Whinchat Winter 2017 Winchester and District Local Group Newsletter Welcome to the Winter edition of Whinchat: In this issue: ● Group Leader Message / SE Regional round up ● Outdoor Field Trips ● Safaris ● Field trips overview / Your pictures ● Evening meetings ● Spain, Andalucia bird report ● Dates for your diary ImageImage -- RSPBRSPB resourcesresources -- Whinchatwhinchat GROUP LEADERS MESSAGE We have nine new members this year! Welcome to the group and I hope you enjoy our programme of Most of you will remember Maurice who was our talks and walks. Do let me know if you have any leader for twelve years until he persuaded me to ideas to add to the group’s activities. take over when he was 83. He continued to attend We had stalls at the Bishop’s Waltham Countryside meetings until recently. Sadly he died in July at the Fayre in July and the Littleton Show in September. age of 91. I miss his cheerful smile and the twinkle We will be at the Chandlers Ford Charity Christmas in his eyes. Market in November and the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market on 1 December. Thank you to all our volunteers, who make it possible for us to run the group. Finally I’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year and I look forward to our first meeting next year in February. (Don’t forget Big Garden Birdwatch on 27, 28 and 29 January!) Pam Symes SE REGIONAL ROUND-UP FOR LOCAL GROUPS Charles ‘Maurice’ Walker The winter edition of Nature's Home magazine 9 September 1925 to 12 July 2017 starts dropping through letterboxes this month ~1~ launching opt-in with our members. It is the start SAFARIS of one of the most important direct communication we will deliver to RSPB members Sunday 4 June 2017 and supporters. If they have not opted in by May, Martin Down and given their express permission for us to We had great views of turtle dove at Martin Down contact them, we will not be able to keep in touch with yellowhammer, corn bunting, linnet & cuckoo directly (except around their membership). being some of the highlights adding to the list of The new rules are designed to give people more nearly 30 species. control over their relationship with charities and Sue Fox business. This must be right and we want to do whatever we can to keep our supporters Wednesday 12 July 2017 connected to us so that together we can continue Titchfield Haven to do amazing things for nature – from hearing Leader Barbara Hillier. about local groups, taking part in our campaigns, There was only 5 of us on this walk around doing practical conservation work, raising money Titchfield Haven, we all had a great day with or even taking part in Big Garden Birdwatch. We highlights being green sandpiper, young avocet and have only until May 2018 to get our existing a number of swifts. Chris Hill members and supporters to make their opt-in choices, after which new regulations come into force. We have set up a webpage – rspb.org.uk/yes – to make it easy for people to tell us how they want to keep in touch on their terms. Alternatively anyone can call us on 0300 777 2610 (calls charged at standard rate, Mon-Fri, 9 am-8 pm). OUTDOOR FIELD TRIPS Wednesday 28 June 2017 Testwood lakes Totton. Leader Barbara Hillier. Image - Green sandpiper - Chris Gomersall - rspb-images.com It looked like it was going to be a very wet day but stopped in time. We had lapwing attacking a heron Sunday 6 August 2017 which we think was due to having young nearby. Pagham Harbour Chichester. The August safari to Pagham Harbour & Church Barbara Hillier Norton was a beautiful day & we had very good Thursday 7 September 2017 views of lesser whitethroat & a flock of 20 -30 Lakeside country park spotted redshank, some still in partial summer Leaders: Barbara Hillier, Sue Fox & Steve James. plumage, amongst about 50 other species. This was a walk to encourage new members who Sue Fox would like to know more about birdwatching. We had 11 people on this walk and the weather held Wednesday 13 September good. Highlights were sparrowhawk, great spotted Otmoor RSPB reserve woodpecker. Several greylag geese came in by the The trip to Otmoor was another good raptor day lakes as we walked round, and a lone roe deer with hobby, marsh harrier, sparrowhawk & red kite stopped to have a look at us before disappearing being highlights of the nearly 50 species seen. into the under growth. 