Treecreeper in feeding area

Welcome visitor to the feeding area this morning

THE LAST SATURDAY WORK PARTY OF THE YEAR

Saturday the 9th is our last work party of the year and we could do with some help. We are planting trees on North Loop and many hands make it easier.
We are also running a strimmer course.

Meet at the cabin at 9.30 start with a brew and a chat.
If you intend staying all day bring along some lunch.

AVIVA - no luck this time!

Sadly we didn't get into the final group of lucky projects to get a grant this year, but there's always next time!

Many, many thanks to everyone who took the trouble to cast votes for our project "Bums on Seats at the Bottom!" - and it was trouble!!
AVIVA have sent a very apologetic email out to all the entrants about the difficulties with their website and in recognition of all the hassle they have given us £100, which should go some way towards realising our plans.
So, onwards and upwards as they say.....

Thank you SUMA!

We had a good surprise when David found several sacks at the gate last week - our friends at SUMA Wholefoods had left us a very generous donation of sunflower seeds for our winter bird feeding supplies.

We - and the birds - are really grateful, so thank you very much!

A sunny, chilly work day

Well the sun was shining, but it didn't ever really shift the frost. Despite that we all got stuck in - working to keep warm I suspect!

Welcome to new volunteer Martin who soon got busy with filling the bird feeders at the cabins and at the viewing area. Some work also got done down there to tidy up the logs and feeders.

We did a big clean up around the cabin, inside and out, which all makes it a welcoming place for Sunday visitors and weekday volunteers alike.

David and his team were occupied with their usual assortment of drills, hammers, wheelbarrows etc on "major works" to improve our storage and organisation.

A litter picking walk was also a good chance to see five Hooper swans fly over the reserve and to spot the giveaway signs of a sparrowhawk kill on the wildflower meadow.

Finally, the wildlife is now moving in.... 

More volunteers are always welcome - when are you coming down?

Cheeky Visitor to the Feeding area

Bums on Seats

Please don't forget to vote for us here:-

https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-3761

So that we can have some seating around the Reserve for our visitors to rest.

We need a few more votes. Members and friends, please sign on and help us reach our target. Sign on below.
https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-3761

November 1st. We have 700+ votes.  We need lots more so please get voting for us.

Tree Walk this Sunday, October 29th

       Hi all. There will be a tree walk this Sunday the 29th of October at Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve. Free parking.

This will be led by Bel Hale. Walk start 1:30 pm until 3.30 pm. There will be refreshments in the Cabin. 

Remember to look out for our new Sand Martin wall! Pictures below.

All welcome.

Sand Martin Wall

 Sand Martin Wall installed today. Big thanks to Ted Ford for his generous grant, to John and Ben and for the installation and for all who helped at our workday

What a great start!

Hi Everyone

We're off to a flying start - by teatime today we had 136 votes. The first 200 projects to reach 1000 votes are guaranteed to get their £1000, so the faster we get the votes in the better! Get your friends and families on board and help us out!

Here's the link again:

https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-3761

Thank you so much!

Bums on Seats at the Bottom!

Many visitors to the reserve comment that they would love a few more places to sit down for a while. Well, here's your chance to help make it happen.....
We're applying for a grant from AVIVA Community Fund and we need you to vote for us. We need at least  1000 votes.

Please follow the link and cast your votes for "Bums on Seats at the Bottom", and get everyone you know to do it too.

https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-3761

 

You can also help by putting a link to the voting on your Facebook page, emailing all your friends or doing a Tweet about us.

We were very grateful for all your votes 2 years ago when we got our pond dipping equipment with an AVIVA grant. Can we do it again?

Voting starts tomorrow and is open until 21st November, so please get cracking - you can have a sit down when we get the benches!

Thank you very much!

              ALL HANDS ON DECK THIS SATURDAY

IT IS 12 MONTHS SINCE WE CUT THE REEDS IN THE LAGOON 

AND YES YOU HAVE GUESSED WE ARE IN THE LAGOON AGAIN

CUTTING AND BURNING THEN BACK TO THE CABIN FOR LUNCH 

WELLIES AND BOOTS NEEDED  

                                MEET 9.30 AT THE CABIN

Thursday Work Day

If you're reading this but you've never been to a work day you might be wondering what gets done?

Well, here's  a quick round up of this morning's efforts:






1. The big blue cabin is getting a make-over - we are lining it out so it's a warmer place to be in, especially in winter when inside jobs are preferable!

At the moment it's mainly a woodworking session in here. Later we're aiming to get some lighting in and a few more fittings so we can build birdboxes etc in comfort. Do you fancy joining in?

How many volunteers does it take........

