Trip reports
 | Thursday, 19 January 2012 Mid-week Walk - London Wetland Centre - by Peter Hambrook Wet at first then fine and sunny 11C. Once again our trip to Barnes was plagued by heavy traffic on the two routes in, the A316 being at a virtual standstill between the end of the M3 and just before Richmond, resulting in a journey time of an hour and twenty minutes for 19.4 miles! More... |
 | Sunday, 1 January 2012 Around a dozen members turned up for the annual North West Surrey new years day kick off at Papercourt. The car park was disappointingly free of lesser spotted woodpeckers (a previously regular new years site for an increasingly difficult bird to find) but we strolled gently up the road to slightly birdless effect. More... |
 | Thursday, 15 December 2011 Mid-week Walk - Moor Green Lakes Weather: Fine and sunny at first but windy, then variable cloud and some sunshine 8C - Things didn't get off to a good start, with Nigel, Geoff and I arriving together, only to find the gate to the car park padlocked. Fortunately after about ten minutes someone who knew the padlock code arrived and we were able to gain access. More... |
 | Sunday, 11 December 2011 Beddington Farms Nature Reserve - by Frank Clark This former sewage farm is south of Mitcham Common and north of Beddington Park. Known as one of the most important birding locations in the capital, this constantly changing site is now a working landfill site. More... |
 | Sunday, 27 November 2011 Blashford Lakes & Blackwater Arboretum - by Frank Clark Blashford Lakes are former gravel pits run by the Hampshire Wildlife Trust in conjunction with the New Forest District Council. Located on the western edge of the New Forest, just 2.5 miles north of Ringwood, I normally visit this area in late January to March. More... |
 | Tuesday, 22 November 2011 Mid-week Walk at Staines Reservoir - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Grey and quite misty at first but clearing slightly later. Calm 14C - Nine of us braved the November gloom to check-out what winter had brought to the watery wastes of the reservoir. More... |
 | Sunday, 30 October 2011 Weather:- Overcast with light rain to start, clearing later, mild. - with 19 attendees.Mick and myself arrived at about half past eight and were the first to arrive. The first arrivals from the group were Mary and her party. We quickly set up our scopes and scanned the Swale with the tide well out. More... |
 | Wednesday, 19 October 2011 MWW Farlington Marshes - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Bright and sunny all day with a cool NE breeze 14c - A gin-clear sunny morning found four of us trying to find somewhere to park where we wouldn't be at risk from the contractors who were busy rebuilding the sea defences. Should you be planning a visit soon, be aware that you may have to park close to the roundabout while work is in progress. More... |
 | Sunday, 25 September 2011 Arne RSPB Reserve - by Frank Clark Located in Dorset the reserve has a good number of mixed habitats include estuarine, heathland, woodland (a mixture or conifer and broad-leaved) and during low tides, extensive mudflats. The surrounding waters of Poole Harbour usually hold good numbers of waterfowl, gulls and waders. More... |
 | Thursday, 15 September 2011 MWW Frensham Common - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Fine, warm and mainly sunny 20C. Twelve of us, including three non-members, gathered for this gentle stroll around the Little Pond.For once the weather was kind to us and we were soon finding birds, with a spotted flycatcher, a coal tit, a treecreeper and a goldcrest being the highlights as we approached the pond. More... |
 | Tuesday, 23 August 2011 MWW London Wetland Centre Barnes - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Wet virtually all day! - This site lived up to its name for this field trip but, on the plus side, both main access routes were running smoothly for once. We were joined by a party from the Spelthorne U3A (University of the Third Age), organised by Alan Pugh, which swelled our numbers considerably. More... |
 | Sunday, 21 August 2011 Shellness & Elmley Marshes RSPB Reserve - by Frank Clark The Isle of Sheppey is found in the east of Kent, at the mouth of the River Thames. It is a premier site for bird watching particularly in the winter months, when it is well known as a raptor haven. However, during late August and throughout September, there is often a good passage of skua's and some of the more unusual gull species - including Sabine's gull. More... |
 | Sunday, 17 July 2011 Minsmere RSPB Reserve - by Frank Clark Minsmere is one of the premier RSPB reserves in the United Kingdom and is located on the east coast of Suffolk. A magnet for migrating waders, breeding terns and home to many species of birds, this is a reserve I always enjoy visiting. On arrival we headed for the North hide. More... |
