The HeronHeron August 2019 Part 2 THE MAGAZINE OF THE RSPB MACCLESFIELD LOCAL GROUP www.macclesfieldrspb.org.uk RǕǦǙǕǧ ǟǖ ǤǘǕ ǩǕǑǢ ǖǢǟǝ OǥǢ WǙǜǔǜǙǖǕ EǨǠǜǟǢǕǢǣ n a break with a tradition I’m going to Congratulations Oliver! start our review of the year at the end! Two very special visitors were kind enough to Wildlife Explorers celebrated the join us at the end of year party in order that I conclusion of another season of wildlife- children could present them with signed packed meetings with a special end of year ‘Thank you’ cards. In 2019 Wildlife Explorers party. As well as lots of party food, no end of year party would be complete without some awards. Prizes were given for the winners of our Chester Zoo competitions and then awards for attendance were presented to those members who had been to the most indoor and outdoor meetings. Each year a special award is given in memory of our group founder – The Lin Townsley Award for a Young Person’s Contribution to Nature Conservation 2019 was awarded to Oliver Hollingsworth. Oliver Photograph by David Tolliday have been incredibly lucky to be the recipients of two very generous gifts from community supporters. Earlier in the year we were greatly saddened when our dear friend and great supporter Chris Revett passed away. Her friend Joan Wilson arranged with Chris’s work colleagues to make a donation of binoculars to Wildlife Explorers in her memory. Graham Palmer, another longstanding friend and supporter of the group and our work with young people, also made an incredibly generous donation of binoculars to the team in memory of his wife Dorothy. We now have enough pairs of excellent quality binoculars to run sessions for a whole school class or uniformed group without children having to share. This will make an incredible difference to the experience we can offer to our members and others who attend the outreach sessions that we run in the community. Speaking of which, in 2018/19 we have continued a varied programme of outreach work visiting schools and uniform groups. This year our Big School Birdwatches were a little disrupted by snow but our hardy volunteers still ran events for over a thousand local school children. All Pictures from the Wildlife Explorers Library Our indoor programme has covered topics as diverse as bird identification, tidal wildlife and is a dedicated member of the group who, as rainforest ecosystems. Employing our usual well as attending many of our regular mix of hands-on activities, information, crafts meetings shows particular enthusiasm for our and environmental games we are continually practical conservation work sessions and encouraged and inspired by the appetite of our makes a huge contribution to the work we members to learn more about the natural achieve in habitat restoration at local sites. world. 2 Outdoor meetings have offered a mix of wildlife local families and has earned a repeat place watching, practical work and public events. An in the calendar. early morning walk at Lyme Park gave us all A weekend away at Rutland Water on the great views of the spectacle of the red deer rut. May Bank Holiday was a great success. Our Conservation Work Parties at RSPB Coombes hosts at the Rutland and Leicestershire Valley, Jodrell Bank Arboretum and Wildlife Trust were fantastic, running pond dipping and bug hunting sessions for us, but the highlight had to be the great views of nesting osprey. As well as reconstructing some bug hotels, a boat trip, a wildlife Taskmaster evening and an obstacle course we also packed in a bird race and the traditional fish and chip supper. Macclesfield Forest allowed our families to make positive contributions to the work done for wildlife at local sites. Regular annual events - the Tree Dressing, Big The final outing of the season was a trip to Garden Birdwatch, Dawn Chorus and Chester Zoo. As well as an 'Evolution barbecue breakfast - have been as popular as Expedition' around the zoo (accompanied by ever and will continue to feature in our future Charles Darwin and Captain Robert Fitzroy of planning. Our joint public event with HMS Beagle) there was a double celebration. Macclesfield Town Council - ‘Welly Walk/ On the same day Leader Kat Mayer Nature Needs You’ has also proved a hit with celebrated her 21st Birthday and one of our youngest members Matthew Jones turned 5 years old. As I write our volunteers are preparing for the annual Bluedot Festival of science and music at Jodrell Bank. Whilst the festival will celebrate the 50 year anniversary of the first moon landing the Wildlife Explorer team will be highlighting the challenges and changes (good and bad) experienced by British Wildlife over that same period of time. It will be a wonderful opportunity to talk to folk from across the UK about key wildlife conservation topics. At last year's event, more than 2000 3 visitors took part in