Events

February 13th Monday Evening Meeting - Birding with a camera - Paul Bingham.

Location: The Eco-Centre, Nature's World, Ladgate Lane, Middlesbrough.
Postcode: TS5 7YN (Google map)

Paul Bingham lives in Derby and gives talks all around the midlands about his travels with a camera but this is the first time he has talked here. His lifelong passions are outdoors: mountaineering and birdwatching, but he never does either without his camera. His talk this evening will be called "A Mountain Man's Perspective on birds" and will be about birds in hills, mountains and rugged environments in the UK and abroad. He says that his talk will take you to these places without the sweat!

Time: Refreshments 7:00pm. Talk 7:30pm

Price: Members £1.50; Non-members £2.50. Refreshments 30p

Telephone: 01642 512693

19th February Sunday Morning Meeting - Saltholme

Location: RSPB Saltholme. Saltholme is 10 minutes from the A19; turn east off the A19 north of Stockton along the A689. After half a mile, take the A1185; in 4 miles join the A178 at a mini roundabout and take the third exit. The reserve entrance is 250 metres on the right-hand side. From Middlesbrough centre, the site can be accessed via the Transporter Bridge (every 15 minutes weekdays 7 am-8 pm, Saturday 11 am-5.50 pm, Sunday 2 pm- 5.30 pm, cost £1.20 each way). Saltholme is 1.5 miles from the bridge along the A178 north from Port Clarence.

Group Leaders John & Elaine Cooke.


Latitude/longitude: 54.600995,-1.217496 (Google map)

A walk around Saltholme is always interesting both because of the birds and to see how our local site is developing. Maybe we will be able to enjoy the Long-Eared Owl again, as well as the cafeteria to warm up afterwards.

Time: 10am

Price: Free for RSPB members. Non-members £3 per car but free for pedestrians, cyclists.

Telephone: 01642 512693

12th March - Monday Evening Meeting - RSPB Geltsdale Reserve - Stephen Westerberg

Location: Eco-Centre, Nature's World, Ladgate Lane, Middlesbrough.
Postcode: TS5 7YN (Google map)

Set in the beautiful North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Geltsdale is home to black grouse, birds of prey and breeding wading birds and is ideal for walking.

The blanket bogs, heath, upland farmland and woods of Geltsdale support a great diversity of wildlife. Many breeding birds are found here, including wonderful species such as black grouse, golden plover, curlew, ring ouzel, merlin and short-eared owl and the reserve is one of only a handful of regular nesting sites of hen harriers in England.

Stephen Westerberg is the manager of this unique reserve and therefore ideally placed to tell us all about it.

Time: 7:00pm Refreshments; 7:30pm Talk

Price: Members £1.50; Non-members £2.50; Refreshments 30p

Telephone: 01642 512693

18th March - Sunday Morning Meeting - Cowpen Bewley

Location: Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park car park, Seal Sands Link Road A1185, Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees. Take the A689 to Billingham off the A19 and follow the signs to Seal Sands and Saltholme. Turn left into Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park after passing Billingham and before crossing a bridge. Turn right into the car park.

Postcode: TS23 3NF (Google map)

This is a newly planted woodland on an old brickworks which attracts a large range of birds. A ringed duck has been seen there during the winter for the last couple of years. This summer a nightingale has been in residence but March is a bit early! There should be yellowhammers, tree sparrow and possibly redpoll at the feeders. The lake, woodland and scrub give a wide range of habitat. Last year, there were even Shelduck standing on the railway line, obviously waiting for a train, but no-one had told them it was Sunday.

Time: 10am

Price: Free

Telephone: 01642 512693

AGM - Monday Evening Meeting April 16th. Speaker Toby Collett on Saltholme.

Location: Eco-Centre, Nature's World, Ladgate Lane, Middlesbrough.
Postcode: TS5 7YN (Google map)

The evening will start with the AGM, but will continue with an update on RSPB Saltholme by warden Toby Collett. We will be in spring migration and will have finished a winter so there should be plenty to talk about. He will be able to update us on plans for our local site.

Time: Refreshments 7:00pm, AGM 7:30pm to be followed by talk.

Price: Free to members.

Telephone: 01642 512693

Sunday Morning Outing - 22nd April - Saltburn Woods

Location: Meet at the Woodland Centre in Valley Gardens, Saltburn.
Postcode: TS12 1GG (Google map)

Saltburn or Rifts Wood is a pleasant walk through ancient woodland starting from the Woodland Centre above Valley Gardens in Saltburn. There is disabled parking near the Woodland Centre, but other parking is available either at the carpark at the bottom of the valley - the opposite end to the woods - or in the streets above the woodland centre.

The Rifts Wood/ Saltburn woods Walk - 1.5km in length, allow 1.5 hours. Woodland paths muddy after rain, steps and steep gradients throughout.After many frozen centuries, the last ice age drew to a close some 10,000 years ago. The mighty glaciers retreated and deposited a thick blanket of boulder clay through which deep channels were gouged by the torrents of meltwater. This was the beginning of the valley we can see today and the route through Rifts Wood rises high above the river as it drains off the moors and continues to change the landscape.

Skelton Beck now supports many different insect larvae, a vital food supply for such specialised birds as dippers and grey wagtails, in addition to fish like brown trout. This visit will be in spring when the woodland birds such as Nuthatch should be at their most visible while they are courting and before the leaves hide them.

SPRING and SUMMER are by far the best times to visit the reserve when the woodland wild flowers are out. The lesser celandines start it all off with their showy yellow flowers followed shortly afterwords by carpets of strong smelling wild garlic and bluebells. Other plants to look out for include woodruff, bugle, moschatel and wood havens.

Time: 10am

Price: Free

Telephone: 01642 512693

Coach Trip May 20th 2012. Bolton Abbey.

Location: We will leave by coach from Nature's World at 8.30am. There is plenty of car parking at Nature's World. This will be an all day event.

Bolton Abbey is in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales on the banks of the River Wharfe. With just under 30,000 acres of beautiful countryside, over 80 miles of footpaths there is plenty of space for people and wildlife. Strid Wood has nature trails ranging from 0.3km to 2.9km and there is a downloadable map on the Bolton Abbey web site. Or you can explore the ruins of the Priory and enjoy local produce in the excellent restaurants, tea rooms and cafes.
A birdlist from April 2011 recorded the following: 2 singing Pied Flycatcher, seen well. 2 Wood Warbler only heard. Garden Warbler one or two heard. Seen were also several Blackcap, Chiffchaff & Willow Warbler; Two Dipper; Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtails, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, a Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, several Sand Martin. Plenty of Curlew; A female Ring Ouzel; A Woodcock was seen to fly among the tree tops; a male Mandarin; 4 Oystercatcher and Common Sandpiper.
Maybe we will be that lucky.

Time: 10.30 am from Nature's World, Ladgate Lane, Middlesbrough. TS5 7YN

Price: Costs to be decided nearer the time but probably around £12.50p per person.

Booking essential

Telephone: 01642 512693