RSPB Sheffield Members Group

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity:
England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654

Programme of Field Trips
from November 2011 to December 2012

     Most of the field trips are on a Sunday, and depart at 8.00am, sharp, from outside the Hallam Student Union Building, (the old Music Centre), on Paternoster Row. Details, departure times etc, of any Car Share trips are given on the year's programme, offers of a lift on such trips, are always appreciated.

    For those of the membership still to experience a field trip, could I extend an invitation to come along and join the regulars. Please be aware that you should be suitably equipped for the trip. Stout boots, a hat, gloves, warm and waterproof clothing, are all advisable. For no matter how much good weather is hoped for, when the weather does change they will be needed! Some reserves we visit will have restricted Cafe facilities, so a packed lunch and a warm/cold drink is also a good idea.

     Seats on a field trip can be booked, along with payment, at the Group's Indoor Meetings. Alternatively, a place can be booked by contacting the
person below, with payment made on the day, on the coach.
Mr Paul Goodwin   0114 201 7089 wookie_62@hotmail.com
    It would be appreciated if payment were to be made by a cheque, that the cheque be made out to:- Sheffield RSPB Local Group, rather than to an individual, thank you.

FIELD TRIP NEWS UP DATE SEPTEMBER 2011
     November sees the Group travelling down the Motorway to Birmingham, visiting the RSPB reserve at Sandwell Valley, next door to the M5. Again it is a reserve that has under gone changes, more out of necessity this time. The local bright sparks decided to see how well the reserve centre would burn, which it did sadly, to the ground!! Temporary quarters have been drafted in, until a new, hopefully vandal proof, centre can be built. The price for this trip will be £11.00 per head.

     The Christmas month of December takes the Group the short journey to the banks of the Humber. Under the south bank tower of the Humber Bridge sits the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust reserve of Far Ings. One of the Group’s regular haunts, which produced good views of a male Smew, and a Waxwing on our last visit. The price for this trip will again be set at £11 per head, which includes the reserve entry fee, and brings down the curtain of the 2011 programme. Watch out for details of the 2012 programme, which will be out shortly, and I hope will be just as enticing to the membership as this year’s programme.

HAPPY BIRDING!