 | Sunday, 17 July 2011 La Brenne 2011 by Mary Braddock Having had such a great 5 days there in 2010, we returned for a week with Sue and Chris at La Confiance http://www.laconfiance.net/. Having been greeted by Sue and Chris on arrival we settled down for our first meal of the week, making our plans for the next few days. More... |
 | Thursday, 7 July 2011 Mid-week Walk at Harmondsworth Moor by Peter Hambrook Weather: Frequent mainly moderate showers with just occasional brighter spells. 18șcThis parkland lies close to the junction of the M25 and M4, just to the north-west of Heathrow and close to Harmondsworth village. It was developed from a landfill site as part of an agreement whereby British Airways were given permission to build their new headquarters in one corner of the site, on what was technically 'Green Belt' land. More... |
 | Sunday, 26 June 2011 Rutland Water - by Frank Clark Our trip to Rutland was to take in both of the reserves found at this reservoir. Our first stop and meeting place was the area covered by the Lyndon Visitor Centre. Arriving just after 08.00, we had a quick look around the visitor centre and watched the local ringers net a large number of birds including many tits, finches, warblers and a kestrel. More... |
 | Wednesday, 15 June 2011 Mid-week Walk at Thursley Common by Geoff Allen Weather :- Overcast with some light showers, warm. The four of us arrived, just about on time because of the traffic, to find three other people waiting for us, making a total of 7 people. After the usual greetings we set off down the outer track from the moat car park. We followed the outer track until we reached the main track then turned right until we met the broad walk. More... |
 | Friday, 10 June 2011 Horsell Common - by Frank Clark This evening walk was eagerly anticipated, as last years walk at Chobham Common, set a new record for the number of people who took part - 52. Could this be beaten? Unfortunately, about 2 hours before the walk was due to take place, the heavens opened and the rain fell so heavily that I could not see more than six feet in front of me. I could not imagine anyone turning up in this. However, with one hour to go, I set off for the meeting point, in what had now become a light but persistent drizzle. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 May 2011 Lakenheath Fen / Weeting Heath and Wicken Fen - by Frank Clark This trip would see us bird watching at 3 locations, in 3 different counties. Firstly, Lakenheath Fen RSPB reserve in Suffolk, Weeting Heath (Norfolk Wildlife Trust) in Norfolk and finally Wicken Fen (National Trust) in Cambridgeshire. Setting off at 05.30 in the pouring rain and high winds, did not fill us with a great deal of confidence for this outing. More... |
 | Tuesday, 10 May 2011 Mid-Week Walk at Bookham Common - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Mainly sunny and warm with a SW wind 21C - Yet another walk plagued by traffic problems with a poorly publicised start to road works in Cobham the day before resulting in much of the surrounding area being grid-locked. Nine of us made it through but most arrived late, resulting in a half-hour delay to the start of the walk. More... |
 | Sunday, 8 May 2011 This is an area that the group visit annually, generally between late March and early May. An early rise is essential and the advanced party is often on the beach to begin sea-watching well before the official meet time. On this occasion, a number of us were in the car park at 7.20 am and on the beach by 7.30 am. More... |
 | Saturday, 16 April 2011 Extremadura 16th - 23rd April 2011 - by Neil Bew Day 1 - After a two year gap, the group were once again visiting mainland Europe in the shape of the still unspoilt Extremadura region of central Spain. We picked up the two nine seat buses (connected by occasionally working and frequently entertaining walkie talkies) and headed south west from Madrid. It wasn't long before we were seeing white storks and black kites from the mini buses, two birds that would be constant companions during the week. More... |
 | Thursday, 14 April 2011 Mid-week Walk at Papercourt - by Peter Hambrook Thursday 14 April 2011 - A cool overcast day with a light breeze, but dry.This area offers a good cross-section of habitats, with the river Wey, the Wey Navigations and the flood plain being the main attractions. More... |
 | Sunday, 27 March 2011 Lee Valley Country Park - by Frank Clark Lee Valley Country Park is approximately 26 miles long. It includes a wide variety of habitats, from wetlands that include Reservoirs, Gravel Pits and areas of shallow water / scrapes, to marsh and reedbeds, to woodlands and dry grasslands. More... |
