Annual Report
The Tice's Meadow 2016 Annual Report can now be downloaded for free from this link:https://1drv.ms/b/s!AuC9nX__kWIggSW-F4MUtWcsifGH
If you would like to buy a glossy, full colour, A4 hardcopy of the report for £15, please email us: ticesmeadow@hotmail.co.uk
All funds raised from the sale of our annual report are channelled back into projects on the nature reserve.
Spring BioBlitz
Our Spring BioBlitz will be held over the bank holiday weekend of Friday 28th April to Sunday 30th April.Note: For those of you who bought one of our calendars, this is a week earlier than shown on the calendar.
Activities currently planned for the weekend include guided bird walks, moth trapping, guided bat walks and a weekend-long bird ringing demonstration (run by Roger Dickey).
Please keep an eye out for further announcements, including which other partner organisations will be attending this year.
Over 90 members of the public enjoyed last year's BioBlitz, with 86 species of bird recorded, and one well known birder called it "The highlight of the Surrey birding year". We hope to see you all at the 2017 event.
Tuesday February 28th
No reports.Wednesday March 1st
No reports.A massive thanks to Murray Nurse for donating lots of bill hooks and saws for our volunteers to use on site today.
Thursday March 2nd
Mark Elsoffer reported 2 Lapwing, 18 Mallard, 10 Tufted Duck, 5 Pochard, 6 Gadwall, 30 Teal, 40 Shoveler, 12 Fieldfare, a Red Kite, a Kestrel, a Peregrine and 5 Buzzard this afternoon.Friday March 3rd
No reports.Saturday March 4th
Mark Elsoffer reported a Common Sandpiper, 5 Lapwing, 12 Mallard, 20 Teal, 10 Tufted Duck, 7 Pochard, 6 Gadwall, 52 Shoveler, 24 Wigeon, a Red Kite, 2 Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk and 4 Kestrel today.Sunday March 5th
Richard Horton reported a Common Sandpiper, 3 Bullfinch, 2 Red Kite and 2 Buzzard today.Monday March 6th
A Barn Owl was reported flying along the site boundary this evening by a local resident called Dave.Barn Owl is a rarely reported bird on site, with only 1 report in 2016, 1 in 2014 and a handful from the winters of 2012/13 and 2007/08. We know Barn Owls are roosting, and probably nesting, in the nest boxes at the Kiln, and are regularly seen in fields in Badshot Lea. They are probably under recorded on site due to no-one being around after dusk to see them.
Barn Owl is the 87th species recorded on site this year.
Tuesday March 7th
Kevin Duncan reported a Little Ringed Plover and 2 adult Mediterranean Gull today.In addition, Murray Nurse reported 2 Chiffchaff today.
In addition, Richard Horton reported a Common Sandpiper and 2 Stonechat today.
This is the earliest recorded Little Ringed Plover on site (by 2 days) and the joint earliest ever in Surrey (shared with North Gatwick in 1987).
Tice's Meadow has now equalled the earliest and latest recorded Little Ringed Plovers in Surrey.
Little Ringed Plover is the 88th species recorded on site this year.
Kevin also reported seeing plenty of frog's spawn in the ponds today.
Wednesday March 8th
No reports.Thursday March 9th
John Hunt reported a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover, a Water Rail and a Red Kite this morning.In addition, Mark Elsoffer reported a Lapwing, 9 Teal, 10 Gadwall, 8 Tufted Duck, 6 Mallard, a Pochard, 2 Wigeon, a Great Crested Grebe, a Redwing and 5 Buzzard this afternoon.
Mark Elsoffer reported 2 Brimstone and 6 Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on the wing around Horton's Mound today.
The Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership rangers spent the day on site today cutting and strimming the brambles around the hibernaculars and reptile monitoring sites, along the paths and around Horton's Mound.
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Blackwater Valley Ranger Cutting Grass |
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| (c) John Hunt - Little Ringed Plover |
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| (c) Steve Minhinnick - Little Ringed Plover |
Friday March 10th
Richard Seargent reported a Wigeon, 4 Greylag Goose and an adult Mediterranean Gull this afternoon.Ray has again been on site clearing our the overgrown vegetation from in and around the River Blackwater and the Water Rail Ditch. Ray is a one-man work party, who can be found most days on site working away. We are extremely grateful for his hard work and dedication.
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| (c) Murray Nurse - Ray at Work |
Saturday March 11th
Mark Elsoffer reported 7 Lapwing, 17 Snipe, a Little Egret, 9 Mallard, 13 Teal, 6 Gadwall, 5 Wigeon, 2 Pochard, 14 Tufted Duck, an Egyptian Goose, 8 Redwing, a Fieldfare, 5 Reed Bunting, 3 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel and a Peregrine today.In addition, Dave Baker reported a Sand Martin, 2 Raven and a Siskin today.
In addition, Dave Baker and Mark Elsoffer jointly reported an adult Mediterranean Gull, 15+ Red Kite and 25+ Buzzard today.
In addition, Steve Minhinnick reported a Goshawk today (outside the site boundary).
Sand Martin is the 89th species recorded on site this year.
The count of 15+ Red Kite is a new site record count.
The count of 25+ Buzzard is a new site record count.
A large species of bat was seen flying over the Workings for a while this afternoon - possibly a Daubenton's Bat.
Mark Elsoffer reported 5 Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on the wing today.
18 volunteers met on site this morning and completed the following tasks:
- Strimmed the ringing rides in the Reedbed ready for the BioBlitz.
- Relocated a disused metal gate from the Plant Yard to the fence infront of the Reedbeds, allowing safe and secure access for ringing and reedbed management.
- Fixed the steps down to the stepping stones.
- Put up a new Tawny Owl nesting box kindly built and donated by Steve Minhinnick.
- Cleared up and burnt the piles of cut willow, brambles and vegetation from the river.
A massive thank you to everyone who attended. Tice's Meadow relies on volunteers generously donating their free time to continue managing the site for the wildlife and visitors.
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| (c) Richard Seargent - Trevor & Mark Digging New Post Holes |
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| (c) Richard Seargent - Burning Willow |
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| (c) Steve Minhinnick - Frog's Spawn |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Volunteers Taking a Well Earned Break |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Steve & Trevor Digging a New Post Hole |
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| (c) Trevor Birkett - The Newly Installed Gate |
Sunday March 12th
Dave Baker reported a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover, a Redshank, 3 Egyptian Goose, 42 Herring Gull, 6 Sand Martin, singing Chiffchaff, singing Redwing and a singing Siskin.In addition, Richard Seargent reported 2 adult Mediterranean Gull (over), 7 Reed Bunting, 2 Chiffchaff and 2 Stonechat this afternoon.
Richard Seargent reported Blue Tits nesting in nestbox 41 and Great Tits nesting in nestbox 28.
Redshank is the 90th species recorded on site this year.
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| (c) Richard Seargent - Slow Worm |
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