The RSPB is a registered charity in England and Wales-207076, in Scotland-SC037654. It is the country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home.
Chorleywood and District Local Group
Newsletter No. 86 February 2018
www.rspb.org.uk/groups/chorleywood
Group News
Welcome to the first Newsletter of 2018. The RSPB has asked us to emphasise to our members the YES image on the right. You may have already seen this in Nature’s Home magazine. It is important. Due to new Data Protection Legislation that comes into force in May 2018, the RSPB needs you to actively choose to receive information from them and to tell them how you prefer to receive it. It is about you having control over your relationship with the RSPB. SO PLEASE OPT IN NOW Call 0300 777 2610 Mon to Fri 9am to 8pm If people have not opted in by May 2018, the Or go to rspb.org.uk/sayyes organisation will not be able to contact supporters about their work and will not be able to ask for article in last February’s newsletter about the support for special projects. The new law will mean Hertfordshire project to tag green sandpipers from that the RSPB can only contact supporters about Lemsford Spring Reserve, we will be visiting there their membership or their role as volunteers. The in March. Find out about the threats facing our local worry is that the RSPB could lose valuable support chalk stream, The Chess, on page 3. The river and funds. So please opt in now. needs our help. Please read about the serious problems that need to be overcome to save our Now that spring is coming, we would like to remind beloved local river. you to look out for screaming bands of swifts and The Committee individuals flying around at roof height. These birds are searching for nesting sites. Swift conservation societies need to know about them. Thereby, CONTENTS nesting sites can be protected. Do not submit Planned Thames Barge Cruise ……….. 2 sightings of swifts that are flying high or over water. The Chess Under Threat ……………….. 3 The birds should arrive to breed in this country around 7 May. Submit your results to Sam Thomas ……………………………... 4 www.rspb.org.uk/swiftsurvey. Maureen Dobbs ………………………….. 4 News from Local Reserves ……………. 5 We have a great programme of outings in 2018. A Newport Bypass …………………………. 6 Thames sailing barge voyage on the Essex River Local and National Events …………….. 6 Colne in October requires early booking (see Your Photos ……………………………… 7 page 2). We will visit the Radnage Valley in June to Outdoor Meetings Reports ……………. 7 study the chalk grassland flora. Also, following our
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Chorleywood Group Cruise Lemsford Springs HMWT Reserve Update from Honorary Warden, on Thames Sailing Barge Barry Trevis Sunday, 28 October 2018 NB our planned visit date of 17 March 2018
Early booking for the Thames No more data has been obtained from the green Sailing Barge is needed sandpiper ringing project yet this year. Only one bird was tagged in the spring of 2017. Although it has returned sporadically this autumn, it has not yet http://www.top-sail.co.uk/day-trips-programme/ been caught to retrieve the tag. This will be easier to do once it does settle into a territory. In late 2017 Telephone: 01621 857567 two new site-loyal birds were tagged and it is hoped that data can be obtained from these next summer This is an advance warning for those wanting to join on their return. If more birds return, then two tags us in October 2018. We will be sailing again on one are ready for them, providing they can be caught, of the beautiful red sailed Thames sailing barges, before they depart to their breeding grounds next owned by Topsail Charters. This will be a 4-hour summer. This kind of study is, by its nature, a long- cruise along the banks of the River Colne from term data gathering exercise. In December 2017 Brightlingsea. We will be visiting a nearby nature there were nine green sandpipers at Lemsford reserve in the afternoon, which will give you a full Springs, of which eight are colour ringed, one being day’s birding for all the travelling. ringed on the Reserve in 2010.
The cruise to book is called ‘Birds of the Colne Also please look out for colour-ringed little Cruise’ from Brightlingsea. It departs at 10.30am. egrets. This boat trip is part of our weekend away, but you No reports have come from the SW area of can come just for the sailing if you wish. If you do Hertfordshire, although 180 reports have been sent this, it is recommended that, due to the early start, in from other regions of the county. We need to you stay in the area overnight on the Saturday. note the colour and position of the rings, the digit on the ring and the time, date and location of the The saltmarsh and mudflats are home to hundreds sighting. Send to [email protected]. of godwits, dunlins, avocets, oystercatchers, brent geese, teals, wigeons and oystercatchers. Experts from Swallow Birding will be onboard to help. A late lunch of soup and granary bread will be served along with chocolate brownies and fruit.
Those who wish to sail must book their place soon to avoid disappointment.