 | Wednesday, 9 March 2011 Mid-week Walk at Wraysbury - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Dry with sunny periods and fairly warm. 12C - Seven of us gathered at Bell Weir Close, the service road close to the M25 junction13 at the A30, for this walk, early arrivals being treated to a passing sparrowhawk, spotted by Les. The paths here can get very muddy but fortunately it had been dry for the previous couple of weeks so mud proved only a minor problem during the morning. More... |
 | Sunday, 27 February 2011 West Wittering - by Frank Clark The village of West Wittering lies in a beautiful part of West Sussex, at the mouth of Chichester Harbour. Surrounded by the South Downs on one side and the Solent on the other it is a wonderful area to visit. In the birding calendar, this area is best visited in the winter, when large numbers of Brent Geese and waders are present and the natural sheltered tidal lagoon often contains good numbers of wintering grebes, divers and diving ducks. More... |
 | Tuesday, 8 February 2011 Mid-week Walk, London Wetland Centre, Barnes - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Clear blue skies nearly all day. Frosty at first but warm in the sun. 12C - What should have been a great day out all went horribly wrong for those attempting to get to Barnes via the A316 as there was a serious accident close to Sunbury Cross. As a result traffic came to a halt - eventually tailing back to Lightwater on the M3 and trapping two thirds of those hoping to attend. More... |
 | Friday, 21 January 2011 Participants - Dave & Mary, Frank, Geoff, Mick, Geoff & Geraldine, Hannah, Alan and Angela, Alan, Simon, Brian, Peter, Ken, Dave, NeilThe idea for this weekend was simple; stay the weekend with the principle aim of seeing the wader spectacular at Snettisham and otherwise, simply enjoy the stunning birdlife of the north Norfolk coast in winter. The idea worked beautifully with the odd NWS RSPB twist! More... |
 | Thursday, 13 January 2011 Mid-week Walk at Thorpe Park - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Mainly overcast with occasional drizzle but very mild at 12C - This was a joint field trip with the Cerely Bird Club from Woking, so gave the two groups a chance to get to know each other. The weather forecast had been threatening in the days before the walk but in the end we had a virtually dry morning. More... |
 | Sunday, 12 December 2010 Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits - by Frank Clark To the south-east of St. Albans lies a series of gravel pits, some of which are still being used for gravel extraction. Where the extraction is complete, a number of the disused pits have been landscaped and now form part of a well managed fishing complex. Surrounded by farm land and some well matured woodland and hedgerows, this was the destination for our half day pre-Christmas walk. More... |
 | Wednesday, 8 December 2010 Mid-week Walk at Moor Green Lakes - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Very cold, grey and overcast but dry. 1C - Moor Green Lakes reserve is based on a restored area of flooded former gravel pits between the Lower Sandhurst Road and the River Blackwater, just to the west of Sandhurst. It is an interesting reserve at any time of the year and during the winter is home to a good variety of wildfowl, with goosander a speciality (and the reserve logo). More... |
 | Sunday, 28 November 2010 Pulborough Brooks RSPB Reserve - by Frank Clark Found in the Arun Valley in Sussex, this RSPB Reserve was established in 1989. Since conception, this 170-ha reserve has become one of the most important wetland reserves in southern England. By managing the water levels and controlling the grazing, using Highland cattle, the wet grassland is now home to many species of breeding and wintering birds. More... |
 | Tuesday, 9 November 2010 Mid-week Walk Riverside Park Burpham - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Cool and windy with some light rain for a time. 10C - A select group of nine of us braved the threatened rain for this walk around this small area squeezed between the busy A3 and the Wey Navigations. After a heavy overnight downpour it was distinctly squishy underfoot but nothing that walking boots couldn't handle. More... |
 | Sunday, 31 October 2010 Titchfield Haven and Farlington Marshes - by Geoff Allen Titchfield Haven is a good mixture of fresh water lakes woodland and open areas. It has long been a favourite of the North West Surrey group and can be very productive. More... |
