Volunteer Events 2017 Booking Essential. To book on to any event contact Sarah on 01572 720049 or [email protected] Events for volunteers are free of charge unless stated otherwise

February Living and Working on Langholm Moor: A Talk Cat Barlow is Project Manager of ‘Making the Most of Moorlands’, and for the last seven years has worked to raise awareness about the famous ‘Langholm Moor Demonstration Project’ and the role of moorlands in the rural community. Join Cat for an insight into the trials and tribulations of living and working on such a famous moor, working with Hen Harriers and other moorland wildlife! Friday 17th February, 7pm, VTC Guided Walk with Sarah: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve. Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 24th February, 10.30am-12.30pm, AWBC

March Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 8th March, 11am-12pm, VTC Build your own moth trap: Engineer and volunteer, Paul Palmer, will provide materials and tuition for you to build your own moth trap! These moth traps are designed to run off rechargeable AA batteries (2900+) and attract moths with an LED light. We will build the traps in the classroom of the VTC, after which you have the option of putting them out on the reserve for the night, coming back in the morning to identify what we have caught. Cost of materials is £15, to be paid on booking. Thursday 16th March, 3pm-8pm, VTC Guided Walk with Sarah: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve. Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 24th March, 10.30am-12.30pm, VTC Badger Watch: We have a resident family of badgers on the reserve, and there is no better way to watch them than from our designated ‘Badger Hide’ on one of our evening watches! Watches vary in length depending on badger activity, but usually last approximately 2 hours Monday 27th March, 8pm, meet AWBC car park Cuppa, Cake and Catch-up: Come along for a morning of presentations from the staff of Water Nature Reserve, where we will tell you everything that we’ve been up to on the reserve! A great way to learn about everything from habitat management and project work to bird ringing and volunteers, all over tea and cake! Friday 31st March, 10am-12.30pm, VTC

April Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 12th April, 11am-12pm, VTC Badger Watch: We have a resident family of badgers on the Egleton reserve, and there is no better way to watch them than from our designated ‘Badger Hide’ on one of our evening watches! Watches vary in length depending on badger activity, but usually last approximately 2 hours Monday 24th April, 8.45pm, meet AWBC car park Bird Ringing Demonstration: Join Lloyd for a bird ringing demonstration, a fantastic way to learn about the ringing work that goes on at the reserve, and see the birds up close in the hand! Wednesday 26th April, 7am, AWBC car park. £2 donation per person to the cost of rings Guided Walk with Sarah: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve. Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 28th April, 10.30am-12.30pm, AWBC May Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 10th May, 11am-12pm, VTC Moth Identification for Beginners: Join Paul Palmer to learn the basics of moth identification Thursday 11th May, 11am-1pm, VTC

Birdwatching for Beginners with the TROs: Join our Trainee Reserve Officers on the nature reserve to learn the basics of birdwatching Monday 15th May, 2pm-4pm, VTC Guided Walk with Sarah: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve. Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 26th May, 10.30am-12.30pm, VTC

June Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 7th June, 11am-12pm, VTC Barnack Orchids and Hairstreaks: Barnack Hills and Holes is a wonderful site that is home to a plethora of orchids and butterflies. Today we have a chance of seeing Early-Purple Orchid, Fragrant Orchid, Man Orchid, Frog Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid and Bee Orchid, and we hope to see Green Hairstreak butterflies. You can meet either at the Hills and Holes main car park, or at the VTC to car share (meeting 9am) Friday 9th June, 9.30am-11.30am on site Bat walk and identification: Join bat expert and recorder, Joelle Woolley, for a night of bats on the reserve! You will walk out with bat detectors to find the different species on the reserve, learn about how to identify the different sounds and where best to see them Monday 12th June, 9pm, AWBC Guided Walk with Sarah: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve. Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 23rd June, 10.30am-12.30pm, AWBC Woodland Management Walk with the TROs: There is only one Wild Service Tree on the reserve have you spotted it? You may walk along paths around the reserve, but are you aware of the woodland surrounding them? Why not join two of our Trainees for a relaxed woodland walk looking at some of the areas that are managed and their implications for the wildlife surrounding them. Suitable footwear essential, binoculars optional. Monday 26th June, 2pm-4pm, AWBC

