BBAASSIINNGGSSTTOOKKEE LLOOCCAALL GGRROOUUPP JANUARY 2014 NEWSLETTER http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/basingstoke Contents: From The Group Leader Big Garden Birdwatch 2014 Notices Favourite Books February’s Indoor Meeting Modern Day Plant Hunters In The Falklands Sponsored Birdwatch 2014 What’s Happening? Namibia – Chapter 1 January’s Outdoor Meeting February’s Outdoor Meeting Local Wildlife News Quiz Page And Finally! Charity registered in England and Wales no. 207076 From The Group Leader Welcome to 2014!!! I hope that you’ve all had a peaceful, happy and fulfilling Christmas and that this year has so far gone as you would wish, and that it continues in a similar fashion for the next 11 wildlife-filled months. The weather, yes we’re British so we’d better talk of it, has been so inclement lately that I’m sure many of you will have hardly ventured outside in search of birds, or any other wildlife for that matter. This is hardly the finest way to start your wildlife watching year and so I, and I’m sure you, can only hope that this changes soon, especially with such things as The Big Garden Birdwatch looming ever closer! I don’t know about you but the time I’ve spent watching the garden so far this year has generally not been brightened by much avian activity. However, seven Blackbird in the back garden recently was totally unexpected, so get those apples out there in the next few days to ensure a little more activity from these at least as you settle down for your hour of watching. Not in unfortunately, but over, I’ve also recorded Red Kite, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Redwing, Fieldfare, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan and Little Egret in the last few days – so there are birds out there on the move, perhaps some just waiting for that extra incentive to visit your garden? The relative mildness of the weather has also brought other local wildlife out that’s perhaps not so expected, Peacock butterfly being on the wing nearly a week ago and 15 Grey Squirrel being seen even more recently! As before, let’s hope that this trend continues and that both us and the wildlife can make the most of more clement weather to come. See you out there soon! Peter E. Hutchins Big Garden Birdwatch 25-26 January 2014 Just another, but the last, reminder that the Big Garden Birdwatch is coming soon! Please do take part, forward your results to the Society and, if you get the opportunity, forward these to me for inclusion in a future Newsletter. I’ve now got results from several years and it will be interesting to see how things have, presumably, once again changed in many gardens since 2013, or even earlier. Favourite Books This is the third in a series of articles about my favourite books on birds, birdwatching and wildlife in general. The articles are not intended to be critical write-ups but merely an introduction to “my kind of book”. The books included are in no particular order, but they all have a place on my bookshelf. American Birding Sketchbook by Michael Warren I’ve long been an admirer of Mike Warren’s paintings – at the Bird Fair each year I spend time on his stand in the art tent looking at his work. The trouble is that he only sells originals (priced in the thousands of pounds) and not cheaper limited edition prints that I could afford. However, he has published several books of his work over the years and so I have been able to collect his sketches and paintings in a manner more suited to my pocket. It is especially interesting to see how his technique has altered over the course of the last 30 years. This latest book ticks two boxes: it combines my admiration of Mike’s work with my love of birding in the US. He has put together a collection of sketches made during visits to all 50 American States, illustrating the varied habitats and landscapes and richness of the birdlife to be found there. The large format allows full appreciation of the brilliant artwork and also gives room for a few lines of explanation from the artist about the birds and places shown. A Bird in the Bush – A Social History of Birdwatching by Stephen Moss We watch birds for a variety of reasons, not least for sheer pleasure. But how have people done so through the ages? This book is a fascinating, surprising and often amusing read, tracing the history and development of our hobby on both sides of the Atlantic. It takes in pretty much everything, from prehistoric cave paintings to Shakespeare, from Gilbert White to modern day twitching, and from the early days of bird photography to today’s outstanding wildlife television documentaries. The origins of the modern bird protection movement are discussed, as well as the contributions made by optics manufacturers and the increasingly detailed field guides and reference books now available. If you are interested in the “back story” of birdwatching then this book is a must. Guide to Garden Wildlife by Richard Lewington If you want a reasonably-priced field guide to the wildlife to be found in your garden, then this is the book to get. It does what it says on the tin! It covers everything from mammals and birds through amphibians, beetles and butterflies to slugs, snails and earthworms. More than 500 species are covered in detail and illustrated with over 900 detailed artworks by author Richard Lewington, one of Europe’s leading natural history illustrators (although he has left the job of doing the bird illustrations to his brother Ian Lewington who he concedes is a much better bird artist!). As it covers all of the commoner garden inhabitants, I find it invaluable when I see something new in our garden, whether it be spider, bug or moth. Geoff Sharp If you’ve a favourite book you’d like to bring to the attention of others, please do let us know of it, and why it’s special to you. February’s Indoor Meeting Modern Day Plant Hunters In The Falklands Although the main theme of this talk will be our search for rare plants in the Falklands during the summers of 2012/13, do not fear there will be plenty of birds too! We will take you to places in the Falklands that very few have ever visited, even the locals, and tell the stories of our adventures too. Rockhopper Penguin Bleaker Island Christmas Day 2012 © M Carr Finally we will take you to the equatorial warmth of Ascension Island and look for birds there. Sooty Terns Ascension Island © M Carr We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 19th February. Margaret & Tim Carr Notices Laptop Available The Local Group has now been provided with a laptop, this to be used for the collation of future Newsletters and Programmes, for writing, electronically or otherwise, to members within the Group’s catchment area and so on. if you’d like to borrow this to be able to put together something for a Newsletter, prepare a presentation for the Local Group or others that you are visiting etc. please do get in touch – we want to ensure that we get as much use from this as is possible and that it doesn’t just sit gathering dust through your fingers being inactive. Local Group Website The Local Group website has currently undergone a bit of a spring-clean, so if you haven't been to the site for a while, why not have a look and tell us what you think. Any thoughts on what we should include within the site will always be appreciated, - helping to make the site more relevant to current group members, and helping to get across the right message to potential members. Link: http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/basingstoke/ The continuing and ever-increasing work on the website has seen your Local Group website become the 2nd most visited in Britain recently; an exceptional rise in the use of this and something to be justifiably pleased with – there are people out there interested in the Local Group and what it’s doing! Newsletter Mailings Do we have your email address? If not, please do pass it on so that the Group can communicate with you in a more environmentally manner! The monthly Newsletter being an example of this, saving resources, money and time by being mailed to you, rather than hard copies being created and perhaps only sitting partially read until the next one appears. 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.