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Programme
of Field Trips and Reports from 1 January 2010
to 31 December 2010
Most Field
Trips are on Sundays and
depart at 0800 from Paternoster Row by coach.
The Sunday car share trip to Potteric Carr on 17 January 2010, meet at the reserve
field centre at
0900.
NOTES
1. The CAR SHARE trips meet at the reserve at 1000.
Offers of car shares appreciated and requests for lifts - arrange
through Paul.
2. Changes to prearranged dates or abnormal dates are shown in
RED.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1. For those of the membership yet to experience a field trip, can I
extend an invitation to come along and join the regulars. But please
be aware that you should be suitably equipped for the field trip.
Stout boots, hat, gloves, warm and waterproof clothing are all
advisable, because no matter how much I pray for good weather, they
will be needed when the weather turns for the worse. Some reserves we
visit have restricted Café facilities, so a packed lunch and a hot
drink would also be advisable.
Seats on
Field trips are bookable, accompanied by the fare, at any indoor
meeting or by contacting Paul Goodwin 0114 201 7089, at 132 Swanbourne
Road, Sheffield S5 7TQ or by e-mail - wookie_62@hotmail.com
I would be grateful if members using cheques to pay for field trips,
or weekend trips, would make cheques out to; “Sheffield RSPB Local
Group”, rather than to myself.
Reports on completed Field Trips
are now shown on this page.
FIELD
TRIP
NEWS.
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, and
that the jolly festivities extend over into the New Year.
Looking forward to 2010, I have tried to
offer as varied and exciting programme that I can, with some old
favourites, and some new venues.
The programme gets off to its now customary
visit to Potteric Carr, on the 17th January. This opening
visit is a Car share event, rather than the usual travel by coach, so
if you want to work off some of the festive cheer, you are more than
welcome. We will be meeting at the visitors centre at 9.00am, those
wanting to either offer a lift, or need a lift please get in touch.
Please be aware that there will be a charge for non Yorkshire Wildlife
members for entrance to the reserve.
For the rest of the 2010 programme, travel to
the reserves will be via coach, the price of which will be frozen for
the year at a competitive £14.
There will be an extra cost incurred, for entrance, at the non-RSPB
reserves we will be visiting. I had hoped to offer the cost of travel
cheaper than £14, but after a disappointing end to the 2009
programme, this was not possible.
The number
attending the field trips has steadily declined, in 2007 the average
was 33, at an average cost of £10. Last year that average dropped to
28, at an average cost of £13, the last 3 field trips attracted an
average of 25 members, pushing the cost of travel up further.
The success of the 2010
programme will dictate the programme for 2011, if this decline
continues, the number of trips will either decrease, or become more
car share orientated. I hope the group will continue with its usual
field trip programme, besides organising them, I enjoy the outings,
and would miss them.
Elsewhere in the programme for 2010,
the proposed trip to the Bird Fair will not be going ahead, due to
lack of interest. I will
be looking to take deposits for the Scotland weekend at the February
Indoor meeting.
Finally I wish
all members a Prosperous and Happy New Year, and
successful birdwatching in 2010.
I would be grateful if members
using cheques to pay for field trips, or weekend trips, would make
cheques out to; “Sheffield RSPB Local Group”, rather than to
myself.
WEEKEND
FIELD TRIPS FOR 2010 - WALES
At
the eleventh hour a twin room at the Marine Hotel, on the Wales
weekend, has become available. Any one interested in coming along on
the weekend, please get in contact. At this late stage I would be
willing to offer the room for single occupancy, and the room will be
allocated on a “first come, first served” basis. The cost of the
room would be £185 per head.
The weekend is now fully
booked, and I will not be taking any more bookings
Those
of you attending the
Wales
weekend, please remember I would like full payment by the March Indoor meeting.
Contact me via E mail, wookie_62@hotmail.com,
or on 01142017089, evenings better for me.
WEEKEND
FIELD TRIPS FOR 2010 -SCOTLAND
I
will be looking
to take bookings, and deposits, at the February Indoor Meeting in
2010. The deposit will once again be £30 per head, and
non-refundable, and the balance will need to be paid in full by the
September Indoor meeting.
The
weekend will be run from Friday 22nd October to Sunday 24th
October 2010, and will be based at the Station Hotel in Dumfries. On
the way up on Friday, the group will visit Talkin Tarn, just outside
Carlisle, Saturday we will take in the RSPB reserve at Mersehead,
while Sunday we will travel to WWT Wetland centre at Caerlaverock.
The
cost of the weekend will be £185 for a Twin/Double room, or £200 for
a single room, and will include Breakfast, Packed Lunch,
and Evening Meal.
Many Thanks
Paul
Goodwin
Field Trips
FIELD
TRIPS PROGRAMME 2010
| Date |
Destination
|
Departure
Time |
| 2010 |
|
|
| January |
|
|
| Sunday
17th |
Potteric
Carr (Car Share)
Details
of the site at:-
http://www.potteric-carr.org.uk
Following
the recent blasts of winter, the weather behaved better on
Sunday 17th January, for the annual curtain raiser to
the 2010 field trip programme. On an overcast, dry, cold day, 14
hardy souls turned out, hoping to get their New Year's list off
to a flying start.