 | Thursday, 7 October 2010 Mid-week Walk at Dorney Wetlands - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Beautiful day - fine, sunny and calm 18CTen of us made the trip to the Jubilee River, just west of Eton on a perfect day of unlimited visibility, which was all the more appreciated following the persistent wet weather of the previous few days. The rain had resulted in rather high water levels and thus little room for any waders, so even lapwing were not present but there were plenty of other delights. More... |
 | Sunday, 26 September 2010 Portland Bill and Radipole Lake - by Frank Clark Portland is a long limestone island that sticks out approximately 5 miles into the English Channel. Joined to the mainland by Chesil Beach, the Island has a good mix of habitats, including steep cliff faces, quarries, ancient field systems and areas of dense scrub. Located in Dorset, this is probably the furthest day trip that I have put on our monthly programme and as a result, I was not sure what the attendance would be like. More... |
 | Wednesday, 15 September 2010 Mid-week Walk - London Wetland Centre, Barnes - By Peter Hambrook Weather: Dry but overcast with a cool westerly wind. 20C - Having battled through some unusually heavy traffic, 13 of us made it to Barnes, hoping to see some migrants passing through. As normal we made our way towards the Peacock Tower first, via the other hides en route. At this stage some of the party were tempted away to watch Alan Titchmarsh open a new area of wild flower garden, even managing to have a brief chat with him, I understand. More... |
 | Friday, 3 September 2010 A weekend away for the group to a place many of us had never been before was the backdrop to these few days on the Lincolnshire coast. It proved to be an enjoyable weekend but as ever, what follows is my view, particularly on the Friday and Monday, when the different members of the party travelled separately. In my case, I came north on the Friday with Dave and Mary which was the usual slightly chaotic, entertaining and ultimately rewarding experience. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 August 2010 Situated in East Sussex this reserve is run by the East Sussex County Council and is designated a SSSI. A large shingle beach guards a number of water filled pits, areas of marsh and some scattered woodland. There are now 5 hides situated around the reserve, which are easy to reach on the flat well laid out paths. More... |
 | Thursday, 12 August 2010 Mid-week Walk at Staines Reservoirs - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Cool and overcast with a moderate NW wind. 20CSome nine of us, all group members this time attended and soon headed up the sloping path to the causeway that bisects the reservoirs. On reaching the top, a scan of the nearby banks revealed a group of three common sandpipers More... |
 | Sunday, 18 July 2010 Fingringhoe Wick and Abberton Reservoir - by Frank Clark Both these sites are in Essex and have not been visited by the group for sometime. In fact, I had not visited Fingringhoe Wick before and was looking forward to the visit - Thanks to Geoff Allen for assisting me get the group around the reserve. More... |
 | Tuesday, 6 July 2010 Mid-Week Walk to Thursley Common - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Fine and mainly sunny with high cloud developing but cool and breezy 20CA good number of non-members joined us for this walk, the start of which was delayed by thirty minutes, an accident on the A3 at Guildford having delayed the arrival of most of our own members, some of whom reported interesting routings to try and by-pass the problem. More... |
 | Sunday, 27 June 2010 Witley Common and Farlington Marshes - by Frank Clark An early start found 4 of the group arriving at the Devils Punchbowl - Hindhead at 06.40. The aim was to try and track down the elusive Wood Warbler, before meeting the group at Witley for the official start at 09.30. Heading down into the woodland we could hear Chaffinch, Wren and Chiffchaff singing all around us. More... |
 | Wednesday, 16 June 2010 Mid-week Walk at Chertsey Meads - by Peter Hambrook Weather bright and sunny but cool and windy at first 18C - Arriving early at the car park I was confronted by two white vans and a large coned off area. This didn't look good! I approached one of the nearby workmen, who was sporting a day's growth of stubble and a paint-spattered hard-hat, and enquired as to what was going on. More... |
 | Friday, 11 June 2010 Trip to Chobham Common - by Frank Clark An early summer walk at this site is always worthwhile and an amazing 52 people (that's right - 52 people) took part on this short evening excursion. The majority of us met at the usual meeting point at the 20.30 at the Gracious Pond Road car park and a little later, we joined a further 9 people at the entrance path to the common. Sorting the group to ensure that some of the more experienced amongst us were evenly spaced out to be available to answer questions, we set out onto the common at 20.50. The two or three days prior to the walk had been pretty wet and windy but the forecast for the evening of the walk looked good, promising to be dry, clear and still. More... |
