Volume 2 Issue 3 SUPPORTING October 2015 SHOREBIRD Wader Quest the newsletter CONSERVATION Forthcoming talks: Editor’s diatribe 13/11/2015 Potters Bar and Barnet RSPB local group. 19.45 Tilbury Hall, United Reform Church, Wader Quest seems to be go- Darles Lane, Potters Bar. EN6 1BZ. ing from strength to strength with all the effort beginning to 07/12/2015 Hemel Hempstead pay some dividends. RSPB local group. 20.00 We have been working very The Cavendish School, Warners End Road, Hemel Hempstead. HP1 3DW. hard this year on many fronts, both personal and for Wader 07/01/2016 Woodbridge RSPB local Quest. It has been an exhausting Group. 19.30 Woodbridge process and of course it is not Community Hall, Station Road, over yet. Woodbridge, Suffolk. IP12 4AU. We do seem to be making advances as far as our public 16/02/2016 Milton Keynes Natural profile is concerned. We had History Society. (Waders of Milton Keynes) 20.00 Cruck Barn Alston Dr, become quite accustomed to Milton Keynes MK13 9AP people saying ‘Wader Quest? I’ve never heard of you!’ such is 14/04/2016 Gravesend RSPB local the lot of a new organisation. Group. 19.30 North Fleet School for However latterly we have been Girls, Hall Road, Gravesend, DA11 hearing this less and hearing ‘Ah Juvenile Dunlin Calidris alpina - Elis Simpson. 8AQ. yes, I’ve heard of you; tell me again, what is it exactly that you excellent conservation organisa- Officer for Wader Quest with 17/05/2016 19.30 Temple Hall, York St John University, do?’ This shows that we are at tions, especially those that are such enthusiasm. Lord Mayors Walk, least making inroads into the dedicated, as we are, to wader Looking to the future we are York. YO31 7EL public’s consciousness, but also conservation. also thrilled that the Norfolk Bird shows that we still have some One such organisation is the Race, which is run in conjunction way to go to get the message International Wader Study with the Norfolk Bird and Wild- across. Group (IWSG) which supports life fair will, in 2016, be held to This advance in our public pro- scientific research into waders. raise funds for Wader Quest. I Inside this issue: file is in no small part due to the Elis and I were very proud to be hope then that anyone with a relentless effort that Elis puts in invited to be joint Membership penchant for such activities will Wader Conservation November 2 every day on social media; face- Secretaries of this well respected take the opportunity to ‘bird Wirral Wader Festival 3 book, twitter and linked-in. If it group and were happy to accept Norfolk’ on the 30th of April were not for all this industrious despite the additional workload next year. Wash Wader Festival networking we wouldn’t even be that it would inevitably bring. The speaking season is back Snippets 4 famous in our own living room We attended our first meeting with us and we have already Godwits in the Netherlands 5 let alone have people know our and were voted onto the Execu- clocked up four talks at the Durs- name in various locations across tive Committee at the IWSG ley Birdwatching and Preserva- Willets in South America 6 the world. annual conference in Iceland. tion Society, Richmond and Celebrate Delaware Bay 7 We are very pleased with the Preparations are of course well Twickenham RSPB local group links we have forged with many under way for the Conservation Preston Natural History Society Waders Wrapped in Blue 8-9 November events, more of and the Huddersfiled Birdwatch- RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands 10-11 which will be covered on the ers’ Club. We were warmly re- following pages but we really did ceived at them all and we en- Snippets 11 want to point out the outstand- joyed meeting the members of Godwits of Gilroy 12-13 ing effort that the Wirral Wader the respective organisations very Festival committee have put in much. Don’t forget, if you are a Buffey the Bogey Slayer 14 to making the UK’s first ever member of a club that holds Russian Red Knot in Roebuck Bay 15 wader festival something very indoor meetings mention us to much to look forward to. The your meetings organiser and Wash Wader Ringing Group Controls people in question are Karen we’ll be more than happy to and Recoveries 2014 16-19 Leeming and Sheila Ryde (Dee come along to talk to your Magellanic Plover project update 19 Estuary Voluntary Wardens), group. We would like to place on Dan Trotman (RSPB), Lynne record our thanks the organisers Rare wader round up: UK 20 Greenstreet and Matt Thomas of the clubs that we have visited Richard Allen donation (Wirral Rangers), Sarah Bennett for the opportunity to spread