30 species total for the morning. Sue Fox Steve James Wednesday 20 September 2017 Sunday 1 October Farlington Marshes Slimbridge Leader Derek Lister. We finally decided to brave the weather forecast & This was a great day, with highlights being yellow head for Slimbridge in October. What a good choice wagtail,bearded tit and with 14 species of wader with only a very light shower. Over 50 species including ,little stint, greenshank, knot and grey including crane & red-breasted goose, ruff, plover in summer plumage. Total of 53 species for wheatear & we were greeted on arrival by grey & the day. pied wagtail on the roof. A very good day. Barbara Hillier Sue fox ~2~ The tables below show an overview of the location and species seen on our outdoor trips and safari’s Outdoor field trips Date Location Leader Highlights No Species white throat, yellow 21/07/2017 Old Winchester Hill Barbara Hillier 25+ hammer sand martin,great 28/07/2017 Testwood Lakes Barbara Hillier 30+ crested grebe Lakeside Country 07/09/2017 Barbara Hillier Sparrowhawk 30 Park 20/09/02017 Farlington Marshes Derek Lister bearded tit, little stint 50+ Safaris Date Location Leader Highlights No Species turtle dove,corn 04/06/2017 Martin Down Sue Fox 30 bunting 12/07/2017 Titchfield Haven Barbara Hillier green sandpiper 30+ 06/08/2017 Pagham Harbour Sue Fox lesser white throat 50 13/09/2017 RSPB Otmoor Sue Fox hobby , red kite 50 01/10/2017 Slimbridge Sue Fox crane, ruff 50+ Barn owl at Titchfield canal and a heron seen at Testwood lakes. Photograph by Dianne Watkins Image - barn owl - Dianne Watkins Image - heron - Testwood Lakes - Dianne Watkins Young tawny owl at Kingsworthy Photograph by Dave Hill Image - young tawny owl- Dave Hill ~3~ Evening Meetings Brooks Falls is a waterfall located within Katmai National Park and Reserve in Alaska. The bears all Wednesday 5 July 2017 have their own feeding area here where they like to RSPB evening: stand and catch the salmon. Nature must be approached slowly to win their trust, Presented by - RSPB Members after all these are wild animals. After a short AGM we moved onto birdwatching at Deer can be spooked so easily if you move too various locations with Pam & Barbara from 2014 – quickly, the chance to photograph them can be 2017 starting with, Titchwell reserve Norfolk with gone in an instant. some blacktailed godwit and then going on a boat We were shown photographs of Snowy owls, red trip from Morston Quay out to Blakeny Point with squirrel, mountain hair in winter coat and crested tit great views of sandwich and little terns, common in Scotland, several birds of prey such as buzzard seals and red breasted mergansers. and kestrel. Minsmere Reserve in May 2015 with much gorse The evening was finish with some of the owls which and bracken seen across the reserve, Walberswick Pete works with when doing photo shoots. and Hanningfield Reservoir with views of muntjac We all had close up views of a little owl, tawny owl deer,greylag geese. and barn owl, great to see and so relaxed, you can Rye & Dungeness in October 2015 with great white understand why we like to photograph wildlife. egrets, cormorants and tufted duck. Steve James The next trip took us to the Isle of Wight in May 2016 somewhat closer to home with good views of oyster catchers, mediterranean gull and redshank. Wednesday 4 October 2017 Back to Norfolk in October 2016 calling in at Welney Barton Meadows Nature Reserve on the way where we had views of ruff and pochard. A presentation by Susan Simmonds from Onto Cley and Snettisham where we had excellent HIWWT views of marsh harrier and kestrel having a tussle in The new Barton Meadows nature reserve, which is flight. At Snettisham it is best to get there for high close to Winchester and the plans they have for this tide when all the wadding birds are pushed into the new nature reserve which is being created for the shore with hundreds of knots and oystercatchers displacement of wildlife due to the development at running back and forth away from the high tide Barton Farm. coming in. With some 2,000 dwellings being constructed May 2017 we visited Somerset levels calling at alongside this new reserve it will be a challenge for Greylake, Steart Marshes and Ham Wall with reed the wildlife trust. With some 33 hectares of buntings and glossy ibis and several hobby's. agriculture land that will be seeded with wild flowers The monarch butterfly migration .These butterflies to provide foraging and nesting material for birds like to migrate to Mexico because of the warmer such as skylark and grey partridge. Improve climate as they cannot withstand cold winters but commuting habitat for bats and setup shelter wood also like to return to the same oyamel fir trees piles for reptiles and will also hope to encourage where they can be seen in their hundreds. The pollinating species such as butterflies and bees.