Cost of boat trip £45.
One of Lemsford’s ringed green sandpipers Photo: Barry Trevis
Historic barges at Maldon Photo: Dave Smith
Details of the full weekend event will be coming later from Tony Wright.
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River Chess Under Threat!
This article was written with the aid of the River Chess Association and their secretary, Kathryn Graves. See www.riverchessassociation.co.uk, The River At our October outdoor meeting, we were shocked Chess, near to see the state of the River Ash as it passed Chesham through Little Hadham, East Hertfordshire. Below is swimming pool, a photo showing the river bed. This was as dry as a Nov. 2017 lawn and cut an unnatural gash through the Photo: Carol countryside where there used to be a chalk stream, Smith with all its varied life forms. The river had been dry in this area, since 2008. However, it is in ‘fine fettle’ lower downstream to quote our guide, Jonathan Forgham. Below is a list taken from the River Chess Association website of the dangers the river is facing: The River Ash in Little Abstraction. The abstraction of water from the Hadham chalk aquifers appears too great to leave enough Photo: Carol remaining water to fill the springs that feed the river. Smith Therefore, the environmental needs of the River Chess are estimated to be met only 35% of the time. In our area, we use 176 litres of water per day per person, compared to the UK average of 148 litres per day.
The Chess in Chesham has dried up in 2009, We took the next photo when I visited Chesham in 2011/12 and 2017. Chesham is identified as being November 2017 and found the River Chess almost a key area for housing development in the near as dry as The Ash. future, meaning, of course, more abstraction. Both Thames Water and Affinity Water are taking This provoked the question: Could the Chess water from the River Chess aquifers. Both have end up like the Upper Ash? The thought was agreed that ground water levels are very low. In horrifying. During November 2017, the Chess was 2017 the Environment Agency’s borehole in Ashley dry as far as Lord’s Mill. Chalk streams often do dry Green recorded the lowest groundwater level ever. out. They are sometimes called ‘winterbournes’ These records began in 1982. because they flow more reliably in the winter. Their water comes from underground aquifers that usually fill up in the winter rains. Low rainfall. The river water comes from springs that are fed from the groundwater that is held in I decided to investigate to see if our river was ‘safe’. chalk aquifers. These are filled with a time lag from After all, there seems to be a healthy watercress the rainfall in the catchment area. Low rainfall farm along the river and surely there could not be means reduced river flow later in the year. October any pollution from the Chesham Sewage Works. Or 2017 provided only 33% of the average monthly could there? rainfall, compounding an already very low level of groundwater. The River Chess Association is My starting point was the River Chess Association pressing for water restrictions to be put in place, (RCA) website. This provided a mine of information. which should be activated when such low It was shocking to discover that our beloved Chess, Environment Agency levels of groundwater are which we expect will always be there, is suffering recorded. They believe that to save the Chess, if no on many different fronts. water restrictions are ordered, pumps must be turned off, downstream of Chesham.
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Pollutants. With little rainfall and great amounts of The River Chess Association abstraction, pollutants in the river become more Aims & Objectives concentrated. Run off from farms and roads ends up in the river, as does the effluent from Thames Waters Chesham Sewage Works. Surprisingly, the The River Chess Association was formed in 2009 latter is beneficial, because it adds to the flow of in response to growing concerns about the water! However, there have been several incidents environmental pressures faced by the river. The of untreated sewage being allowed to enter the aims and objectives of the association are as river. follows:
These incidents should be, but have not been, • Environmental Monitoring and Protection notified. In certain circumstances this is allowed, • Management of Voluntary Resources and especially when there is storm run-off due to • Exchange of Expertise and Ideas rainfall. Rainfall, theoretically, can dilute the sewage • Raising Public Awareness in ordinary rivers. But with chalk streams, the rain • Education does not immediately increase the water flow as the • Lobbying aquifers are filled firstly, which then only subsequently supply the springs. Public meetings are held at which the committee reports back to the association membership. The Following consistent lobbying by the RCA, Thames committee also organizes activities for members, Water expanded their storm water overflow storage such as river walks and master classes on riparian in Spring 2012, doubling the capacity at the management. They are also keen to hear from Chesham Sewage Works, which will significantly volunteers who are interested in helping with a reduce the chances of future discharges. This variety of tasks, including photography, invasive problem is not resolved, however, with large weed control and flow monitoring. discharges going unreported in 2014. This is a long and continuing story. See the RCA website. If we at Chorleywood RSPB Group care about our river, surely we should join this Invasive Species Though a fascinating subject, there is only space to give a list of the species association. threatening the Chess Valley. These are: ➢ American mink, reducing numbers of water To become a member (free of charge) voles, amongst other prey please contact the Secretary via ➢ American Signal Crayfish, destroying, [email protected]. mostly through disease our native White Clawed Crayfish ➢ Himalayan Balsam Carol Smith ➢ Orange Balsam (less aggressive than Himalayan Balsam) ➢ Japanese knotweed.