Moth trapping for Beginners: Join county recorder Adrian Russel for an introductory talk about British moths and how to identify them. Adrian will lend you one of his moth traps for the night to put in your garden, bringing it back at 8.30am the following day to identify and record your catch! 27th June 7pm VTC followed by 28th June 8.30am VTC

Butterflies at Ketton Quarry: Join Sarah at Ketton Quarry for a butterfly watching walk! Ketton is home to many different species of butterfly and day-flying moth, and is a lovely place to spend the morning. Today we hope to find Marbled White and Dark Green Fritillary, among others. Meet at Ketton quarry or car pool from VTC Friday 30th June, 9am-12pm

July Badger Watch: We have a resident family of badgers on the Egleton reserve, and there is no better way to watch them than from our designated ‘Badger Hide’ on one of our evening watches! Watches vary in length depending on badger activity, but usually last approximately 2 hours Monday 3rd July, 9.30pm, meet AWBC car park Butterflies of Fermyn Woods: Join Sarah for a special day trip to Fermyn Woods, Northamptonshire! We are lucky to have these wonderful woods within an hour of Rutland Water, home to the magnificent White Admiral and Purple Emperor! As well as lots of other grassland and woodland species. Meet at Fermyn or car pool from VTC. Friday 7th July, 9am-12pm Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 12th July, 11am-12pm, VTC Butterflies of Bloody Oaks: Bloody Oaks is one of the best Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust sites for butterflies. Located just outside of , it is home to fritillaries, blues and lots, lots more! Come for a morning walk to experience this busy little pollinator site! Friday 14th July, 9am-12pm Moth Identification for Beginners: Join Paul Palmer to learn the basics of moth identification Thursday 20th July, 11am-1pm, VTC Guided Walk with Sarah: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve. Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 21st July, 10.30am-12.30pm, VTC Dragonflies and Damselflies, a workshop: Join expert Claire Install for this brilliant workshop on the dragons and damsels of Rutland Water Nature Reserve! Claire will give a talk on identification of species as well as a walk out on the reserve using your new found identification skills! Tuesday 25th July, 10am-4pm Butterflies of Barnack: Hills and Holes in Barnack is probably the best local site for Chalkhill Blues in the local area recently, and we will head over to hopefully find this species. We hope to see other grassland species too. Either meet on site in the main car park, or car pool from the VTC at 8.30am Friday 28th July, 9am-11am

August Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 9th August, 11am-12pm, VTC

September Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 6th September, 11am-12pm, VTC

Bird Ringing Demonstration: Join Lloyd for a bird ringing demonstration, a fantastic way to learn about the ringing work that goes on at the reserve, and see the birds up close in the hand! Friday 15th September, 7am, AWBC car park. £2 donation per person to the cost of rings Guided Walk with Sarah: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve. Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 22nd September, 10.30am-12.30pm, AWBC Cuppa, Cake and Catch-up: Come along for a morning of presentations from the staff of Rutland Water Nature Reserve, where we will tell you everything that we’ve been up to on the reserve! A great way to learn about everything from habitat management and project work to bird ringing and volunteers, all over tea and cake! Friday 29th September, 10am-12.30pm, VTC

October Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 11th October, 11am-12pm, VTC Guided Walk with Sarah: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve. Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 27th October, 10.30am-12.30pm, VTC

November Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 8th November, 11am-12pm, VTC Guided Walk with Sarah: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve. Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 24th November, 10.30am-12.30pm, AWBC

December Wildlife Book Club: We meet once a month to share thoughts and comments on current popular natural history reads. We don’t take ourselves too seriously – we simply choose a title to discuss each month and get together to share our opinions on the book and usually end up chatting about all sorts of related topics too! Wednesday 6th December, 11am-12pm, VTC Guided Walk with Sarah, Christmas edition!: Join Sarah for a relaxed walk on the nature reserve, with the addition of Christmas jumpers and mince pies! Heading to where the sightings have been best, we take a look at what wildlife is on show and see what work has been happening on the reserve. The walk is followed by tea and cake! Friday 15th December, 10.30am-12.30pm, VTC