newsletter NO 99 WINTER 2020 The RSPB is the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Newsletter Editor: Linda Tagg 3, Carpenter Way, Potters Bar, EN6 5PZ Tel: 01707 656715 email: [email protected] GROUP LEADER’S COMMENTS Ian Sharp Welcome to the winter newsletter. Last April when writing for the June newsletter, I In said “hopefully when you get to read this we will have got over the worst of the this coronavirus pandemic”. However, as I write now, over six months later, the pandemic continues to play havoc with our lives. This has been a very difficult time for everyone, Issue we have all missed enjoying the company of friends. Group Activities I am very sad to say that in June we lost Jacky Walker from our midst. Jacky has been a Local Bird Report………….……….6 stalwart of the Group; at meetings, trips and events, she and Gordon have been ever Potters Bar Radio Show………......8 present. She will be sorely missed and we give Gordon and her family our condolences. It was four years ago that I took over from her as Group Leader and she Contributions was a hard act to follow. Lesley has written about Jacky elsewhere in this Newsletter. A Local Nature Reserve in EN4…...2 London Natural History Society Many will remember Stan Bailey, former Group Leader who did much to support the Virtual Talks……………………...2 Group for many years, and was honoured with Kazakhstan Adventure………….3 the title of Life President. This role has been A Local Nature Walk….………....5 vacant ever since he passed away. I am pleased Chilean Fjords & Antarctica…….9 to say that the Committee decided to make Tribute to Jacky Walker…….….10 Gordon Daniels Life President in honour of all Land of the Midnight Sun……..11 the work he has done supporting many events, and for raising thousands of pounds for RSPB Notices over the years from the sale of pin badges. In the Recycling at St John’s Church…..8 absence of Group meetings, we presented From the Editor…………….…….10 Gordon with his Life President’s certificate at an Data Protection ………..…………12 ad hoc outdoor committee meeting one warm, sunny Keeping in Touch………….……..12 day in August. We are privileged to have Local Group Website…………….12 Gordon Receiving his Life President Certificate Gordon as our Life President. Newsletter Copy Date………...…12 100 Club & Application Form…..12 One novel event has been the recent broadcast on Potters Bar Radio of a programme about our Group. There is a short article about this elsewhere in the Newsletter. Advertisements Lesley Causton, Joy & John Rowley and Jenny Arnold attended the Northaw Orchard Minuteman Press….………….…...5 Apple day in October. It was not an official RSPB activity, but they took the opportunity to raise much needed funds for RSPB. Group Website: We miss our Wednesday and Friday monthly meetings both for the social aspects and www.rspb.org.uk/groups/ the wonderful talks arranged by Hilary and Joy. We have started to arrange talks via pottersbarandbarnet or just search for Zoom and I would urge you to give them a go. There is a £3 charge per attendee to Potters Bar and Barnet RSPB cover the costs for the speaker and the Zoom licence. All Zoom presentations are being The Royal Society advertised on our website and in the e-News. Clearly this is no substitute for the real for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a thing and it inevitably excludes those members who do not use computers. registered charity: There is no immediate prospect of our RSPB meetings and events starting up again. England and Wales no. 207076, We can only hope that we will be able to reconvene before too long and that our trip to Scotland no. SC037654 Anglesey, postponed from May this year to May 2021 will go ahead. Any advertisements enclosed with this newsletter are not specifically Finally I wish you all an enjoyable Christmas and hope that you will keep good endorsed by the RSPB or the Potters health and are able to share it with friends and family. Stay safe. Bar & Barnet Local Group A LOCAL NATURE RESERVE IN EN4 from Elaine Eyles As a member of East Barnet Residents’ Association (EBRA), I am is also automatically a 'Friend of Oak Hill Park'. Within the park is Oak Hill Wood Local Nature Reserve, managed by London Wildlife Trust (LWT) for Barnet Council. These green spaces are much loved and have been enjoyed by many especially during this year of Covid-19. Our Winter Newsletter 2019 described the rewilding project to restore the stream tributary that runs through the wood into Pymmes Brook, removing the underground culverts and creating wetland