 | Sunday, 23 May 2010 Selsey Bill & Pagham Harbour - by Frank Clark Selsey Bill is always a worthwhile place to visit and early morning can be very productive at this time of year. On arrival at the Bill House, we were greeted by a number of the local patch watchers who had taken up the prime spots and advised us that 5 minutes before we arrived a Pomarine Skua had passed, More... |
 | Thursday, 13 May 2010 Mid-week Walk at Papercourt - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Cool but calm and mainly sunny with broken cloud 12C - Another good turn-out for this walk with nine members and six visitors taking advantage of some good weather to enjoy the varied delights of the Wey flood plain and nearby sailing lake. Unusually, the car park area was fairly quiet so we quickly moved up the main road towards Pyrford to view the grazing meadow and river. More... |
 | Sunday, 2 May 2010 This was to prove to be a very wet and cold day but thanks to the 14 hardy members of our group who made the trip. We had set off at 05.30 (Geoff, Mick, Dennis and myself) and had planned to be at "The Patch" for 07.30 but we were side tracked on the journey down by an Iberian Chiffchaff and a Hoopoe. More... |
Sunday, 18 April 2010 Norfolk 18th to 24th April 2010 also known as 'Not the Spanish Bird watching Holiday' - by Neil Bew Participants; Dave and Mary Braddock, Frank Clark, Peter Hambrook, Neil Bew, Mick Cooper, Geoff Keene, Geoff Allan, Brian and Jean Shreeve, Alan and Marion Sharps, Barbara PearceBuenos Dias. The early morning of Saturday the 17th April should have found us bleary eyed and at Heathrow Airport awaiting our departure to Spain and a weeks birding in Extremadura. Instead, due to unforeseen circumstances, namely a small volcano in Iceland, More... |
 | Tuesday, 13 April 2010 Mid-Week Walk - Horsell Common - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Fine and sunny with a cool easterly wind pegging the temperature back to around 15C.Well we upset the regular dog-walkers today by taking most of the parking spaces at the car park as a record 25 of us investigated a site that the group hasn't visited before except for an evening nightjar walk in 2008. Luckily there were two of us leading so I was responsible for trying to remember the way round while Geoff prevented the tail-enders from escaping! More... |
 | Sunday, 28 March 2010 Pennington & Keyhaven Marshes - March 28th 2010 Pennington & Kehaven Marshes are found on the Solent, south of the New Forest. With a good mixture of habitats including extensive salt marshes, numerous muddy creeks, a series of shallow pools and lagoons, rough grassland, open shingle, tamarisk bushes and gorse scrub, it provides an excellent mix of birds at all times of the year. More... |
 | Wednesday, 17 March 2010 Mid-week Walk at Moor Green Lakes - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Fine with high level cloud but one light shower. 15C. The spell of fine warm weather tempted 11 of us to experience the delights of the Berkshire countryside at this reserve close to Sandhurst. More... |
 | Thursday, 11 February 2010 Mid-week Walk - Staines Reservoirs - by Peter Hambrook Weather - cold with an increasingly strong wind 3C. Despite the cold conditions a hardy few turned out for this walk on what is one of the most exposed sites in the area. More... |
 | Sunday, 24 January 2010 Blashford Lakes & Blackwater Arboretum - by Frank Clark These former gravel pits are surrounded by grassland with a mixture of ancient woodland containing Oak and Beech trees and more recent plantations of Willow, Birch and Alder. Run by the Hampshire Wildlife Trust in conjunction with the New Forest District Council, Blashford Lakes is part of the Avon Valley, on the western edge of the New Forest. More... |
 | Tuesday, 12 January 2010 Mid-week Walk WWT Barnes - by Peter Hambrook Weather cold and grey but dry, becoming windy from east 3CIt took some effort to persuade the eight hardy members, who had braved the London traffic to get to Barnes, that they couldn't spend all day in the warm observatory, but eventually they were prised away from the radiators and led out into the wintry wonderland. More... |
 | Friday, 1 January 2010 New Years Day walk - by Neil Bew The day dawned clear, crisp and even (whatever that means) and thirteen group members showed for the annual, new years group stroll around Papercourt. The excitement (indeed the peak of the walk in some ways) began before we even left the car park however More... |