A
quick stop off at the nearby Lakeside produced good sightings of
Grey Partridge, Little and Great Crested Grebe, and large
numbers of Canada Geese and Cormorant. Lakeside also produced
what the majority of Potteric’s pools could not, namely
unfrozen water!
With
much of Potteric frozen up, it was left to the Huxter Well Marsh
to produce freestanding water, with good views of Common Gull,
Teal, Shoveller, and Lapwing. Elsewhere on the reserve, patience
was the name of the game at Piper Marsh hide, not only for
sightings of Bittern, but also getting the photographers to move
on!! Sightings of the Bittern were far more forthcoming than
getting the photo crazed mob to move, with the entire group
getting a glimpse, at least, of a Bittern.
The
story was the same at the Willow Marsh hide, with space at a
premium, due to some ridiculously large lenses taking up room.
Then when the Water Rail did put in an appearance, there
followed an almighty dash to try and get even closer to the
bird, just how close do photographers want to to get that close
up shot????
Despite
the lenses a good day was had, with the tick list eventually
including Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Siskin, Redpoll, and both
Green and Great Spot Woodpecker. Not a bad start to the year,
now onto Whisby, in Lincolnshire, to keep the list ticking
along.

George Pardy stocking up on calories!
.JPG)
Water Rail and Moorhen from Willow Pool Hide
(by Paul Goodwin
)
|
|
| February |
|
|
| Sunday
21st |
Whisby
Nature Park
It
is incredible just how much a landscape can change within a
short period of time, as the morning of the Whisby trip proved.
Up early, and eager, for the short trip to Lincoln, the slight
dusting of snow outside didn’t look threatening at all! How
wrong can you be!! In just over 60 minutes the slight dusting
quickly turned into about 3 inches of snow, and still it was
falling!
Did
this put off our intrepid birders? Will this report end suddenly
here. Of
course not, the Sheffield Local Group members are made of
sterner stuff, and will not be put off by the odd inch or two of
snow. And so 21 brave souls followed the tramlines in the snow
all the way to Whisby, even seeing the odd gritting lorry on
route.
On
arrival at Whisby, the snow had stopped, leaving just a couple
of inches on the ground, no problem! Not even the warden’s
comment of; “you should have been here yesterday, it was like
a summer’s day” could dampen the spirits.
The
day was not a disaster, with the weather, if not warming up,
becoming brighter, with the odd peek of Blue Sky, and even the
sun! The group members were rewarded with a very respectable
number of 55 species, this, with most of the water frozen, was a
very good return for the day. Where water was free of ice there
were large numbers of Goldeneye, Pochard, Gadwall, and Greylag
Geese, showing well. While in the wooded areas, good views were
seen of Bullfinch, Siskin, Fieldfare, Redwing, and both Green
and Great Spotted, Woodpeckers.
Here’s
hoping for a snow free day for our next field trip, on the 28th
March, when we visit Brandon Marsh, near Coventry.
.JPG)
White-out at Whisby
Details
of the site at:- http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/whisby/index.php
|
0800 |
| March |
|
|
| Sunday
28th |
Brandon
Marsh
Details
of the site at:- http://www.warwickshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk/Brandon/brandon.htm
|
0800 |
| April |
|
|
| Friday
16th - Sunday 18th |
Wales
Weekend - Aberystwyth
Details
of the sites at:-
Lake Vyrnwy http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lakevyrnwy/index.asp
Ynys-hir
http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/y/ynys-hir/index.asp
Bwlch
Nant y Arian http://www.forestry.gov.uk/bwlchnantyarian
|
TBA |
| May |
|
|
| Sunday
23rd |
RSPB
Saltholme
Details
of the site at:-
http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/s/saltholme/index.asp
|
0800 |
| June |
|
|
| Sunday
13th |
Flamborough
Head and RSPB Bempton Cliffs
Details
of the sites at:-
Flamborough Head - query with Google.
Bempton Cliffs
http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/index.asp
|
0800 |
| September |
|
|
| Sunday
26th |
Gibraltar
Point
Details
of the site at:-http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/gib
|
0800 |
| October |
|
|
| Friday
22nd - Sunday 24th |
Scotland
Weekend - Dumfries
Details
of the sites at:-
Talkin Tarn
RSPB Mersehead http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/mereshead/index.asp
WWT Caerlaverock http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit-us/caerlaverock
|
TBA |
| November |
|
|
| Sunday
21st |
RSPB
Frampton Marsh
Details
of the site at:- http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/f/framptonmarsh/index.asp
|
0800 |
| December |
|
|
| Sunday
12th |
Tophill
Low
Details
of the site at:-
http://www.yorkshirewater.com/leisure-time/tophill-low.aspx
|
0800 |
Website
created by Tina
Bell
as part of the South
Yorkshire Community Information project
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