Volunteer Work Parties
Our volunteer work party schedule for the next 4 months.
Please do come and join us if you're free - a great way to spend a morning, helping nature, working with the local community, and having some fun at the same time.
Wednesday 1st December
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| (c) Dina Burford - Path to Ray's Gap |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Goldcrest |
Thursday 2nd December
Mark Elsoffer: 2 Snipe, Little Egret, 5 Fieldfare & 20 Redwing.
A huge thank you to the 7 volunteers who forked & raked Bells Piece Wildflower Meadow this morning before we sowed it with Yellow Rattle seeds. The Yellow Rattle should parasitise the grass, creating bare patches next year for wildflowers to thrive in. The hibernacular also got a new insulating layer of grass cuttings to keep the residents warm over winter.
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Hibernacular |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Volunteers at work |
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| (c) Gillian Bamford - Volunteers at work (well one is, the other is leaning on a fork) |
Friday 3rd December
Mark Elsoffer: 3 Snipe, 2 Little Egret, Kingfisher & 12 Redwing.
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Cormorant |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Great Crested Grebes |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Shoveler |
Saturday 4th December
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Grey Heron |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Red Kite |
Sunday 5th December
John Hunt: 2 Raven.
Richard Seargent: Great Black-backed Gull.
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| (c) John Hunt - Raven |
Monday 6th December
No reports.
Tuesday 7th December
No reports.
Wednesday 8th December
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Chaffinch |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Greenfinch |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Great Spotted Woodpecker |
Thursday 9th December
Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 300 Lapwing, Little Egret & 2 Peregrine.
Colin Varndell: Lesser Redpoll.
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Egyptian Geese |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Jay |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Lesser Redpoll |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Teal |
Friday 10th December
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| (c) Dina Burford - Roe Deer |
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| (c) Dina Burford - Shoveler |
Saturday 11th December
Dave Baker: Dunlin, 2 Green Sandpiper, 5 Snipe, 2 Water Rail, Cetti's Warbler, Ring-necked Parakeet (20th for site, 7th this year), Raven & Peregrine.
A huge thank you to the 33 volunteers who cut and burnt willow at our work party this morning. The reed beds are going to flourish thanks to the hard work of our wonderful volunteers. Thank you Andy & Sharon for the baked potatoes, the passers by who dropped off mulled wine, and everyone who brought cakes.
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Volunteers at work |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Santa cooking |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Lord Len |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - George with his mum's cakes |
Sunday 12th December
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Long-tailed Tit |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Tufted Duck |
Monday 13th December
No reports.
Tuesday 14th December
John Hunt: 2 Green Sandpiper, Snipe, 163 Lapwing, Goldeneye (male, supposed escape, 6th record for site, 144th bird species for 2021 - pending acceptance), 10 Little Grebe, 11 Meadow Pipit & Grey Wagtail.
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| (c) John Hunt - Goldeneye |
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| (c) John Hunt - Pochard |
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| (c) Dina Burford - Green Sandpiper |
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| (c) Dina Burford - Little Grebes |
Wednesday 15th December
Colin Varndell: 2 Lesser Redpoll.
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Cormorant |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Lesser Redpolls (with Goldfinch) |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Mallard |
Thursday 16th December
Mark Elsoffer: 195 Lapwing, Little Egret, 10 Little Grebe, 3 Common Gull & Peregrine.
Peter Brown: Goldeneye.
Anon: 2 Snipe, Water Rail, Cetti's Warbler & Raven.
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| (c) Dina Burford - Goldeneye |
Friday 17th December
Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper.
We were delighted to host a team of volunteers from WSP UK for a morning of willow clearance in the reed beds today as part of WSP’s staff community volunteering scheme. We’re always happy to host corporate volunteer groups.
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Councillor Porter lends a hand |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Volunteers at work |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - The WSP team |
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| (c) Dina Burford - The banner comes down |
Saturday 18th December
Cameron Sibbald: 2 Pintail (m & f, 19th for site, first since 29/09/20. 145th bird species for 2021).
Peter Brown: Goldeneye.
Mark Elsoffer: 11 Snipe, 10 Lesser Redpoll, Stonechat & 20 Meadow Pipit.
Our volunteers conducted a snipe survey of the meadow today. 11 snipe counted using the BTO rope drag survey.
We checked the Kiln Barn Owls today - to our surprise, both were males. They were the pair ringed in Dec 2020 - one born in 2020, one 2+ years older. Is the older male the male from our breeding pair this year? Is he the father of the younger male? Where is the female roosting?
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Snipe survey |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Snipe survey |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Barn Owls |
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Barn Owls |
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| (c) Dina Burford - Blue Tit |
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| (c) Dina Burford - Wren |
Sunday 19th December
No reports.
Monday 20th December
S Brownhill: Green Sandpiper.
Tuesday 21st December
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Egyptian Geese |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Fox |
Wednesday 22nd December
Richard Horton: Goldeneye.
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Reed Bunting & Siskin |
Thursday 23rd December
Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe & 2 Little Egret.
Dina Burford: Yellow-legged Gull (1st winter).
Carey Lodge: Treecreeper.
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| (c) Dina Burford - Little Egret & Grey Heron (with lunch) |
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| (c) Dina Burford - Yellow-legged Gull |
Friday 24th December
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| (c) Colin Varndell - The Kiln |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Tufted Duck |
Saturday 25th December
No reports.
Sunday 26th December
Richard Horton: Caspian Gull (2nd winter, 14th for site, last recorded 24/11/20. 146th bird species for 2021).
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| (c) Dina Burford - Flooded Woods |
Monday 27th December
Mark Elsoffer: Snipe, 226 Lapwing, Little Egret, 94 Teal, 5 Little Grebe, Lesser Redpoll, 10 Siskin & Grey Wagtail.
Tuesday 28th December
Mark Elsoffer: 200 Lapwing, 88 Teal, Goldeneye, 6 Little Grebe & 18 Fieldfare.
Dina Burford: Cartilage Lichen (Ramalina farinacea) - new for site.
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| (c) Dina Burford - Cormorant |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Blue Tit |
Wednesday 29th December
Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 12 Snipe, 226 Lapwing, 114 Teal, Yellow-legged Gull, Goldeneye, 7 Little Grebe, Little Egret, Water Rail, Grey Wagtail, 5 Fieldfare, Goldcrest, 4 Linnet, 10 Lesser Redpoll & c650 Jackdaw (new site record count).
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Lord Len's Stepping Stones |
Thursday 30th December
Mark Elsoffer: 2 Snipe, Jack Snipe, Goldeneye, Pintail (20th for site, 2nd this year), 124 Teal, Water Rail, 18 Common Gull, Yellow-legged Gull & 10 Fieldfare.
Richard Seargent: Great White Egret (14th for site, 4th this year).
Leonard Winchcombe: Green Sandpiper.
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| (c) Mark Elsoffer - Pintail |
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| (c) Dina Burford - Great White Egret |
Friday 31st December
Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, Snipe, 229 Lapwing, Goldeneye, 60 Redwing, 20 Fieldfare, 10 Siskin, 2 Lesser Redpoll & 2 Peregrine.
Leonard Winchcombe: 2 Raven.
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| (c) Dina Burford - Chaffinch |
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| (c) Dina Burford - Goldfinches |
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| (c) Colin Varndell - Red Kite |
