Abington Naturewatch

Saturday, 26 February 2011

Members' Spring Meeting - 12th March 2011

Keep the date free - 12th March at 10:30.
The café will be open!

Expedition to Paxton Pits - 26th February 2011

A small group braved the rain to visit Paxton Pits Nature Reserve (http://www.paxton-pits.org.uk/).

After observing birds around the feeders during a heavy shower, we set off and were rewarded by a good selection of water birds under bright but overcast lighting.

Sally Turnidge recorded the birds seen:

Long tailed Tits
Teal
Wigeon
Golden eye
Gadwall
Moorhen
Coot
Greylag geese
Canada geese
Heron
Cormorant
Great crested grebe
Pochard
Blue tits
Sparrows
Reed buntings
Chaffinch
Dunnocks
Great tits
Collared doves
Magpies
Mute swan
Mallard
Tufted duck +
Blackheaded gull

We also saw a Grey squirrel!

Sunday, 21 November 2010

Granta Park visit

The Abington Naturewatch visit on 26 July is reported in Granta Park's newsletter:
http://www.mepc.com/parklife/grantapark/News/Nature.aspx?r=grantapark/News&p=1

Thursday, 30 September 2010

Autumn Members' Meeting - Saturday 9th October

The Autumn Members' Meeting will be held in the Abington Institute on Saturday 9th October, starting at 10:45 and ending at about 12:15.

We shall hear the reports on the past season and plan our winter bird-watching, as we usually do at this meeting. We shall also be discussing the longer term development of Naturewatch, so please come if you possibly can.

In addition:
Items of interest (natural objects, photos, posters, books, etc) on display ... please bring them along!
Café open

No entrance charge, chance to contribute to costs
Non-members, sympathetic friends etc all welcome

Sunday, 26 September 2010

River improvements in Sluice Wood

The Environment Agency has recently carried out some repairs and improvements around the old Bottomer sluices. With the kind permission of the riparian owners, two Environment Agency staff members, Ruth Hawksley of Water for Willdlife and two heroic Naturewatchers (Jennifer Hirsh & Derek Turnidge) successfully installed two stream deflectors in the river nearby.

The deflectors, one at each bank, consist of a short line of vertical poles, angled upstream, to which are wired substantial bundles of brushwood and long faggots. These are permanent fixtures, in which silt and vegetation accumulates. Their aim is to improve the habitat for a wide range of animals. By diverting the stream to the centre they enhance its flow, thus scouring out the bed to make it more gravelly and improving oxygen levels. Fish find refuge in the 'pools' above the deflectors, and the silt and vegetation provide habitat for many species of invertebrate.

The site is fairly inaccessible and can only be approached from private land but the effect should be to improve the wildlife we see in the river elsewhere. We will be looking to see what happens on our regular river sampling trips.

The agency has also been doing similar work in Hildersham, upstream of the village hall.

Sunday, 12 September 2010

Have you seen this fungus?

The Turnidges have this bracket fungus some 15' up an oak tree in their front garden. They think it is probably Laetiporus sulphureus - Chicken-of-the-Woods... can anyone confirm this?

Sunday, 22 August 2010

Granta Geese

George has been watching the geese on Granta Park lake...

Barnacle Geese

Greylag Goose

The Aims of Abington Naturewatch

At their meeting on 9 April 2005 the members approved this revised version of the aims of Abington Naturewatch:

To monitor and record the wildlife (fauna & flora) within the borders of the Abingtons;
To encourage protection of our wildlife, maintain its quality and foster its diversity;
To promote awareness of the richness, potential and problems of the natural environment of the Abingtons;
To cooperate in improving access to the local natural environment for the benefit of all Abington villagers.

Pat Daunt, Founder

The organisation is informal and communication is by email if possible; members are notified of events from time to time. Contact details are maintained by a small "project team". There is currently no membership fee as costs are covered by voluntary contributions at events.

Members are encouraged to report notable sightings of flora and fauna within the Abingtons to the appropriate sector coordinator and an illustrated record is published annually.

A map of the area covered, with some features noted, is available here: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=213774935674882866424.00000111dca2be9f06ab8&z=13>

For more information or to join, please contact David Farrant on (01223) 892871.

Contributions to our records should be sent to sector contacts or either of the above. Photographs may also be submitted to Andy Merryweather (amerryweather61@gmail.com)