2. Some routine clean-ups of the bird feeding areas at the cabin and in the reserve also got done. We washed some of the feeders and did a round of refills. Down at the viewing area in the reserve we re-sited a couple of hanging feeders so that they are closer to the wheelchair access viewing area. We hope you and the birds will find them! We also brought the empties back - they'll go out next time. This was an enjoyable task on a fine morning like today, and the feeders dried quickly in a stiff breeze!

3. The weekly cabin cleaning session also happens every Thursday. Armed with a mop & bucket, dishcloths and elbow grease a really good clean of the kitchen and serving counter got done and a general tidy up all made the cabin look welcoming for the weekend.

4. Last, but definitely not least - several tea breaks allow for a friendly chat. We usually put the world to rights, plan a few more jobs to add to the never ending list and dream our dreams of what the reserve might be like in the future.
It's a very enjoyable way to spend a morning - so if you fancy joining in just come along to the cabins from around 9.30am on a Thursday. There's always something to do!

Meanwhile, across the tarmac in the compound .......

.......  there's a grand clean up going on following the completion of the bridge works and the area will be landscaped and planted to look much more inviting.
Exciting times ahead for us - come and be part of it.

WORK DAY _ THIS SATURDAY

Make the most of the fine weather forecast! Come down to the reserve at 9.30am for a practical day with Robin Dalton from Calderdale's Countryside and Woodlands Service and some of the Wildlife Group members.
We'll be doing a variety of Autumn jobs. No skills needed, just your time and and effort.
Refreshments at the cabins, bring a sandwich if you want to stay beyond lunchtime.
Everyone welcome!

Autumn at the feeders...

Richard Tadman sent these photos, taken on a recent visit.

A beautiful female Bullfinch

Female Chaffinch

The inevitable Jay

And a perky squirrel

And finally........ a juggling Great Tit!!

Many thanks for sharing them Richard.

Autumn Newsletter

The Autumn Newsletter has been emailed to all members today.
If yours hasn't arrived please check your junk mail and add newsfromcromwellbottom@gmail.com to your safe list.... and check that your membership is up to date!

Car Park Fully Open

Dear members and visitors.

Our car park is now fully open now since the devastating floods and work to rebuild the bridge. Access is via the old footbridge or new road bridge. There is full access to the reserve as always and the Refreshment Cabin and toilets are open Sundays. 
Please only park in the car park or adjacent road.

Macmillan Cancer Support

  

All donations received at the Cabin on Sunday 24th September will be sent to Macmillan Cancer Support for their 2017 Big Coffee Morning appeal. Please call in and have a cuppa and cake and help this important cause.

We raised £250 on Sunday for Macmillan Cancer Support, thanks to the kind generosity of visitors.

Bird Survey Saturday 16th

A reminder that there is a bird survey tomorrow at Cromwell Bottom, September the 16th. 

Please meet in the car park at 10am for a two hour walk in various locations on site. This will be led by Mike Henshaw.

Open Day 2017 - The Pictures

Our talented publishing team have done us proud! "Open Day - the Pictures" is hot off the press.
Wildlife Group members should by now have received an e-copy edition.

Please email if yours hasn't arrived.

Open Day

Fantastic Open Day. Great crowd and good weather. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to it and worked so hard to ensure it was a very successful event.

Lots of pictures HERE of the Open Day and the day before. Our members will have received a detailed account of our open day by now. If you have not received the PDF then please contact us.

Help Needed

To all our volunteers and friends

We will need some help on Friday the 11th of August at 09:30 am to check and erect some of our marquees ready for the Open Day.

Also on Saturday our Open Day, the 12th of August at 07:00 am we will need further help to erect the rest of our equipment, tables, chairs, signs etc.

Refreshments will be provided for volunteers. Toilets on site.

All events on the day are FREE.  Parking nearby FREE.  Refreshments available. 

Sunday 13th

A really BIG THANK YOU to all those volunteers and organisers who came along on Friday and Saturday morning to help erect our tents and marquees. Without these volunteers we would not have had the success we had. The weather and the hundreds of visitors made the day really special.

Moth trapping night

Is the moth trapping event scheduled for tomorrow night (saturday) going ahead?

This is listed as normal on our Blog and also our Web site. Please meet at the cabin or car park at dusk on Saturday the 5th. This will be led by Barry Nield.

Good in all weathers...

The Tag Loop Ponds are really proving popular now. On Monday Brighouse Central Scouts Group celebrated the end of term with a visit to the reserve for an evening of activities.  The weather was wonderfully mild and we all had a great evening together. Wild walks, bug hunting, bird watching, and pond dipping were all on the programme, followed by games and hotdogs back at the cabins.

All ready and waiting 

On Wednesday we had a much damper start for visitors from Greetland Primary School, but this didn't stop our enthusiastic pond dippers, who managed an impressive collection of beasts, including an adult common newt. As the day improved we had lots of damselflies and a couple of Common Darters around the pond.

