DURSLEY BIRDWATCHING AND PRESERVATION SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2017 BULLETIN FROM YOUR CHAIR AND COMMITTEE “Hello again fellow 'Dursleys'! I hope that you have all been enjoying the summer and have been able to get out and about and enjoy a bit of birding? The news from me and your committee mainly concerns events over the coming month. It is with much regret that your Committee has reluctantly decided that we will not have our usual marquee at Frampton Country Fair this year. This is due to a lack of volunteers either available, or willing, to help erect the marquee and spend time on the stand. We do hope that our members will still go along and enjoy this large and popular event, taking place on Sunday 10th September. Currently it is very much our intention that DBWPS will return to the Frampton Country Fair in 2018. Better news concerns the Severn Wader Festival (see details below). Having been involved personally in the early stages of the planning for this festival and instrumental in getting Wader Quest involved, I am extremely pleased that DBWPS will be present and very grateful to those members who have already offered their time to help on the Society's stand. This is definitely the kind of event, being focussed on birds and their conservation, that I would like to see the Society support. I want also to mention our new programme initiative, afternoon indoor meetings. The first of these was held at Slimbridge Village Hall in mid-August and attracted a reasonable turn- out for a new venture, especially as it was the one sunny afternoon that week! There was some confusion apparently over the entrance charge, as last month's Bulletin indicated in one place that the cover charge would be for non-members only and in another place that it was universal. Running these meetings does incur further costs for the Society and some charges will be necessary, but in actual fact the Committee had not discussed fully this aspect of these meetings. I will ensure that this is done before the next meeting and that the correct information will be shown in next month's Bulletin. Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society (Founded: 1953) Page 1 The idea behind these events, for me at least, is primarily to provide indoor meetings for those members who are unable to get to our evening meetings during the autumn and winter months. A secondary goal is to introduce the Society to potential new members (although we appreciate that mid-week afternoon meetings are unlikely to draw in younger members!). It is for that reason that we are holding the meetings in different village halls around our area. The next meeting will be in October, but a final decision has yet to be made on the venue and speaker. I do hope that you enjoy this new addition to our programme and support it - it will only be a success if you do! I would like to return very briefly to the subject of transport and charges. Some of you may be confused to see the term 'mini-coach' used frequently in the trip notifications. The change in name is down to the coach company, but let me reassure you that this is in fact the replacement for the mini-bus and so the charging for trips that use it will be the charges we agreed for mini-bus trips; it does not represent a sneaky way of charging more! The three types of transport we utilise are therefore: - car share - mini-coach (i.e. mini-bus) - coach I hope this clears up any confusion that may have been created. Finally, on the subject of indoor meetings, a quick reminder from me that our new indoor meeting programme begins on 11th September and we hope to see many of you there. Best wishes - and good birding!” Roberta Goodall DBWPS Chair FORTHCOMING EVENTS Severn Wader Festival at WWT Slimbridge - Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September 2017 This year, for the first time, Wader Quest will be joining forces with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust to bring you the ‘Severn Wader Festival’ at the WWT reserve in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire. You can join the WWT Slimbridge reserve team, alongside friends of DBWPS Rick and Elis Simpson from Wader Quest, for a fantastic weekend packed with events and activities to celebrate our wading birds. Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society (Founded: 1953) Page 2 There will be safaris, talks in the cinema, ‘Guides in Hides’ to help you identify the birds on show, wood carving demonstrations, opportunities to meet wader experts and lots more. DBWPS will be having a stand at the festival. Our thanks go to the members who have already volunteered to assist with this important event, but we would welcome more of you, so please do contact us if you are willing to come along and help, either via the Society’s e- mail address [email protected] or by calling Colin Crew on 01454 227128. Wall in Bulgaria: an illustrated talk (Indoor) – Presenter: Terry Wall MPAGB ARPS EFIAP/p – Monday 11th September 2017 Terry is an award-winning international wildlife photographer who travels widely in search of new photographic experiences and images. Following on from his previous visits to the Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society, Terry's presentation will transport you to Hungary and Bulgaria, which are both wonderful countries for both birding and photography. Bulgaria boasts unspoiled meadows full of many species of flowers, insects and birds and in addition to the beautiful Bee-eaters and Wryneck which will be featured, the presentation will also showcase some of the many exotic butterfly species readily found in this area. The Hortobagy National Park in Hungary in spring is a breeding ground for the fabulous Red-footed Falcon, European Roller, Bee-eater (Left, photo by Terry Wall) and Hoopoe and early morning starts were rewarded by unrivalled views of these species. Woodland pools brought many of these birds in to bathe and drink. This is our first talk of the new season and we are hoping we can encourage you to come along and be thrilled by the beautiful wildlife of these Eastern European countries. We do manage to get some of the best wildlife artists in the country to come along and entertain you and meetings are of course free to attend for DBWPS members. Please come along and support this event and as a special offer, bring a friend in the hope that they will be tempted to come and join us. This is definitely a talk for the ‘armchair traveller’, so sit back and enjoy the ride! East Devon – Leader: Mike Robinson - Sunday 17th September 2017 We will be leaving Dursley Bus Station at 0800 and the mini-coach will firstly travel to Aylsbeare Common, where we will have a short stop and walk in the hope of finding Dartford Warbler and other heathland birds. We will then continue our journey to Seaton in East Devon, where we will spend most of the day visiting the River Axe Reserve, with its visitor centre and splendid hides, looking for waders and birds of prey. Dursley Birdwatching and Preservation Society (Founded: 1953) Page 3 If time permits and members wish, we can take a tram ride through the reserve (this proved popular on our last visit). Before leaving for home, we hope to do a short sea watch from the promenade at Seaton. We already have 13 members booked and the closing date will be 11th September 2017, so please call Mike Robinson on 01453 842566 if you would like to come along. When booking, please also state if you would be interested in the tram ride, as it may be possible to negotiate a reduction in price if we book this in advance. The cost for the mini-coach will be £20 per head. Newport Wetlands NNR – Leader: Howard Lloyd - Saturday 23rd September 2017 This year we are putting on a luxury mini-coach for this annual trip, leaving Dursley Bus Station at 0800 to arrive on site for 0930. The cost will be £21 per head, to include the Severn Bridge Toll. We are limited to a maximum of 16 on the mini-coach, although other members are welcome to travel by car and join us on site. Directions: Meet at the Uskmouth Reserve at 0930 (Grid ref: 834.335). Following a brief visit to the RSPB-managed Visitor’ Centre, we will walk around the extensive reed bed area. Part of the circular walk overlooks the Severn Estuary and the mouth of the smaller River Usk is seen looking towards the city. Cetti’s Warblers are often heard, Reed Buntings often seen and Bearded Tits occasionally spotted. There is a convenient picnic area on site so please bring a packed lunch, after which we will drive the short distance (2.5 miles) to Goldcliff, parking on the grass verge on the Common, shortly after passing the Pub in Goldcliff village. We will then walk to the Goldcliff Reserve, as directed by the wooden public footpath sign on the roadside. There are hides here overlooking the saline lagoons and we intend visiting all three of them. The River Severn cannot be seen from the hides but is visible by climbing a short, steep bank near the third hide. The area is good for wildfowl and Goldcliff is particularly good for Waders. Walking is easy at both sites, although the grass paths at Goldcliff will be slippery if wet and extra care must be taken here when climbing steps to the hides, as they may be muddy.