SAM THOMAS It is with great sadness that the Committee has to inform you that Sam Thomas died in late October 2017, having been in Watford General Hospital where he had caught an infection .
Sam had been a member of Chorleywood RSPB Group for many years and Group Leader from 2002 to 2007. He remained an active member even after that. He was a very good birdwatcher and always made us laugh with an amusing comment. His love of birds, along with his sailing and rambling interests, made him very knowledgeable about many aspects of the natural world. Sam was a keen member of the Arthur Ransome Society. He embodied many qualities that have made our RSPB Group enjoyable over many years. I am sure he will be missed by all those who were fortunate enough to know him in his more active years. Tony Wright
MAUREEN DOBBS The Committee was shocked and sad to hear of the death of Maureen Dobbs from pneumonia just before Christmas. Maureen had been well at the 40th Anniversary lunch, having made a good recovery from a serious road accident last year. We will greatly miss such a kind and helpful Group member. Carol Smith
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News from Local Reserves
Stockers Lake, Rickmansworth ( www.fosl.org.uk)
This lake started life as a gravel pit, and now with the work of Friends of Stocker’s Lake, FoSL, and the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust’s expertise, it has become one of the best reserves in the area. To join, phone Dick Beedon on 0208 421 9958. The fee is £5 per person. Members receive the newsletters that let you know what has been seen and what is going on.
Nathusius pipistrelle bat. Rare in the UK. One of The kingfisher bank as featured on BBC those found at Stocker’s had flown from Latvia Countryfile. Reserves Officer, Rob Hopkins, Photo: Bat Conservation Trust told us that the cob is not drying, so the work continues next year. Photo: HMWT
2016 records show that visiting birds include a great white egret in September, hunting hobbies in June, a party of bearded tits on the Colne side of the lake. In October, a party of eight whooper swans arrived and stayed briefly. Kingfishers were breeding in August, and on Springwell Lake, a female goldeneye had seven juveniles. In January a peregrine falcon was seen. This year the resident red-crested pochards did not breed. You never know what might be around on this lake! Thanks to Steve Carter who records the birds for FoSL.
Bats do well at the Lake and there is a plan to use the three WW2 pillboxes that are on Stocker’s Farm as a bat roost. This will involve some expenditure, as they will have to be totally protected and made safe. One evening, a total of 55 bats were trapped. Amazingly 8 turned out to be the Nathusius pipistrelle, very rare in the UK. One specimen bore a ring, which showed it had travelled 1,000miles from Latvia! There is an ongoing project to investigate the ecology of this species, which is being run by the Bat Conservation Trust www.bats.org.uk.Their aim is to determine the breeding status of this species and the migratory origin of the specimens found in Great Britain.
It is hoped that the meadow that lies between the Lake and the River Colne will be grazed by cattle next summer if all goes according to plan. This will encourage the growth of the natural meadow flora. Quotations are now taking place to find someone to put in the fencing required to surround the cattle.
There are also plans to install a live camera feed from the heronry for this coming spring, Hopefully, next season we will have live streaming to the FoSL website and even to the Café in the Park. There certainly is a lot going on at Stocker’s this year!
Maple Lodge Nature Reserve (www.maplelodge.org)
This amazing 40-acre private nature reserve in Rickmansworth is extremely well studied. It comprises lakes, reedbeds, woodlands and a small meadow.
New species are being discovered all the time, including 50 this year. Not only birds but insects, spiders, flowers, fungi, mammals, amphibians and reptiles are all carefully recorded. There are far too many species to mention here, so please do look at their comprehensive website. This year a new double-decker hide is being installed because the old one was unsafe. Thames Water funded the construction. A kingfisher bank has been created, which is viewed from the hide. In November, a great white egret was seen on a lake shore.
