Field Meeting - December 15th

Our Field Meeting this month was across Walland Marsh with the following birds recorded.

Mute Swan, Bewick’s Swan, Whooper Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose, Gadwall, Mallard, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Pheasant, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Moorhen, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Curlew, Dunlin, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Greater Black-backed Gull, Great Northern Diver, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Kingfisher, Kestrel, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Cetti’s Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Wren, Starling, Redwing, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Robin, Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, and Yellowhammer.

 In addition,  the escaped male Cape Shelduck, though seen cannot really be counted in our wild bird list.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year,

Field Meeting on 15th December

 We will be running a Field Meeting on Friday, 15th December, with location and starting time to be advised nearer the date.

Field Meeting to Rye Harbour - 22/11/23

 

There will be a field meeting at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve on Wednesday 22nd November meeting in Rye Harbour Car Park at 10.00 am.  Jenny and I will be leading the morning and we will be  finishing by 1 pm approx. The car park is free although donations are welcome and there are cafe and toilet facilities. Please let Heather know if you plan to attend on 01233 637067

What’s in a name?

 Our next Indoor Meeting will be “What’s in a Name?” An exploration of some of the names of British Wildlife and the stories behind them by Clive Nuttman. This will be held in St. Mary’s Community Hall, Kennington starting at 7.30

Outdoor Meeting to Oare

 Our next outdoor meeting will be to Reculver on Thursday 26th October.

There may well be a movement of shorebirds, winter thrushes, and a few geese, and depending on the tide there should be a variety of waders and  we may see Dark-bellied Brant, Black Brant and possibly a harrier or Short-eared Owl.

We will be meeting at the cinema car park (past Dobbie’s), at 8:45am and will car share as far as possible so please book and say if you would like a lift or could give a lift and, of course, share fuel and parking expenses. heather.silk@calluna50.plus.com

It’s almost an hour’s drive to the car park at Reculver Towers, and there will be a fee that can be paid with cash at the the ticket machine, or using the Ringo app. The postcode is CT6 6SU, and the W3W is approximately yawned.developed.socket.

Do wrap up, as it can blow a bit up there, depending on the weather. The walk, and return, will probably be about 3.5 miles, and it will be mostly on the flat, along the tarmacked/concreted coastal path.

October outdoor meeting

 Our next outdoor Meeting will be on Thursday October 26th. Details to come shortly.

11th October Indoor Meeting

 Our next Indoor Meeting is on the 11th October at the Community Hall in Kennington at 7.30pm

It will be a talk by the RSPB Regional Area Manager, Alan Johnston entitled 'Saving Nature in Kent and Sussex'. There are many pressures on our wildlife and I am sure there will be much of interest.

Lanzarote and Fuertaventura by Paul Hale.

 Our first meeting this Autumn is a talk by Paul Hale on Birds of Lanzarote and Fuertaventura. It will be held in St. Mary’s Community Center, Kennington, starting at 7.30. 

Indoor Talks for 2023-24

2023

We meet at St. Mary's Community Centre, Rylands Road, Kennington, Ashford. TN24 9LL at 7.30pm from September to November. The fee is £4.00. Talks from January will be via Zoom. 

September 13^th   Birds on Lanzarote and Fuertaventura, by Paul Hale.

A short AGM will be held this evening.
October 11^th  Saving Nature in Kent and Essex by Alan Johnson RSPB regional manager for the area.  

November 8^th What’s in a Name? by Clive Nuttman.

2024
Meetings will be on Zoom

January 10^th  The Wildlife of Kruger National Park and the Cape Peninsula by Rob Wharton
February 14^th  Costa Rica: Cloud Forests and Coasts by Andrew Lapworth

March 13^th The Birds of Paradise by Ray Hale
April 10^th Bird Senses and Migration by Briab Nobbs

We also plan to have outdoor field meetings . Details will be sent about 2 weeks prior to the walk, with a reminder 1 week beforehand.

For more information check out the Talks Programme 

Evening walk for Nightingales

 There will be an evening visit to Faggs Wood, Hamstreet on Thursday May 4th to listen to Nightingales, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and other species. Time to be decided.

April 12th: Flights of Fancy

Our April talk on the 12th will be Flights of Fancy by Brian Nobbs. It will be an examination of the structure of feathers and how they are used in flight, camouflage and display.

March Field Meeting to Stodmarsh - 23rd March

 This meeting will take place on Thursday March 23rd starting at 10.am. More information will be available nearer the time.

Next Indoor Talk - Romania and the Danube Delta

Our next indoor talk is by Rob Wharton. He shares his visit to Romania and the Danube delta with Birds, Flowers and other wildlife. The zoom meeting will open about 7.10 for a 7.30 start with a short 10 minute  break during the talk. Costs £3.00. For more details contact ABWCinfo@birdlover.com

Species list from our Rye Harbour visit.

 Here is the species list from a cold but very enjoyable morning at Rye Harbour  on Thursday.

Robin, Jackdaw, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Redshank, Stonechat, Wigeon, Little Egret, Lapwing, Teal, Coot, Tufted Duck, Spoonbill,

 Carrion Crow, Pied Wagtail, Starling, Skylark, Shelduck, Cormorant, Little Grebe, Oystercatcher, Gadwall, Curlew, Magpie, Brent Goose, Shoveler,

Great  Black  Backed Gull,  Pintail,Canada Goose, Golden Plover, Avocet, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Grey Heron, Sanderling, Blackbird.

38 in total.

Rye Harbour Field Trip.

There will be a field meeting at Rye Harbour on Thursday 26th January starting from the car park at 10.00 and finishing by 1 pm. Further details nearer the time.

Zoom Meeting. January 11th - Developments at Dungeness RSPB by Craig Eswards

 The Zoom meeting on Wednesday January 11th will be an up date  by Craig Edwards, Reserve Manager, about what is happening at RSPB Dungeness and the proposed new hide. For details please contact ABWCinfo@birdlover.com