Tuesday 12 January 2016

Meet The Birds Day! Saturday the 16th

 

As Bruce has mentioned on this Sat (16th) we are having a walk round looking for the Birds Of Cromwell Bottom & anything else we may spot, Otter, Mink, Deer, Voles, Mice, Newts etc.
Meet at 9:30 by the Cabin or car park.


If you are new to Birds - This is a prime opportunity to get help with I.D. of the species on the reserve. A lot of newcomers do pick up new species when they visit the feeding area, Jays for instance, a bird a lot of people just don't get in their gardens.


Don't be shy! this is aimed at people new to "Bird watching" to help them see a good selection of species & help them with Identification & any other questions they may have!
All experts welcome too!


What will you see:
When you arrive at the Cabins, you will get one set of birds around the feeders there - What we call the regulars. Nuthatch, Goldfinch, Great, Blue, Long Tailed & Coal Tits, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Robin. Carrion crows & Magpies will be lurking around & Jays may be in the area.
At the other Feeding Station. Again, Great, Blue, Long Tailed & Coal Tits, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Wren, Robin, almost a guarantee of Jays close up, after peanuts are put out! Bullfinches will come down at some point & Reed Bunting are a possibility. Siskin may arrive, Nuthatch may come down, & G.S. Woodpecker may be nearby.
Out & about: As we walk around we may come across the large siskin flock on site which may have a few Redpoll in with them, we should find G.S. Woodpeckers around with a possibility of spotting a Green Woodpecker or at least hearing one. Buzzard, Kestrel & Sparrow Hawk are around & if really lucky a Red Kite may cruise over. Tree Creepers could be seen, as well as a Kingfisher, Goosander, Cormorant, Teal, Mallard, Black Headed Gulls, Heron, Redwing, Fieldfare & on better years a Waxwing or two has been through the reserve.
These are just an idea of what can be seen on a walk round - So come along & see what is about on the day & what else may be visiting the site in that I haven't mentioned above.


RECOMMENDATIONS:
Good boots or a pair of Wellingtons for the muddy sections & a pair of Binoculars would come in handy! Warm waterproof clothing, gloves hats etc. Telescope if you got one!
If you fancy staying after (weather permitting) bring a packed lunch which you can have whilst you warm up with a nice cuppa after the walk. Then you can have another walk round by yourselves or sit at the feeding station & watch/snap the birds there. Maybe get some practice in ready for the Photography Day.


All welcome.

5 comments:

Margaret C - birdbox said...

Can this or a shorter version be posted on our Facebook page? It's a great invitation!

B.Nield said...

I don't know who does the Facebook for us? But yes, No reason why we can't advertise it there & any other social media site.
I don't just leave it to someone else, I get a tempter post up here.
Maybe we should look into all the Social media sites at next meeting, make sure we can access all sites that are Cromwell Bottom, or even set up Cromwell bottom on the ones we are not on yet!
I would like to see plenty of new nature lovers coming along to learn which birds are which, how to work out what they are, enjoy our friendly banter & pick up tips & experience on the wildlife at Cromwell. Especially the younger ones! So more Advertising would be great.

Anonymous said...

I have just got home from the brilliant Meet the Birds event - we spotted over 30 species. Despite the very cold weather we did a tour of the reserve finishing with a welcome Cuppa T in the cabin! I am delighted to have been there today and to have learnt so much from committed people. It has been a privilege and I look forward to the Photography day on 30 January. A huge thank you for everything.

Unknown said...

Splendid 3 hours of birding.

Rowaddy said...

Although I regularly go to the reserve, the experts showed me birds I would not have noticed previously. Hopefully I will now be more observant in the future! The highlight for me was seeing my first treecreeper, and then a second one! Thank you for today.