There is an entry code to access the reserve that is strictly for members only. Also, delightfully, there is a clubhouse, plus loos and tea-making facilities. To join, email the Membership Secretary at [email protected]
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Newport Wetlands Four protected Sites of Special Scientific Interest M4 relief road decision to be made will be affected, including the Magor Marsh that contains the very smallest flowering plant of the soon British Isles, the rootless duckweed, Wolffia arrhiza.
In November 2015 several members of our Chorleywood RSPB Group enjoyed a weekend visit to RSPB Newport Wetlands, which lies at the mouth of the River Usk just south of Newport. This nature reserve was opened in 2000 to provide some compensation for the loss of extensive mudflats when the Cardiff Bay barrage was built. It consists of reedbeds, mudflats, saline lagoons, saltmarsh and wet grassland. It is part of The Gwent Levels, which are comparable to other iconic wetlands such as the Somerset Levels and Norfolk Broads.
The Gwent Levels and the RSPB Newport Wetlands By the time you read this in February 2018, a lie south of the green line, which marks the decision is likely to be made on a road building proposed route of the relief road. The existing route project, which will be to the detriment of this reserve of the M4, to the north of the town, is shown as the along with the surrounding Gwent Levels. The blue line. proposal has been controversial for many years and basically it will bring the traffic from the M4 much As we know from our visit, this area is wild and the closer to this special wetland environment. It will cut river banks and lagoons form home to 100s of through some swathes of it with a six lane, 16-mile wetland birds like dunlin and oystercatchers. re-routing of the M4 to bypass Newport. Bearded tits breed here. We witnessed marvellous starling murmurations. The Levels are home to the The new road will shorten the journey time from the shrill carder bee, our rarest bumblebee, and the Severn Crossing to the Welsh capital and will boost rare king diving beetles. Recently, nesting cranes the economy by more than two billion pounds. The have arrived probably from their release site across Government will offer mitigation measures to help the River Severn, after their reintroduction into the wildlife on the two sides of the dissected Gwent Somerset Levels. Level, such as culverts under the road for rare water voles and new water channels.
Local and National Events
Date 11 February Walk and Talk on Winter Wildfowl. Maple Lodge Nature Reserve. 10am to 12pm 07580 535986 or enquiries at www.maplelodgenaturereserve.org
25 March College Lake. Signs of Spring Walk. 2 miles. Buds, flowers and birds. £4
10.30am to 12.30pm
6-8 April RSPB Weekend. East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham
University. Come for just one day or all the weekend.
[email protected] or 01767 680551
11 April Friends of Stocker’s Lake (FoSL), AGM. 7.30 pm.
Baptist Church Hall, Field Way, Rickmansworth
6 May Spring Chorus and Warbler Walk at Stocker’s Lake. Meet on the Causeway at 8.30am. FoSL will lead a walk around the Lake
April to September Seabird Cruises from Bridlington to see almost half a million seabirds nesting at Bempton Cliffs. Puffins, gannets, guillemots, razorbills. Three
hour duration. Go to www.rspb.org.uk/bemptoncliffs .
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Your Photos Send to [email protected]
Male sparrowhawk in John Swainson’s garden. Note the orangey barred underparts of the male
20 ring-necked parakeets cling to a wall in Winchmore Hill Photo: Tracy Gibbons
Outdoor Meeting Reports
Chess Valley Walk and Lunch Saturday, 23 September 2017 However, the main point of the stroll was to celebrate the Group’s successes over 40 years. Around 27 past and present members met on this Many members who no longer are able to attend fine autumn day for a stroll along the lovely River meetings came and it was a joy to see them again Chess. Having used this area as our September Gordon and Alison Caw came over from Waltham outdoor event over many years, we did not expect Abbey and Janet Moore came all the way from to see many birds or butterflies and this year was Hastings. similar. A large number of ring-necked parakeets and the huge numbers of house martins feeding up Following our walk, even more members turned up ready to travel south constituted most of the bird life to join us for a meal at the Cock Inn, Sarratt. The seen. kitchen staff had done a brilliant job of preparing our 7
many meal choices and all of us agreed that the Even the mown areas are not over treated with catering was of a high standard. chemicals and so many birds and butterflies can be seen at the right time of year. Recently, for example, the marbled white has begun to appear on a scrubby piece of golf course and is now doing very well. Orchids also occur widely.
Stonechat, wheatear and whinchat are often found. Ring ouzels have been seen on migration, for the village lies east to west across a migration route. Jonathan has heard bar-tailed godwits as they flew overhead at night, communicating on their migration.
