildlife photography has become one of the fastest growing hobbies around. While most photographers prefer to work alone, could there be any advantages to walking around with a guided group? If your goal is that perfect shot of a kingfisher; you need to be patient and wait, and wait, and wait, usually at the location of a well known nest site, such as RSPB Rye Meads, hoping that the bird will pose in front of the hide for you to capture that 'holy grail' of wild bird photographs.

Although, often some of the best shots of wildlife happen by chance. You may only have a few seconds to capture the image but with autofocus and burst mode (and a bit of luck) you might just occasionally come up with something good.

Certainly there are several benefits to group birdwatching, including the extra pairs of eyes available (and, for that matter, ears) to initially find the birds. Experienced guides often have extensive knowledge of animal behaviour, which can be a real advantage when attempting to photograph wildlife. For example, many birdwatchers know that birds such as the flamboyant stonechat and fidgety whitethroat habitually pose at the top of gorse and bramble bushes, seemingly inviting someone to take their picture.

To track down butterflies, experienced lepidopterists are aware of the key food plants of different species. Common dog-violet is very important for several fritillary butterflies and the scarce grizzled skipper may be found feeding on wild strawberries.

Bird calls and songs can be notoriously difficult to master, nevertheless many seasoned birdwatchers can recognise a number of bird sounds. With this knowledge it can be possible to locate and identify the common birds in habitats such as woodland, reedbeds or scrub without the need to see them. If the unusual sound coming from high up in the tree canopy can be narrowed down to a great tit, you may decide not to wait around to find it. However, if you are told that the high pitched "ze-ze-zeep" call uttered from a dense conifer is coming from that tiny vibrant 'sprite' - the firecrest - it might just be worth hanging about. Finally, many naturalists have an intimate knowledge of their local 'patch', gained over years of watching wildlife and are often happy to share this information and show others the interesting fauna and flora that occurs there. Although, if you wish to photograph nature in the quiet serenity of your own company you can always return to a favourite site; possibly one you may have discovered on an informative guided wildlife walk. Just you, your camera, and your newly acquired wisdom! information for outdoor events

Local Walks

S.E. Herts RSPB Local Walks are generally within a 20 mile radius of Broxbourne. They are morning walks and are usually the first week or weekend of the month. We meet at 9.30 and aim to return by 12.30 and can - depending on the site - involve a route of up to 3 miles. We visit a variety of sites in the region such as RSPB reserves, country parks and nature reserves, as well as other popular wildlife areas. Facilities may vary from just a car park, to sites with toilets, hides and even cafés. More detailed information regarding individual sites can be found on the website.

The walks attract a friendly mixed group of people who have an interest in birds and nature, and are ideal for beginners. No experience is necessary and you do not even need to be a member of the RSPB.

These FREE events are led by an experienced guide who will point out and identify the interesting wildlife that is found. In addition to binoculars most guides also own a powerful telescope, which will allow you to observe many species at close quarters.

Please be aware these activities may be cancelled in the event of bad weather. Check the website for updates.

Wednesday Walks

The “Wednesday Walkers” are a group of members independent from the main S.E. Herts RSPB. These wildlife walks were originally organised and led by former Group Leader, Terry Smith, as a once a month mid week fundraising event around his local patch - the Lee Valley. However, when Terry and his wife Ann moved to pastures new the original members decided to continue with what had become a very popular and pleasant social gathering, combining looking for birds and other wildlife with a leisurely morning stroll.

The walks are open to all (with beginners and newcomers receiving a warm welcome), no experience is necessary and you do not even need to be a member of the RSPB. If you wish to be kept informed about future events, reply to this email with “Wednesday Walks” in the subject line.

Coach Outing Questions & Answers

Where do I park? The main pick up point is at Broxbourne Station. All day undercover parking at the rear of the station - pay and display. Coach picks up at the bus stop on the station concourse. There is also a Ware pick up at the sheltered bus stop opposite Greggs in the High Street, where there are all day pay and display car parks (FREE on Sundays) nearby at Kibes Lane SG12 7BS. How long does it take to get there? Most journeys are around 2 to 2½ hours depending on traffic conditions, this also includes a comfort stop enroute.

What happens when we arrive? Your time is your own to do as you please (we are usually at the site for about 6 hours), all we ask is that you are back at the coach at the specified time for the return journey. This will be announced on the coach. However, typically we separate into smaller groups consisting of a guide and experienced birdwatchers who will point out and identify the wildlife that is encountered. The guided groups are ideally suited for beginners or first timers who may be unfamiliar with the site and its wildlife.

What time do we get back? As I am sure you appreciate due to traffic conditions it is difficult to give a definite time, however based on experience, you can usually expect to arrive at Broxbourne sometime around 19.00. Unless requested we tend not to have a comfort stop on the return journey.

What do I need to bring? Obviously binoculars, if you have them. We suggest comfortable walking shoes or boots (you may walk 3 or 4 miles during the day with the guided groups, although this is at a leisurely pace with frequent stops) and we advise waterproofs, just in case. Also a packed lunch; several of the larger reserves now have tearooms and many offer limited snacks and drinks but we usually eat lunch outside or in the hides if available.

Anything else I need to know? While many sites we visit are free of charge (all RSPB reserves are free to members) there may be a charge for non-members to some sites, such as the popular Wildlife Trust reserves. See details on our website. Wildlife photography has become very popular in recent times, particularly with the advent of digital cameras, and many sites are ideal for this hobby. Most reserves have hides, enabling photographers and birdwatchers to observe wildlife at close quarters without disturbance. Compact digital cameras or even mobile phone cameras can produce results; give it a go, you may be surprised.

Please note: we have cancelled coach trips in the past due to low numbers or when severe weather has been forecast, please check the website for updates or contact the Outing Organiser, Steve Kiln: [email protected] it's your local group Your Local Group is run by volunteers, you can be as involved as you like with the group, whether you just take part in the events programme or get more involved with its running. So if you are interested in supporting us and can spare a few hours a month, please contact the Group Leader, Stan Kitchiner by replying to this email. contact information Check the Group's website for updates of our events: www.rspb.org.uk/groups/southeasthertfordshire Facebook Information regarding S.E. Herts RSPB events and news, along with posts of local wildlife interest are also available on our official RSPB Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RSPB SE HertsLocalGroup131437220783061/ Twitter The Group is now on the social media site ‘Twitter’. Our 'handle' is @sehertsrspb if you wish to follow the group's activities.

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