River Shep Walk and Talk

The Cam Valley Forum has invited Abington Naturewatch and other local groups to join them on the morning of 10 May 2008 for a short guided walk along the river Shep near Boot Lane, Barrington. The walk will be led by a member of Friends of the River Shep who will tell us about the work the group carried a few years ago to make this stretch of the river a better place for wildlife and people. We will also have an opportunity to see recent work by the Barrington Conservation Trust.

After the walk we will meet in the village hall for refreshments when there will be an opportunity to discuss how local groups can improve the management of streams and small rivers, and the sources of help and funding available to them.

We will meet at 10am at the village hall and, subject to the weather, proceed to Boot Lane. If you would like to come, please contact Peter, Anne or Patrick - we will coordinate trasnport and liaise with CVF.

Geograph

Geograph is a project to photograph every 1km grid square in the British Isles. Here's the square for the Abingtons: http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/TL5348

Spring 2008 - Members' Meeting

At the Abington Institute on Saturday 12th April from 10.30-12.30.
All welcome. More details nearer the time.

Snow Day

On a walk up to Hildersham Wood this morning in the snow I saw tracks of three or four fallow deer (well, I assume they're the fallow deer, they were big) rabbits, pheasants, a fox and a hare. (I know they were the footprints of a hare because I saw it making them!)

The wind had just changed to a westerly and by the time I got home at around 12.30 almost all the snow on the trees was gone.

Siskins

Derek Turnidge took this photograph of Siskins in his garden, feeding on nyjer seed.

Birds of Cambridgeshire Evening 29 February

The good news is that I now have a firm booking for our Naturewatch Evening - Friday 29th February, 7.0 p.m. in the Inst. Stuart Elsom, an experienced ornithologist who leads study tours abroad and is an expert on bird photography will speak (with pix of course) on 'The Birds of Cambridgeshire through the Seasons'. His [excellent] photo work can be seen at http://www.stuartelsom.co.uk/

The subject is one that should also attract a number of non-members, and I hope we can encourage this. I am proposing as usual no attendance charge but a 'retiring collection'. I shall be most grateful if P/T members will be able to help with coffee, tea & bics.

As last year we should aim to have copies of the Record for sale at the meeting.

Pat Daunt

Plantwatch Stubble Plants

 

 

 

These are from the plantwatch stubble walk on Bourn Bridge Rd field on Saturday 29th September which was very expertly lead by Pat Daunt. We saw many wonderful plants including this scarlet pimpernel and the field pansy. I am hoping someone who kept a better record of the sightings will append some details here as a comment. Of particular note were the catch-fly and field spurge.