Wensum Valley Birdwatching Society

Archive for the ‘Bulletins’ Category

Visit 10am – 3pm

Meet in the Wetland Centre free car park at 10am.

Welney is famous for its wildfowl and is probably the best place in Norfolk to see wild swans.   There is also a chance of finding Corn Bunting, Tree Sparrow and Peregrine besides other more common species.

The reserve is off the A10, seven miles south of Downham Market .  Turn right at the “Ten Mile Bank/Welney” brown tourist sign.  Follow the road for 0.8 miles to a bridge.  Turn left, then immediately right down Station Road (there is a brown tourist sign but it is difficult to see).  Follow Station Road for about 4.5 miles to the reserve car park on the left.  Be warned: this road is straight but keep your speed down as there are several undulations and potholes along the road.

It is hoped that a member of the WWT Welney team will be available on our arrival to give us an introduction to the Trust, the reserve and what birds may be seen during our visit.

There will be a swan feed at 12 noon.

Welney has excellent visitor facilities including a café which is open 10am-4.30pm with hot food available between 12noon & 2.30pm.  Members may prefer to take their own packed lunch.

If we have a group exceeding 12 then visitor permits cost  £5.60 (adults) £4.25 concessions (65+). 

If you wish to join the visit either add your name to the visit list at the indoor meeting on  21^st Jan or contact Alwyn (chair@wvbs.org.uk) by Monday 25^th January.

For our first indoor meeting of the New Year we welcome Phil Atkinson with a talk entitled

“Out of Africa Project” 

Phil  is Head of International Research at BTO and is currently managing an exciting new field project in West Africa to gain a better understanding of how our migrant populations have changed, where they go after leaving the UK and what they do when they get there.

Phil says “Come to the talk to get the ‘hot off the press’  results! ”        

We certainly will.

Bird Sightings

Please keep sending  your Sightings Records. There have been problems which are now fixed. If,however, you have any problems getting through please be patient  and report the problem to Jacky Pett  on  webmaster@wvbs.co.uk.

Although all your sightings may  not always appear in the monthly Newsletter,  they are all recorded in our Database and used to compile the Society’s Annual Report, so they are very important. Please send all sightings to Liz Waller, recorder@wvbs.org.uk or records@wvbs.co.uk  within a week of the end of each month.  We ask you to include a grid reference of the sighting but this is not essential if you find it a problem.  The site location, however, is important. (See guidance notes here)

Appeal for Articles & Reports

We always want to hear from members who have any items of interest they would like to share, be it a holiday report,visit to a reserve, a research project etc. Do you photograph/digiscope wildlfe?  Have you been on a recent twitch?  We’d love to hear from you.  Contact David on editor@wvbs.co.uk

Our present Treasurer, Colin Fenn, will be stepping down at the Society’s AGM in April 2010 so we will be requiring a member who is willing to take on this task.  If you are interested or willing to do so would you please contact any member of the existing committee as soon as possible

Our traditional Winter Count will be our first Outdoor Event of the New Year.

The idea is to find as many different species as possible in our recording area between 8am and 4.30pm.

Don’t worry you don’t have to be bird watching all that time, you can start at any time and anywhere in the valley after 8am but you must finish by 4.30pm. The finishing point will be in the bar of the Fox and Hounds, Lyng. (Where you can also book in for a meal afterwards, which is a very nice way to end the day!)

This is a team event – teams can consist of 2 to 4 members who have a cross section of bird watching experience. In other words we prefer not to have teams comprising solely of very experienced birders!

A reminder of the rules again

• You can start anywhere within the WVBS area
• All species counted must be seen or heard
• In teams of two all must see or hear each species counted
• In teams of three, 2 must see or hear each species counted
• In teams of four, 3 must see or hear each species counted
• The finish time is 4.30pm, inside the Fox and Hounds, Lyng
• Feral pigeons are accepted, hybrid waterfowl are not.
• Birds within the grounds of Pensthorpe are not accepted

Attached separately in next month’s Newsletter will be a checklist for each team to tick off the species seen and it would be most useful if participants could add the location for our record purposes.

If you are unfamiliar with the WVBS area a copy of the map can be found here or in any of the Annual Reports.  If you wish to take part or are short of team members please let Richard Norris know a.s.a.p or at the latest 21st December.

This is a fun event so please come along and enjoy yourselves.

Please note that this event was cancelled due to the weather

Please make a note in your diary of this date. Our Christmas Social is not to be missed. An evening of Christmas Fare, Fun and Frolics.
Our usual appeal for this event is for members to supply a plate of food (savouries, cakes, puddings etc. ) enough for about 6 people. Jacky Pett is co-ordinating this to ensure we don’t all bring the same.
Also please bring your own plates, cutlery, wine/beer and glass. Cups/glasses will be provided for your complimentary glass of mulled wine on arrival and tea/coffee later in the evening. Donated Raffle Prizes would be very much appreciated. Just to confirm that this event is held at our usual venue (Weston Longville village hall ) starting at 1930 hrs.

Membership subscriptions will rise £1 from 1st January 2010 to Single £11 a year and Couples £16.  Renewals are from 1st April as usual.  If you join in the first quarter of the year your membership is valid until the following April.

The price of tea/coffee (and a biscuit!) at our indoor meetings will increase from 25p to 30p.

Ray Gribble will be arranging a working party to row out to the tern raft at Sparham Pools, pump it out, shovel out the gravel, repair and clean it and put it back ready for the arrival of the common terns next spring.

If you are willing to join him on this wet, muddy, and heavy lifting job, please contact him.  Not that isn’t fun of course!

You’ll notice that we havent been able to update the ‘look’ of the website yet.  This is mainly because the committee is finalising a new logo, and when that and the colours are agreed we can get to work on some prettifying.

Meanwhile all the features of the old site are here, and what’s more, it is allowing me to post new messages.

Our first indoor meeting of the autumn (yes, in birdwatching terms it’s here already!) is on Thursday 20th August starting at 7.30 p,m, in the Weston Longville Village Hall, our usual venue.

Brazil – The Atlantic Rainforest
David Pelling, one of our members, will be the main speaker. Most of you will know David from his previous presentations and leading outdoor events. This will be an interesting evening so come early and get a good seat.

Chris Hudson, the BTO Regional Officer for NE Norfolk (also a member) will be giving us a quick update on the Bird Atlas as well.