 | Wednesday, 16 December 2009 Mid-week Walk Stocker's Lake - by Peter Hambrook Very cold, frosty and overcast with moderate snow for part of the time. - The weather forecast the night before had not been promising - light snow from 09:00 in the Rickmansworth area, however the forecast on the morning looked as if it would give us a window until midday for our visit. More... |
 | Sunday, 6 December 2009 Wraysbury Gravel Pits - by Frank Clark A very wet night did not bode well for this trip, which is the traditional half day walk to blow the cob webs away during the run up to Christmas. We were visiting a very local site in the southern most part of the Colne Valley, in the county of Berkshire. 5 of us arrived at the agreed meeting place, still with rain falling and some extremely dark skies. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 November 2009 RSPB Trip to Welney WWT - by Frank Clark Welney Nature Reserve is one of the 8 sites across the UK run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. Situated in southeast Norfolk on the border of Cambridgeshire, the reserve occupies 850 acres of the larger Ouse Washes. Considered the greatest wildfowl sanctuary in Norfolk, the reserve holds huge winter counts of swans, ducks and geese. More... |
 | Thursday, 5 November 2009 Mid-week Walk at Dorney Wetlands Weather bright/sunny but chilly with a moderate westerly wind 12c --I was greeted on arrival at the car park by Geoff and Dennis with the words 'We think we've got a ferruginous duck ('fudge-duck')!' More... |
 | Sunday, 18 October 2009 RSPB Trip to Cliffe Pools - by Frank Clark Since our last visit to Cliffe Pools in 2007, a great deal of work has been carried out by the RSPB. Firstly, a new car park has been built at the bottom of Salt Lane and this has made access to the reserve much easier. Secondly, the paths are much firmer and finally the new information boards help with navigating the paths around the reserve. More... |
 | Tuesday, 6 October 2009 Mid-week Walk to Stoke Park, Burpham - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Very wet at start but becoming drizzly with dry spells 18C: Amazingly, seven of us turned out on what began as a very wet morning indeed with heavy rain on route to Burpham, however this had reduced to an annoying drizzle by the time we sallied forth from the car park. From the signs we discovered that this area is now officially known as the Riverside Nature Reserve. More... |
 | Sunday, 27 September 2009 A Long Weekend in Dorset - by Mary Braddock Frank, our Outdoor Leader, had booked us in for an outing to Brownsea Island situated in Poole Harbour. This gave Dave and I a great opportunity for a long weekend in Dorset! So the last Friday of September found us at 4.45am on the road bound for Portland Bill with hopes of a good sea-watch! More... |
 | Wednesday, 9 September 2009 Wednesday Walk to Staines Reservoir - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Dry, cool and partly overcast: A slightly vague weather forecast made it unclear whether rain should be expected, but in the event it stayed dry for our visit, although the strong north-easterly breeze kept it cool. More... |
 | Sunday, 23 August 2009 Stodmarsh Reserve - by Frank Clark This reserve in Kent is approximately 240 ha in size and has the largest reedbeds in the southeast of England. Split into two distinct areas, Stodmarsh and Grove Ferry, English Nature has been responsible for significant improvements to the site. More... |
 | Wednesday, 12 August 2009 London Wetland Centre, Barnes - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Warm and mainly sunny with partly cloudy skies: After an easy drive through generally light traffic we arrived at the car park to find four slightly late swifts patrolling the skies above and noisy ring-necked parakeets screeching from nearby trees. A green woodpecker yaffled nearby. More... |
 | Sunday, 19 July 2009 Minsmere RSPB Reserve - by Frank Clark Minsmere is one of the premier RSPB reserves in the United Kingdom and is a site that I always enjoy visiting. Located in Suffolk on the east coast, this reserve is a magnet for migrating waders, breeding terns and is home to many species of birds. More... |
 | Wednesday, 8 July 2009 Wednesday Walk to Bookham Common - by Peter Hambrook A cool, wet morning was not really what was required for this walk as it switched off the butterfly and dragonfly activity totally. Fortunately the rain only continued until the eight of us had donned our waterproofs and sallied forth, when it eased off. More... |
 | Sunday, 28 June 2009 Otmoor is located approximately 7 miles north-east of Oxford and is not one of the better known RSPB reserves. Consisting of large areas of coarse grasses, sedge and rushes the centre of Otmoor is largely unimproved and is now generally kept wet all year round. More... |