and wildlife habitats. These are now becoming really established and the area is well worth a visit. Dragonflies were seen as recently as 11 October! View from Oak Hill Wood As a ‘Friend’ (and LWT member), I have been liaising between EBRA and LWT about the across to Oak Hill Park wood and have recently written anunofficial guide to the reserve which you can find on the EBRA website at http://eastbar.net/wood. The guide contains information about the origin of the landscape and the history of the area, how to access the woods (including a simple map), and what you might see and find. For directions to access the park and the wood, useful maps can also be found via http://discover-london.gigl.org.uk/ (zoom into the area), or at https://www.goparks.london/park/oak-hill-woods/. The LWT website at https://www.wildlondon.org.uk/nature-reserves/oak-hill-wood also gives travel information. Within the nature reserve two walking routes are set out with numbered marker posts. The YELLOW route is a half mile of easy walking, while the longer GREEN route is approximately one mile. Note: Some marker posts are now missing and some are without coloured marker arrows! The stream in the wood can be crossed by one wide, wood-decked bridge with side rails, and by other crossing points made of railway sleepers (but no side rails), just wide enough for a child’s buggy. There are some steep slopes in places that can be muddy in or after wet weather. Stout shoes or welly boots really help. Also the wood and grassland slopes may have slippery places. Although there are some steps, several are now eroded in places. There are no seats in the reserve, but one can find a few places to rest—such as on a fallen tree. If you see any unusual wildlife (other than birds), LWT would like to hear from you. The reserve’s manager for LWT is Edwin Malins Email: [email protected] Bird sightings can be sent to Phil Brown as usual and he will compile a report for Edwin. It is also possible to see the park and wood if you prefer to stay dry, warm, and avoid muddy boots, via a virtual experience on line: Alan Last (the driving force behind the excellent "Barnet - A Trip Down Memory Lane" Facebook group), has been shielding and taking exercise at daybreak, rain or shine. He has been photographing his walks, and putting them on Facebook for all to enjoy. The absence of other people makes them particularly special. Rob White (EBRA secretary) asked him if he would create a video of his photos of Oak Hill Park and Wood. The YouTube video is nearly 20 minutes, so sit back and enjoy! No commentary, just captions and soothing music. You can find this from a link on the EBRA website, or from this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiscbscjyjY Members may also be interested in The London Natural History Society (LNHS) Virtual Talks LNHS is hosting fortnightly talks on Zoom which are free to all—members and non-members. Although booking is necessary for each talk, this is easily done via the links from the LNHS website http://www.lnhs.org.uk/ which take you to the Eventbrite booking service. You will then be sent instructions on how to join the talk. These talks cover a really wide range of subjects from birds to bats, worms to weeds, fungi to foxes and everything in between. Each presentation is 30–40minutes from a guest speaker, followed by a question and answer session. You can also watch previous talks in your own time on YouTube; again there are links to these on the society’s website. Elaine Eyles 2 ADVENTURE KAZAKHSTAN Edited from Fran & David Attrill’s original reports, published in the Newsletter in 2000 Twenty years ago in 2000, this daring expedition to Kazakhstan was undertaken by Driver Abdul with our bus some of the group, and it is certainly worth a second read! (Heineken!) Introduction from Fran Attrill It all began at a group meeting; listening to a talk given by Lithuanian ornithologist Algirdas Knystautas about the Celestial Mountains, set my thoughts racing. Afterwards, I offer to drive Algirdas back to Barnet and find myself discussing the feasibility of arranging a birding trip to that area of Kazakhstan. Would there be interest from the group? Certainly it would be a holiday with a difference, a challenge, especially as some mountain travel would need to be on horseback. Only later we discovered that there would be no saddles - just a blanket in their place! Interest was there, but a sense of caution overcomes the majority and we end up with a group of 12, including friends who have joined on earlier trips.