“The RSPB is the Country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home.” Cambridge Local Group Newsletter Issue No: 111 September 2015 Page Contents 2 Editor’s notes Brenda Smith 2 Who’s New Group Leader Andy Law 3 Thank you Melvyn Smith Field Trip Reports 3 Devon Weekend Brenda & Melvyn Smith 8 Wicken Fen Evening Walk Brenda Field 9 Dunwich Heath & Minsmere Ed King 10 Lackford Lakes & King’s Forest Rachel Lowry 12 RSPB Lakenheath Evening Walk Brenda & Melvyn Smith 12 Swanton Novers & Cley Marshes Jill Aldred 14 Rutland Water Brenda & Melvyn Smith 16 Fen Drayton Lakes Walk and BBQ Brenda & Melvyn Smith 16 Hen Harrier Day Brenda, Melvyn News from Local Reserves 17 RSPB Lakenheath Fen Katherine Puttick 18 RSPB Ouse Fen Hannah Bernie 19 RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes The Fen Drayton Team 20 RSPB Fowlmere Doug Radford Events 21 Field Trips Andrew Camps 22 Indoor Meetings 22 Cambridgeshire Bird Club Meetings Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 Editor’s Notes Here we are in September, and I hope you all had a good summer with some brilliant birding. The group have been on some very good field trips, one of which was a weekend in Devon to catch up on birds we do not see in Kestrel by - Brenda Smith this part of the country. I hope you enjoy reading all about the trips in this newsletter. We were very lucky to have had a kestrel in our garden that had caught a young blackbird. It stayed whilst it devoured most of the bird and it could fly off with it. The house sparrows in our area have done well and we regularly have a flock of over twenty visiting the garden. We were also lucky to be visited by a pair of turtle doves that only stayed a short while, but another of our member of our group had a turtle dove which stayed a week or so. Thank you to all who have contributed to this newsletter. If you have any articles and photos for the next newsletter the deadline date is December 15 2015. WHO’S THE NEW GROUP LEADER? Hi my name’s Andy Law and I’m the new Group Leader and I thought you would like to know a little about me. I spent my early years in Loughton and spent most of my spare time exploring Epping Forest (no telly or computer games to keep us inside in those days), first with my parents and later with my young friends. The forest was reached via a short walk from our house and I was lucky enough to be able to walk home from school during the summer. I was always interested in wildlife and spent hours catching butterflies, moths and other insects and pond dipping in the forest ponds was a common pastime. At that time I did not have a particular interest in birds but did get an introduction to garden birds and finches from my grandfather who had several nest boxes in his garden and kept a close ringed cock goldfinch as a pet. At age 11 we moved to Lower Sheering near Sawbridgeworth and here I found some other young people that had an interest in bird watching. This and the publishing of Collins Field Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe, which meant we actually had a chance of identifying the birds we saw. My grandfather also gave me his binoculars, a massive pair of German military 7 x 50’s, all this really got me into the hobby and I became a member of the YOC the forerunner of today’s Wildlife Explorers. Over the intervening years I have continued my interest in all types of wildlife and since my children have grown up find I have a little more time on my hands I have started doing some volunteering for the RSPB, this has taken the form of helping with habitat management at Fowlmere reserve and some work looking for stone curlews. I have only been a regular member of the Cambridge Local Group for a couple of years but when I heard that Melvyn was standing down from the position I tentatively put my name forward for the position, fully expecting that I would be one of many, but as it happened there were no other candidates and at the AGM I found myself voted into the position. So what do I hope to achieve during my time in this position? Well first I hope to play my part in helping the rest of the committee run the group as successfully as Melvyn has over the last seven years. Beyond that my initial aims are to try and increase the membership The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 2 Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 especially trying to attract some younger members and to find some new ways of raising money for the RSPB. So to finish, I hope you will all feel that you can come and talk to me and perhaps put Presentation Brenda Smith forward some ideas for what you would like the group to do or give me some ideas of how I may achieve my aims, I would love to talk with you. And now an apology, I’m afraid I will not be present at the September meeting as I will be in Canada visiting Niagara Falls and doing some whale watching in The Gulf of St Lawrence, but I look forward to seeing you all at the October meeting. Thank You! Once again, please accept my sincere thanks for the gift, following my retirement as Group Leader, of the picture of “Whooper Swans & Pochard”. This now adorns our bedroom wall although it might take pride of place on our lounge wall, when the room has been decorated! You may recall that I was also Presentation to Melvyn by Andy presented with an envelope – Brenda Smith which, mostly because I was taken aback by the picture but, also because I subconsciously thought that the envelope contained “just” a signed card, I did not open. I was shocked, when I opened the envelope at home, to find gardening vouchers for a significant value! I subsequently ‘spent’ the vouchers on several ornamental outdoor plant containers to which, compost and plants were added and these are now displayed at our front door and on our garden patio. Yet again, thank you so much for your generosity – I will forever value these gifts and they will always remind me of the many experiences I enjoyed as Group Leader. Melvyn Trip Reports Devon Weekend 7-10 May Thursday Fourteen group members met at RSPB Exminster and Powderham marshes for the start of what was to be a memorable weekend for all. The marshes are a vital feeding and resting area for large numbers of birds both on migration and in the winter. It is one of the last places in the South East of England where lapwing and redshank breed. The RSPB keeps the marshes the way that the birds like it by cutting the grass for hay and controlling the water levels as well having grazing cattle to keep the grass just the right length. The land was originally part of the estuary until the Exeter Ship Canal was built in the 19th Century. The remains of the RAF’s World War Two signal interception base can still been seen. After the long journey, energy levels were revived with some lunch before setting off on the trail leading out to the marshes. Two migrating birds were spotted; a wheatear and a hobby; the latter bird being the first of the year for several of the group. We arrived at a “discovery The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no SC037654 3 Cambridge Local Group Newsletter No 110 May 2015 mentioned area” where visitors are encouraged to lift up the corrugated sheets scattered in the grass; our reward - a common shrew which quickly disappeared down a hole, before appearing again and then deciding that it did not like the look of us! Although the sun was shining there was a cool wind but in the sheltered areas orange tipped, green veined white and small copper butterflies flitted amongst the vegetation. Out on the marshes, lapwing, geese, shelduck and grey heron were some of the first birds on our lists. With time at a premium, we moved on to Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve, an area of sand dunes and beach that lies at the mouth of the River Exe. The reserve has different habitats including salt marsh, fresh water ponds, wet marshes and woodland and is an important area for wildlife which is protected by National and International law. It has a warm sunny climate with low rainfall, so allows rare plants to grow. On arrival at a visitor information hut, one of the volunteers mentioned that a spotted flycatcher had been seen at a nearby pond. The spotted flycatcher is now becoming scarce, particularly in our (Cambridgeshire) area so this was a good opportunity to find this lovely little passerine. Despite several pairs of eyes and a slow wander around the pond, several common woodland birds were spotted but, unfortunately, no flycatchers. Continuing our walk, now over sand dunes, linnet, wheatear and stonechat were seen. The path took us up on to a sea wall where we could see Exmouth across the estuary.