 | Friday, 19 June 2009 Nightjar Walk, Horsell Common - by Simon Lumsden 28 eight of us, yes 28! Met at the Sandy track car park on Horsell common at 8:30 pm to look for Nightjar, a specialist of lowland heath and now restricted to approximately 4500 males in the UK. More... |
 | Wednesday, 10 June 2009 Wednesday Walk to Chertsey Meads - by Peter Hambrook I am still amazed that ten members as well as two leaders turned out in steady rain for the morning walk here. Perhaps it was curiosity to see somewhere local that they may not have visited, or perhaps the thought of watching daytime television was so awful that getting soaked was preferable. Who knows? More... |
 | Friday, 5 June 2009 Bookham Common - by Frank Clark This evening walk is generally well attended and by 19.30, 15 of us had assembled at the car park at Hundred Pound Bridge. Bookham Common which is actually split into two areas, Little and Great Bookham Common, is one of the last sites in Surrey where Nightingale can regularly be seen and heard during late spring and early summer - More... |
 | Sunday, 17 May 2009 Lakenheath Fen, Weeting Heath and Wicken Fen - by Frank Clark The planned programme for this outing was for us to visit Lakenheath Fen and then move on to Weeting Heath before finishing the day of at Wicken Fen. However, following a phone call to the warden at Weeting Heath, the previous day, I had already decided More... |
 | Wednesday, 13 May 2009 Thursley Common - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Cool and overcast with occasional drizzle ---- Despite the dreary conditions, nine of us arrived at the Moat car park for this walk. The weather did not look too promising for the hobbys, dragonflies and lizards that we had hoped to see, but I have noted in the past that, for some reason, these conditions do prompt more activity amongst the small birds. More... |
 | Wednesday, 6 May 2009 What do you know about Estonia? Well, just to give a little background to this years trip, Estonia is the northernmost of the three Baltic States bordered to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the south by Latvia and to the east by a combination of Lake Piepsi and Russia. This position means that birds on migration to Scandinavia in particular can get funnelled through Estonia and evidence of migration was certainly strong during the week. More... |
 | Sunday, 26 April 2009 Devil's Punchbowl, Milford and Witley Common - by Frank Clark This was an early start at the Punchbowl, where 3 of us arrived at 05.40 and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. By 06.00 we had 9 members of the group present and 1 visitor raring to go. The target species here were warblers particularly the elusive Wood Warbler, which is not easy to find in Surrey. More... |
 | Wednesday, 8 April 2009 Papercourt - by Peter Hambrook Weather: Bright and breezy but cool in the wind.After what was, originally, a damp forecast for our walk, the rain fortunately moved through overnight leaving a bright and breezy day for us to enjoy. More... |
 | Sunday, 29 March 2009 The posties and I set off at 06.30 and we arrived at the car park at Dungeness around 08.00, where we headed straight for "The Patch". Arriving at the shingle bank we set up our scopes and began our watch. The common species of gulls were feeding around the hot water outlets at "The Patch" and around 50-60 gulls were resting on the beach. More... |
 | Wednesday, 11 March 2009 WWT Barnes - by Peter Hambrook After the usual battle through the remnants of the rush hour traffic, ten of us arrived at Barnes on a beautiful early spring morning. The first arrivals were greeted by Canada geese and greylags flying out to nibble the grass on the adjacent football pitches, while a green woodpecker yaffled in nearby trees and a party of siskins flew into one of the birches on the reserve. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 February 2009 Pagham Harbour - by Frank Clark This was supposed to be a trip to West Wittering but in the middle of the week just before the walk, I was informed by Geoff (ex-postie), that the bridge that allows access to the car park had been shut. Not only had it been shut to vehicular traffic but it was also shut to pedestrian traffic as well, with an estimated opening date of the 6th of March!! More... |
 | Wednesday, 11 February 2009 Virginia Water Lake - by Geoff Allan Weather: - Sunny start cloudy later, cold. - Virginia Water Lake is a part of Windsor Great Park, formerly the hunting grounds of royalty and it remains a royal parkland. More... |
 | Sunday, 25 January 2009 Rainham Marshes - by Frank Clark Following our last group visit to this reserve in September 2007, the general consensus was that we should try this site again during the middle of the winter. With that in mind I put this reserve back on our programme for January. More... |