FIELD TRIPS PROGRAMME
NOVEMBER 2011 - DECEMBER 2012

Date	Destination	Departure Time
2011
	If the links below fail, information on sites can be found by "Googling" the site name.
November
Sunday 20th	Sandwell Valley RSPB Reserve Details of the site at:- http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/s/sandwellvalley/about.aspx	0800
December
Sunday 11th	Far Ings National Nature Reserve Details of the site at:- http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/far_ings/	0800
2012
January
Sunday 15th	Potteric Carr (Car Share) Dust off those Christmas cobwebs and kick off the 2012 programme at one of Yorkshire’s premier bird watching sites. This is a car share trip, with a meeting time at Potteric of 9.00am. Potteric Carr is a 200 hectare nature reserve located on the outskirts of Doncaster. The main habitats include open water, reedbed, woodland, marsh, and small meadows, all of which create a rich diversity of wildlife. Target Birds: Bittern, water rail (photographers permitting) Details of the site at:- http://www.potteric-carr.org.uk	Meet at reserve at 9.00am
February
Sunday 26th	Tophill Low Tophill Low Nature Reserve is an active Yorkshire Water treatment works built in 1959. Opened formally as a nature reserve in 1993, and features twelve hides spread across a 300 acre site that flanks the River Hull. The two reservoirs - 'D' and 'O' dominate the reserve and have SSSI status for their massive wildfowl numbers. Around the perimeter a network of marshes, ponds, woodlands and grasslands result in an annual 160+ bird species, with over 60 readily visible even in midwinter. Target Birds: Brambling, Smew. Details of the site at: http://www.yorkshirewater.com/tophill	0800
March
Sunday 25th	Middleton Lakes RSPB Reserve Nestled in the beautiful Tame Valley, just south of Tamworth on the Staffordshire/Warwickshire border, Middleton Lakes is the latest RSPB nature reserve to open to the public. Since the RSPB acquired the site in 2007, they have worked hard to make sure the final restoration benefits birds, wildlife and visitors. The area is already regionally important for overwintering wildfowl such as Pochard, Tufted duck and Smew. Middleton Lakes will become the most important site for breeding waders in the Midlands. The lakes, reedbeds, meadows and woodlands make it one of the best birdwatching sites in the area. Target Birds: Cetti’s Warbler, Barn Owl. Details of the site at:- http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/middletonlakes/	0800
April
Sunday 29th	Paxton Pits An extensive complex of former and active gravel pits close to the A1, northwest of St Neots. Scrub and woodland surround the more mature Pits, with large numbers of warblers in spring and summer and the highest population of Nightingales in Cambridgeshire (25 singing males in 2000). More than 60 breeding species, including Kingfisher, Grey Heron, Little Grebe and one of the largest inland Cormorant colonies in the UK (c. 100 nests). The shingle islands on two of the lakes make Paxton Pits one of the most important sites in the Ouse Valley for breeding Lapwing, Redshank, Ringed Plover and Common Tern (with Oystercatcher breeding occasionally). Target Birds: Nightingale, Whinchat. Details of the site at:- http://www.paxton-pits.org.uk	0800
May
Sunday 27th	Saltholme RSPB Reserve RSPB Saltholme opened in early 2009, and is set against a landscape of the declining steel and petrochemical industries of Middlesbrough, in the north east. Covering 380 hectares of former brownfield site and marshlands, Salthome has been transformed into a superb wildlife reserve and is home to a large colony of breeding Common Tern, which arrive each spring to nest on the cockleshell-covered islands. Target Birds: Common Tern, Yellow Wagtail. Details of the site at:- http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/s/saltholme/	0800
June
Sunday 10th	Flamborough Head and RSPB Bempton Cliffs A Group favourite, and easily the best place in England to see, hear and smell seabirds! More than 200,000 birds (from April to August) make the cliffs seem alive – with adults bringing food to their nests, or young chicks making their first faltering flights. With huge numbers to watch, beginners can easily learn the difference between Gannet, Guillemot, Razorbill, Kittiwake and Fulmar. The easily recognisable Puffins (here between April and July) are always a delight. Target Birds: Puffin, Corn Bunting. Details of the sites at:- http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/index.asp	0800
September
Sunday 16th	Spurn Point One of the most interesting reserves in the north of England, Spurn is well worth a journey. Spurn Head sits at the end of a long, curving spit of land, which stretches for three-and-a-half miles across the mouth of the HUMBER River. Spurn has fine views and walks amongst the sand dunes. As a place to observe and study birds and their migration, Spurn is incomparable. As well as migrants there are large numbers of wintering and passage waders and wildfowl and the ever-present likelihood of rarities. Target Birds: You just don’t know, that’s the beauty of Spurn! Details of the site at:- http://www.spurnpoint.com	0800
October
Sunday 21st	Frampton Marsh RSPB Reserve A major new extension to this coastal wetland reserve includes a reedbed, large freshwater scrapes and wet grassland. These are all being created to bring the wildlife of the Wash closer to you. New facilities include a visitor centre with toilets and a refreshments area where you can get a hot or cold drink and a snack. We also have three hides - two with 360-degree views - and over 3 km of new footpaths to explore. Target Birds: Golden Plover, Brent Goose. Details of the site at:- http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/framptonmarsh/	0800
November
Sunday 1st	Brandon Marsh Brandon Marsh is a 200-acre nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the banks of the River Avon, in Warwickshire. Brandon has been developed as a nature reserve from the remains of an old sand and gravel quarry and now consists of several lakes and wetlands, with nature trails and five bird hides, which all free of dog walkers. Target Birds: Short-Eared Owl, Siskin. Details of the site at:- http://www.warwickshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk	0800
December
Sunday 9th	Fairburn Ings RSPB Reserve The three main trails take you through a variety of habitats allowing stunning views of birds such as Willow Tit and Tree Sparrow in the woodland, and Lapwing, Snipe and Redshank in the wet grassland. In winter Fairburn hosts an array of swans, ducks and geese on the main lake, so there is something to see whatever the season. Target Birds: Long-eared Owl, Kingfisher. Details of the site at:- http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/fairburnings//	0800

^{Tar spread across a 300 acre site that flanks the River Hull.

The two reservoirs - 'D' and 'O' dominate the reserve and have SSSI status
for their massive wildfowl numbers. Around the perimeter a network of
marshes, ponds, woodlands and grasslands result in an annual 160+ bird
species, with over 60 readily visible even in mid winter.}