Photo gallery 21 (Cheshire Wildlife Trust) and of the word about what Wader Trustee news Juvenile Little Stint Calidris minuta course our own Sue Healey who Quest is doing to support wader Contact details and sponsors 22 - Elis simpson has taken on the role of Events conservation. © Wader Quest 2015. All rights reserved. Page 2 Wader Quest the newsletter Wader Conservation November Wader Conservation World Watch Its as simple as A,B,C. A. Go out and see waders/shorebirds wherever you are in the world. B. Send us an email telling us what you have seen and where. C. We'll create a list the species seen between us worldwide. D. Look for you name on the roll of honour on the website. It is that easy; no registering required just good old-fashioned bird watching... Oh! And an email. This is your opportunity to show your solidarity with, and appreciation of, wader conservationists around the world be they professionals or volunteers. Wirral Wader Festival The UK’s very first dedicated wader festival. Main event to be held at Wirral Country Park, Thurstaston 10am - 4pm Also at West Kirby/Red Rocks New Brighton Marina Hoylake Promenade Parkgate Old Baths Car Park at dusk Full details of this exciting event on page 3 North-west Birdwatching Festival Martin Mere WWT 21st and 22nd November Wader Quest will be attending this excellent event along with other organisations invloved in the Wirral Wader Festival; Display of entries for the Wirral Wader Festival childrens’ painting competition The Wash Wader Festival At RSPB Titchwell Marsh reserve, Norfolk Meet the Wader Quest Team Watch Rob Parkin artist and conservationist at work (Parrinder Hide) Find out what the Wash Wader Ringing Group do RSPB volunteers on hand all day to help you find and identify waders. © Wader Quest 2015. All rights reserved. Volume 2 Issue 3 Page 3 Wirral Wader Festival The Wirral Wader Festival is really We will be running a kids' painting also lead wader watches on the Thurstaston beginning to take shape with many events competition with a small prize for the best foreshore. already confirmed. entires on each day. All the entries will be The main event will take place at Wirral taken to the north-west Birdwatching Country Park Thurstaston where it will be Festival and displayed in the Martin Mere hosted by the Wirral Council Rangers. There WWT centre. will be plenty to see and do for all the family. At the base of the cliffs at Thurstaston is a small cottage on the shore which is the home of Shore Cottage art studios. They will be running an event on each day to coincide with the festival, making wading bird scarves Red Rocks - Paul Byrne on Saturday and laser cut wader greeting cards on Sunday. Cheshire Wildlife Trust will be on hand to tell people about the Red Rocks reserve and lead walks there on both days (2.00 pm Sat Thurstaston Country Park Centre and 2.30 pm Sun) . - Lynne Greenstreet At New Brighton Marina there is another high tide roost where Purple Sandpipers The Biggest Twitch team Alan Davies and Calidris maratima can be seen. The Wirral Ruth Miller have agreed to come along and Rangers, RSPB and Cheshire Wildlife Trust help us promote the event as well as show will be on hand to point out the birds on the people some waders on the beach near the pontoons on Marine Lake (11.00 am Sat and centre. For those interested in enhancing their 12.00 Sun mid-day). book collections there will be two second hand book sellers attending; Ken Mullins Books and Garrick Books. There will also be optics on display from the RSPB and there will be merchandising available from the Wirral Rangers, Cheshire Wildlife Trust and of course our own Wader Quest items. Something that we think will attract much attention is the taxidermy collection that is being supplied mainly by Liverpool Museum with additional items from the British Natural History Museum. Purple Sandpipers Calidris maritima, Ruddy There will be talks on both days including Turnstones Arenaria interpres and Sanderling Calidris alba New Brighton Marina Artist and conservationist Rob Parkin is from The Biggest Twitch team, Allan Conlin - Elis Simpson coming to Thurstaston to paint live in the on wader identification and Wader Quest on centre. He will be chatting to the public Saturday and on Sunday one about At Hoylake Promenade the RSPB and Dee about his work. digiscoping by Scott Reid and another about Estuary Voluntary Wardens wil be observing wader food in the mud by David Clare of waders as they are pushed up the beach by Liverpool University. the tide. (Saturday at 11.00 am and Sunday Unconfirmed as yet is the ringing at 12.00 mid-day).