activities on our stand. ‘Swift Street’ with boxes on a number of houses in Brookfield Lane in central Wildlife Explorers have a strong working Macclesfield. We look forward to working with relationship with Jodrell Bank and we were a range of local organisations as we make delighted to hear the recent news that this preparations for the next swift breeding iconic local institution has been recognised by season in 2020. UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. We return Thank you once again to Graham, Joan and to the Arboretum in September for a session of the colleagues of our much missed supporter practical conservation work. Chris. The team are looking forward to putting our new binoculars to great use giving Our Swifts Over Macclesfield project has children, young people and their families’ great expanded in its second year of operation. opportunities to get better connected to the Swifts over Macclesfield (SOM) is organised by natural world. Macclesfield RSPB Wildlife Explorers working in partnership with local conservation Wildlife Explorers would also like to thank all organisations including The RSPB Macclesfield of the Local Group Committee and members Local Group and Cheshire Wildlife Trust. The who continue to support our events and project aims to provide suitable nesting sites activities throughout the year – we are throughout the town for these iconic birds incredibly grateful. From helping out at Big which grace our town each year between May School Birdwatches to providing sightings, and August and hopefully over time to reverse donations and even nest box sites for the the trend in the steep decline in their numbers. Swifts Over Macclesfield Project we couldn’t Despite serious concerns over poor weather achieve any of this without you. conditions for migration in April and May, which We are looking forward to a busy new season seems to have resulted in delayed arrival of starting in September, combining lots of reduced numbers of swifts, we have made learning about natural history, wildlife- some advances this year. watching opportunities and hands-on A grant from Cheshire Wildlife Trust has meant conservation work. I hope you’ll follow our that many more nest boxes than we envisaged progress on the website have been erected this year. The project www.wildlifeexplorersmacc.co.uk, the received a great boost with the installation of Macclesfield RSPB Wildlife Explorers the first set of boxes, complete with lure (swift Facebook page or on Twitter @Maccwildlife. calls played from a small audio device) in the Tina Hanak bell tower at St. Michael’s. Our team of Wildlife Explorers Leader volunteers have even been able to establish a [email protected]. Country Rustics Quality Handcrafted Garden Furniture Swettenham, Congleton CW12 2JY 01260 224909 [email protected] Find us on Facebook , come and visit us to view our extensive range of products or browse our eBay shop country-rustics Massive selection of bird tables in styles and sizes to suit all gardens and budgets Fencing and Gates all can be made to customer requirements Seats and Benches The home of the Hedgehog Hub - over 2,500 sold and much, much more 4 SǕǕǛǙǞǗ TǕǕǞǑǗǕǢǣ Ǥǟ JǟǙǞ PǘǟǕǞǙǨ Do you know any local teenagers interested in wildlife and the environment? Macclesfield RSPB Phoenix could be the place for them. RSPB Phoenix meetings run in tandem with our Wildlife Explorer group meetings, exploring similar themes and topics but in more depth. We also run special Phoenix meetings ad hoc throughout the season to take advantage of local wildlife sites and events. For some young people we are also able to offer the chance to volunteer with our team of Leaders (which can count as volunteering towards the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme). Specialist knowledge is not required - just an interest in natural history and an enthusiasm for the natural world. Successful young volunteers also have the chance to formalise their volunteering and register as Junior Leaders with the RSPB. Please contact Tina Hanak on 07870804413 or [email protected] for more information on our RSPB Phoenix meetings and volunteering opportunities for teenagers. CǟǝǒǙǞǕǔ CǘǑǢǙǤǩ CǘǢǙǣǤǝǑǣ CǑǢǔ SǘǟǠǣ 2019 Dates for your Diary Wilmslow Opens Saturday 26 October Macclesfield Opens Saturday 2 November Both Shops Close on Saturday 7 December 5 MǑǓǓǜǕǣǖǙǕǜǔ AǢǕǑ BǙǢǔ RǕǠǟǢǤ 2018 - 2019 his report includes a selection of the Flash on the 9 th , with a wood sandpiper in that many sightings of birds and other area on the 11 th , when also five bar-tailed wildlife that you have sent in over the godwits flew over Knypersley Reservoir and a T year (see our website scaup was there. The 15 th found a garganey www.rspb.org.uk/groups/macclesfield ), plus on the River Bollin at Little Bollington where it relevant sightings from other sources.