As ever, the willingness of volunteers to turn up and run these events is vital. If you'd like to join our friendly bunch please get in touch via the link on this page. It doesn't matter whether your favourite activity is tea making or spider hunting - we'll find you a job!

Margaret

Evening walk 25.07.17

Had a walk over North and tag loop on Tuesday evening , it was great to see all the red clover etc covering North loop. there is an account of the 30 species of moth we saw on the Calderdale Moth blogg .Please use records if needed.
https://calderdalemoths.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/cromwell-bottom-evening-walk-july-25th.html

An old pic

Found this on the net...................

Little Egret

Little Egret seen around the reserve for the last few days
and a few Common Darters by the Dipping Pond.

Little Egret

Common Darter

At the Ponds

Thursday morning was warm and sunny - a great day for pond gazing. The first working group for a few weeks was small but busy. We added some water into the Tag Loop ponds as the levels were getting very low and took the chance to do a bit of pond dipping ourselves.
Damsel flies were dancing across the water and there was lots of action below the water line. We dipped a few creatures out for inspection - unfortunately some of them ate some of the others before we had managed any ID!

There were plenty of efts [immature newts] of varying sizes:

We also found dragonfly nymphs and watched them devour some of our other treasures - ah well! Here's a link if you'd like to know more about their life cycle: British Dragonfly Society

The ponds are a lovely place to be - please help us all to look after them. Keep children safe and keep dogs out of the water so that it stays clear and settled - thanks!

Margaret 

Moth night morning.

Had a wander on to Cromwell Bottom on Sunday morning to check last night's catch and had an interesting couple of hours sorting through moths with Bruce, Barry and others. All credit to the wildlife group for creating such a family friendly reserve. The highlight for me however was this leaf mine on Birdsfoot Trefoil in Tag Meadow of Trifucula cryptella - I can only find around four Yorkshire records for this species, of course there may be others.

Also on Birdsfoot Trefoil was this striking Coleophora mayrella (below) catching a bit of sun.

Walks and Moths. Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Friday, June 30th. There will be a Meadows Walk led by Robin Dalton. This walk will start at 1:30 pm. Please meet in the car park.  Refreshments should be available in the Cabin.

Saturday the 1^st of July there will be another Moth Night led by Barry Nield. Moths fly just before dusk so meet then at the Cabin.

Sunday the 2^nd of July Moth Morning. Call in at the Cabin from 10am until approx. 1:00 pm to see what we caught the previous evening.   Leader Barry Nield. Refreshments in the Cabin.

All welcome to these events.

This Sunday 25th of June

 There will be a "Tree Walk" led by Bel Hale. This event is for all the family, Bel will describe and identify the trees found in the reserve. It will not be too taxing as it runs from 1:30 to 3:30.

There will be refreshments later in the Cabin. Meet in the Car Park by 1:30 this Sunday the 25th.

Moth Night!

FOR THE NIGHTHAWKS!

We should be running a moth trap around the cabin area tomorrow night. Start time will be around 8.30pm, but it won't be dark until maybe 22.30.
All are welcome but from previous experience - we don't tend to catch anything until 30mins after it goes dark. So I expect the first moths to start to be captured around 23.00.
You could have a nice evening stroll around the reserve & come over to the Cabin towards 10.00pm for the trapping, get a nice cup on Tea & wait for the Action!


Meet at Cabin after 8.30pm for Kick off around 10-10.30pm.


Sunday Morning - All the captured Moths should be available for inspection Sunday Morning, where they will be photographed & released around 12-12.30pm.


Hope to see you there!

Pond Dipping

This event, due to held on Sunday May 28th has unfortunately been cancelled. This is due to illness and other unforeseen circumstances.
This event will be held in the near future. Keep your eye on the blog.

Saturday Work Party. May 13th

Saturday was one of our regular work parties. There were enough people to organise three groups. Some started with a cuppa. Guides and Scouts were also involved. David sorted three parties, box building, pond dipping area and bird feeding area, (shown below). All equipment was provided.

Work parties are every Thursday and second Saturday.
.

One of Saturday's 3 work parties. 

Photo by Rosemary Wright

Today's Stroll

     A few pics from today and was nice to bump into  Dave F,
     at the lagoon and Dave L and Val at the cabin which was
     doing a good trade which was nice to see, I'm glad its
     getting plenty of visitor's. 28 species seen today and a
     few unid'd and plenty of birdsong but a lot not seen,
     it was good to hear the Water Rail at the lagoon.

                                          Dunnock with insect

                                          Goosander chicks

                                          Female Goosander

                                          Male Goosander

                                          Jay

                                          Chaffinch

                                          Buzzard