On the neglected farm, Jonathan was pleased to say that three lapwings have recently nested, which is rare for Hertfordshire.
There are many small woodlands where mandarin It would be nice to think that in another decade, we ducks and spotted flycatcher live and a barn where can celebrate our 50th anniversary. However, for little owls have nested. Tawny owls are around too. this to happen we need to find new and keen One oak tree holds the roosting site of a barn owl members to carry the Group forward. where Jonathan found one of its pellets, full of regurgitated bones of field voles. We saw a couple Carol Smith of kestrels hunting them.
Little Hadham, Hertfordshire The state of The River Ash through this area, was Sunday, 22 October 2017 shocking, for it was completely dry and grassed over. How had this been allowed to happen? There is less rainfall these days, but we wondered why This day followed Storm Brian and was very fresh water abstraction was allowed here. The river had and windy. So the only birds around were tough last flowed in 2008. carrion crows and jackdaws, who actually seemed to enjoy battling the breeze. Black-headed and lesser black-backed gulls also seemed to cope. Kent Marshes Weekend 18-20 November 2017 But luckily this did not matter too much, because A few members visited North Kent to investigate Jonathan Forgham was taking us around his patch. the birds found on the shores of the Rivers He has permission from the local land owners to Thames and Medway. walk around their fields, woods and paths, which he does all the time! He knows what is normally Cliffe Pools RSPB Reserve around in virtually every tree and has a huge store At first, we were able to see quite well through the of knowledge about insects, particularly moths, gloom and across the ponds where numerous birds and land management. We therefore learned dunlins and other water birds were feeding. Soon, a lot. A literally ‘moth eaten’ leaf to him is a thing of however, we put away the telescopes for a nasty fascination as he opened to us the world of drizzle began and we made do with binoculars, micromoths. This is one of his speciality subjects. which are easier to keep dry. We saw about 30 species during the couple of hours of our stay. The The caterpillars of these small moths live between highlights were a flock of some 50 starlings whirling the two-outside leaf membranes and eat the leaf around over the marsh and next to them a similar cells. For each moth species, there is a specific sized flock of goldfinches feeding on teasels and parasitic wasp which will lay its eggs on the other seed heads. By the time that we had caterpillar. These are the Ichneumonid wasps. completed a circuit of the site, we were very wet. We decided it was time for tea at the garden centre The area surrounding Little Hadham comprises a where we had started our day. We returned to be golf course, a neglected farm and a well-managed greeted like long lost friends and stayed there long farm. Luckily the golf course is large for the number enough to dry out before progressing to our of holes, and so a lot of the land is left as scrub. lodgings at The Premier Inn, in Gillingham. 8
last of the marsh harriers drop into the reed beds to Elmley Marshes and Capel Fleet Raptor roost. Fortunately, we stayed for a while and were Viewpoint rewarded with close views of a barn owl as she took After the awful weather at Cliffe on Saturday, we over the raptorial nightshift. were delighted to be greeted by bright sunlight with light winds. Riverside Country Park, Gillingham We went to the Riverside Country Park near Our drive across the first part of Elmley Marshes Gillingham and set off on a walk to Horrid Hill. provided great views of lapwing (see Richard’s Rumour has it that the name came from the ‘horrid picture below) so close in fact that we had to stop cries’ of French captives held in prison ships during while they walked across the road in front of us. At the Napoleonic the car park we were met by a member of the Shore lark, Mike Langman wars. The walk Elmley Conservation Trust who updated us on rspb-images.com gave us developments since our last visit some five years panoramic views ago. The Trust now manages all the land in the of the Medway National Nature Reserve, including that area Estuary, which is previously leased to the RSPB. Their environmental known as a management includes using a mixture of dairy wetland of farming, creating specific wildlife areas and trying to international maintain the all-important water levels. importance. We had good views of waders, ducks On the long and geese. walk down to the We then walked along the coastal path towards marshes, Motney Hill, but diverted at Rainham Dock to go on we viewed a wild goose chase to try and see the firecrest in an the Swale adjoining Berengrave reserve. On the way back to Estuary the visitor centre we were treated to a stunning from behind display of starlings and dunlins performing their a screen and observed a large number of shelducks murmurations. Finally, it was lunch and the journey in the water and quite a few