BBAASSIINNGGSSTTOOKKEE LLOOCCAALL GGRROOUUPP JANUARY 2013 NEWSLETTER http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/basingstoke Contents: From The Group Leader “Cheers” To A Beer Garden Birdwatch Notices Can Birds Make Us Happy? What’s Happening? From The Falklands January’s Outdoor Meeting February’s Outdoor Meeting December’s Outdoor Meeting Local Wildlife News Quiz Page A million voices for nature Charity registered in England and Wales no. 207076 From The Group Leader Welcome to 2013 and a very Happy New Year to you all! Firstly, apologies for once again not being present – leave ‘given’ to me by work having to be taken and therefore taking me away from the Group once again I’m sure I’ll not be missed and can only pass on my best wishes to you all, once again, for this and the forthcoming Outdoor Meeting, and the New Year. Many start so many things as the New Year progresses – Year Lists and Resolutions to name but two. How about you, have you made any plans / resolutions for 2013 that will take you deeper in to the conservation or management of wildlife, or just take you deeper in to the interest that grips us all – birds? If yes, why not let us know about how things progress. I’m aware of one ‘local’ that due to being made redundant is now spending time ‘working’ in his ‘spare time’ at such sites as Titchfield Haven and Pagham Harbour. This has brought about a deeper appreciation as to what has to be done behind the scenes to ensure that such sites, and the wildlife they’re there to encourage in and protect, continue to work as smoothly as possible – I hope that in the near future we hear more of this, and perhaps of your dabblings in such things. Even though we’re only just tip-toeing in to the New Year we already need to make robust plans for the future, this including such things as the Evening Walks Programme, through May and June, the 2013 – 2014 Indoor and Outdoor Meetings Programme, and so on. As always we, the Committee, look forward to hearing from you on these matters, especially as these are formatted for your enjoyment and to try and make the most of that whish we’re lucky enough to live not too distant from. As always, again, the greater the input from yourselves, the more likely that the Programmes continue to reflect what you wish to happen, where you wish to go and what you wish to see, or at least try and see! Finally, please don’t forget that it’s the Big Garden Birdwatch over the weekend of th th 26 / 27 . Please do get involved with this, both on a national scale and, if you can, on a more local scale by submitting your records to the Local Group for inclusion in the annual summary of what was seen and what happened locally. Once again, Happy New Year and I’ll see you all soon. Peter E. Hutchins “Cheers” to a Beer Garden Birdwatch This year the RSPB in the south east are adding a new twist to their annual Big Garden Birdwatch, which takes place over the weekend of 26 and 27 January, by encouraging pubs with beer gardens to get involved too. The conservation charity are still asking people to take part in their own gardens, but for those without a green space of their own, or those who want to do a second survey – a beer garden would be a fun and sociable alternative. Nichola Willett, Senior Community Fundraiser for the RSPB in the south east, said: “We thought pubs would be a great place for people to sit and complete their survey. “By the end of January, we’re often feeling a little fed up and a trip to the pub with friends may be hovering on the agenda. So the opportunity to settle down by a window, or in a conservatory, with a glass of something chilled to watch and count the birds, could be just the excuse we need.” The RSPB are looking for volunteers to help organise a ‘Big Pub Garden Birdwatch’ event in their local pub, or similar venue. As well as approaching the landlord of the pub, it may be necessary to put up a few feeders and ensure they are topped up regularly over the coming weeks, to attract as many birds as possible. There are also posters available to help you promote your event. For venues who would like to make an evening of the event, volunteers can also request a ‘Quiz in a Box’ fundraising pack. This family friendly activity would be the perfect way to round off the weekend, or could be used on an alternative evening. Miss Willett added: “We'd send you all the resources you'll need - survey forms, posters etc, and of course give you ongoing support and advice all the way! “And if your local pub doesn’t have a view out on to a garden, park, village green, field or even a tree in a paved area, they can still get involved through our ‘Quiz in a Box’ complete with everything needed to hold a family fundraising quiz.” If you know a local pub that you could approach, or are a landlord and would like to get involved, please contact Nichola Willett on 01273 763614 or [email protected] Further details on the Big Garden Birdwatch can be found at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch Now in its 34th year, the survey provides the RSPB with an important snapshot of garden bird populations in winter and has helped to highlight some dramatic declines in UK garden birds. To take part in the survey, people are asked to spend just one hour at any time over Big Garden Birdwatch weekend noting the highest number of each bird species seen in their chosen garden or Local Park at any one time. They then have three weeks to submit their results to the RSPB, either online at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch or in the post. Notices Newsletter Mailings Thank you to those that continue to forward their mailing addresses – more tree use prevented and more time to do other things now, and if you believe the latter you’ll believe anything!!! Keep them coming, as they say, “The more the merrier!” Wouldn’t it be good to make the Group paper-less / free? We’re getting there with now no more than 20 or so needing to be printed off on a monthly basis, this a figure that will hopefully continue to shrink, having been up to 50+ at one time! Bird Food We are happy to supply any bird food to you at any time, just call on 01256 – 770831, 07895 – 388378 or mail us on [email protected] and we will arrange delivery to you. If you have any requirements that are not listed, please do let us know and we will ensure that they are available when you, or your birds, need them. Bird Food Pricelist: The below are examples of just a few of the items that we can supply. Please do enquire after anything else and we will provide you with a cost, time of delivery etc. As both of us are currently working in / about Basingstoke delivery can be expected to be completed within a day of an order being received – can you get that service anywhere else? Prices vary according to the seasonality of the foods, where we are able to source them from, and so on, but a few for reference are: Wild bird Mix 40p/lb. or 88p/kg Sunflower Hearts £1.10/lb or £2.42/kg Peanuts £1/lb. or £2.20/kg Niger £1/lb or £2.20/kg Black Sunflowers £1/lb or £2.20/kg Fat Squares £1 each Fat Pecker Balls 25p each Also available are a range of birdboxes and feeders. A variety of items will be available at most Indoor Meetings but if there is something ‘missing’ that you want, please do let us know. Peter & Alison Can Birds Make Us Happy? Dec. 17, 2012 — As millions of us post our Christmas cards -- many of which star a robin red breast -- ecologists are investigating whether birds make us happy. Speaking at this week's British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, researchers will reveal how they are investigating the links between birds and our well-being, and explain how their results -- due out next year -- could have a major impact on UK bird conservation. There has been an increasing amount of research on the health benefits of green spaces such as parks and nature reserves, but we know far less about how the wildlife within these habitats contributes towards well-being benefits. Take wild birds for example says PhD student Natalie Clark from the University of Reading, who is leading the study: "Most of us say we enjoy seeing wild birds in our local environments every day, be that the friendly robin visiting our garden each Christmas or ducks swimming in the local pond. But we have little idea of how much we value their presence and how they're contributing to our overall well-being." Given the declining numbers of many bird species the study -- which also involves the University of East Anglia, the RSPB and the University of Chicago -- is timely. "Any well-being benefit we may be receiving could soon be in jeopardy as numbers of many wild bird species have declined across the UK since the 1970s," says Clark.