 | Thursday, 1 January 2009 The Traditional New Year's Day Bird Walk 2009 - by Dave Braddock New Year's Day saw seventeen brave souls meet at Papercourt for the traditional North-West Surrey bird walk on a grey, cold, frosty morning. The event seems to be more of a chin-wag than serious birding but it gets you into the mood for more group trips later on in the year and gets your year bird list off to a good start. More... |
 | Wednesday, 10 December 2008 Moor Green Nature Reserve - by Geoff Allan Weather: - Dry, cloudy some sun with light winds. As a Christmas gift to the much loved and dearest of friends More... |
 | Sunday, 7 December 2008 Thursley Common - by Frank Clark Thursley Common NNR is owned by English Nature and is one of the largest remaining fragments of heathland in Surrey. At 400 acres the area included pristine lowland heath, mire and woodland. More... |
 | Sunday, 23 November 2008 Slimbridge WWT - by Frank Clark Home to the headquarters of the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, which was founded by Sir Peter Scott in 1946, this site in Gloucestershire on the banks of the river Severn, is a must during the winter months. More... |
 | Wednesday, 12 November 2008 Bedfont Lakes - by Geoff Allan Weather: - Dry and sunny with light winds. --- What a day. I got to the car park at 9.30 am with Mick and Dennis in tow not knowing how many others were going to turn up More... |
 | Sunday, 19 October 2008 Trip to Arne RSPB Reserve - by Frank Clark The Arne nature reserve was opened by the RSPB in 1965 and is located in the south west corner of Poole Harbour. More... |
 | Wednesday, 8 October 2008 Dinton Pastures - by Geoff Allan Weather: - Dry and Sunny with Light Winds. -- Dinton Pastures Country Park is a mosaic of rivers, meadows, lakes and wooded areas situated just off the M4 at Hurst in Berkshire. More... |
 | Sunday, 28 September 2008 Weather: - Sunny, light winds, hot Later. -- I arrived just a tad early at 08-30 to be greeted by just myself. More... |
 | Wednesday, 10 September 2008 Weather: - Overcast some light rain with a light wind. - I arrived at the wetland centre at about 10 o' clock not knowing what to expect because of Peter's unfortunate accident. More... |
 | Monday, 1 September 2008 Close Encounters in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone - by Mary Braddock September 2008 and we were not looking forward to the trip to Jackson Hole but what lay beyond the proposed 2 flight trip was awe-inspiring. More... |
 | Sunday, 31 August 2008 Trip to Rye Harbour - by Frank Clark Situated in East Sussex this reserve is run by the East Sussex County Council and is designated a SSSI. More... |
 | Wednesday, 13 August 2008 Staines Reservoirs - by Peter Hambrook 'A dry morning with winds of 13mph', the Met. Office had forecast - so why were there 'white horses' on the water and a dark grey wall of rain heading for us as we reached the causeway that bisects the reservoirs? More... |
 | Sunday, 3 August 2008 Pulborough Brooks - by Geoff Allan Weather: - Overcast all day with some heavy rain at times. -- Despite the weather, nine people turned up, which was seven more than I expected. More... |
 | Sunday, 29 June 2008 Rutland Water Trip- by Frank Clark Rutland Water is a man made reservoir with the nature reserve, which covers approximately 600 acres, occupying a narrow strip of land running for 9 miles around the western end of the water. More... |
 | Wednesday, 11 June 2008 Seven members and one visitor assembled at Greywell on a beautiful early summer morning. The street where we parked is lined on one side by interesting old houses while on the other side house martins and swallows were hunting insects across the fields. More... |
 | Friday, 6 June 2008 Trip to Chobham Common - by Frank Clark An evening walk at this site is always pleasant and 21 of us took part on this short excursion. The initial part of the group met at the usual meeting point at the Gracious Pond Road car park and a little later we joined the rest of the group at the entrance path to the common. More... |
 | Sunday, 18 May 2008 Beaulieu Road Station and Keyhaven Marshes - by Frank Clark It has been several years since the group visited the New Forest and we were looking forward to a good day. The first half of the trip was to be Beaulieu Road Station and the surrounding area, followed by an afternoon walk at Keyhaven Marshes - on the South coast of Hampshire. More... |
 | Wednesday, 14 May 2008 Witley Common (and Thursley Common) - by Peter Hambrook A select band attended this field trip, two leaders, two members and one non-member with her three young children. More... |