redshanks on the home. Many thanks to Tony for organizing the trip. shore. In the distance a couple of marsh harriers Peter Harman, Tony Wright quartered low over the cattle fields and a few black- & Richard Livermore tailed godwits sat rather forlornly on the side of the Cliffe Pools dried-out scrapes. The area has seen very little rain Robin, blackbird, crow, magpie, rook, goldfinch, wood this year and this has had dire consequences for pigeon, BH gull, LBB gull, Cetti’s warbler (heard), the Reserve. starling, collared dove, mute swan, coot, moorhen, mallard, little grebe, shelduck, tufted duck, wigeon, teal, shoveler, goldeneye, redshank, black-tailed godwit, That dryness set the scene for the rest of the day lapwing, little egret, grey heron, curlew, dunlin, avocet with relatively few wetland birds being seen. Additional birds seen at Elmley NNR However, we did have wonderful views of Stonechat, house sparrow, stock dove, red-legged stonechats, reed buntings and a pair of perching partridge, pheasant, reed bunting, meadow pipit, kestrel, kestrels, all showing well in the low, strong sunlight. shore lark, turnstone, golden plover, pied wagtail, In the distance, a large flock of golden plovers fed, Canada goose, brent goose, kingfisher, marsh harrier, flew and fed again. It was as we returned from the cormorant furthermost hide that we came across one of the Additional birds seen at Capel Fleet Raptor best sightings of the trip. Five shore larks were Viewpoint feeding on the path in front of us. They obligingly Barn owl Additional birds seen at Riverside Country Park, remained there whilst we confirmed their identity Medway Estuary and enjoyed their fresh autumn plumage. Feral pigeon, dunnock, blue tit, long-tailed tit, great tit, GBB gull, common gull, goldcrest, chaffinch, ruff, The time had passed quickly on the Reserve, so we oystercatcher, pochard, pintail had a rather mad dash around Sheppey (nothing Thanks to Peter Harman for providing this list compared to the driving habits of many of the locals) to obtain some much-needed refreshment. We arrived at the raptor viewpoint in time to see the 9
College Lake, usual great crested grebes, gadwalls, a few Sunday, 17 December 2017 shovelers and lots of coots and ‘tufties’.
We moved on to Stocker’s Lake to find several Conditions were freezing both on the lake and on goldeneyes, the stunning diving ducks from the paths. This may have explained why we found a northern Europe. Coupled with the colourful red- limited number of different species on the remaining crested pochards, this was a good start. Also on the open water. Mostly there were hundreds of coots, islands and rafts we found lots of lapwings, but tufted ducks and several hundred gorgeous unfortunately they did not show us their beautiful wigeons. Their plumage looked very crisp - perhaps flight. One Egyptian goose sat amongst them for a they were coming into full breeding mode. while and several cormorants were drying their
wings. Two drake swans aggressively saw off a party of newly landed swans, while in the air a carrion crow managed to scare off a kestrel (for a while only). The hedgerow berries had all been eaten, so there were no winter thrushes about. However, two female and one male bullfinch were searching the ground for seeds. Identification of these is aided by their white rump.
Despite ice-covered paths, the staff had kept the feeders well topped up to the advantage of several great and blue tits, long-tailed tits, chaffinches, dunnocks, robins and the local obese squirrels.
Marsh tit Ben Hall
rspb- Male goldeneye Photo: Andrew Case images.com As we made our progress around the lake, the odd wigeon, pochard, grebe, gulls (common, black- Peter’s headed and lesser black-backed), heron and tenacity paid moorhen came into view, plus tufted ducks and off for he coots. But numbers were low. However, some of us was the only did see a kingfisher on the river, so we were one to see the marsh tit and also a tree creeper. cheered by that. The rest of us had fled the deteriorating weather and headed back for a hot drink in the visitor centre. Smaller bird sightings included long-tailed tits, gold- Well done, Peter! crest, great and blue tits, plus the house sparrows at the farm house, but no siskins this time. Stocker’s Lake Carol Smith New Year’s Day 2018
The day and year had started spectacularly for our member Vaughan Ryall, who only that morning had seen a lesser spotted woodpecker in his garden! He named this already his ‘bird of the year’! This garden is near Stocker’s Lake and these very rare birds are known to live there. But to see one is exceptionally lucky! The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales The weather was dismal so it was cheering to see No. 207076, Scotland No.SC037654 around 12 members and visitors coming to find out what birds were overwintering on our local lake. Any advertisements enclosed with this newsletter The number of individual waterfowl seemed much are not specifically endorsed by the RSPB or the less than in the past. On Inns Lake we found the Chorleywood and District Local Group 10