Sunday, 31 March 2024

March

Rushmoor Community Lottery

We've launched our page on the Rushmoor Community Lottery. 
Tickets cost £1 per week - we will receive 50p per ticket (and other local good causes 10p). 
You could win up to £25,000!
Scan the QR code below, or click this link to go to our page. Thank you for your support.



Volunteer Work Parties

Our volunteer work party schedule for the next few 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.

 
Friday 1st March

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, Skylark & Stonechat.

Colin Varndell: Treecreeper.

Roger Dickey: 12 Snipe.

(c) Colin Varndell - Flooded Hide

(c) Colin Varndell - Flooded Path

(c) Colin Varndell - Treecreeper

Saturday 2nd March

Colin Varndell: Siskin.

Mark Elsoffer: Green Woodpecker.

A huge thank you to the 25 volunteers who turned out on a damp morning to help plant 420 trees in a rejuvenated hedgerow in Lisa’s Wood today. Thanks to The Woodland Trust for donating the trees and the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership for logistical support.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Colin Varndell - Siskin

Sunday 3rd March

Richard Horton: Green Sandpiper.

Colin Varndell: 6 Lesser Redpoll & 6 Siskin.

(c) Colin Varndell - Lesser Redpoll

(c) Colin Varndell - Siskin

(c) Jon Hawkins - Great Crested Grebe

(c) Jon Hawkins - Great Crested Grebe

Monday 4th March

Peter Brown: 40+ Redwing.

Richard Horton: 2 Green Sandpiper.

Colin Varndell: Siskin.

(c) Peter Bowles - Great Crested Grebe

Tuesday 5th March

(c) Jon Hawkins - Roe Deer

(c) Jon Hawkins - Great Crested Grebe

Wednesday 6th March

Peter Brown: 2 Green Sandpiper & 5 Snipe.

(c) Peter Bowles - Great Crested Grebes

Thursday 7th March

Murray Nurse: 4 Snipe & Mediterranean Gull.

Colin Varndell: Cetti's Warbler, 2 Siskin & Lesser Redpoll.

Murray Nurse: Small Tortoiseshell (first of year) & Comma (first of year).

(c) Jon Hawkins - Coot

(c) Jon Hawkins - Great Crested Grebe

(c) Jon Hawkins - Great Crested Grebes

(c) Colin Varndell - Cetti's Warbler

(c) Colin Varndell - Lesser Redpoll

(c) Colin Varndell - Siskin

Friday 8th March

Gillian Bamford - 2 new species for site: Gwynne's Mining Bee (Andrena bicolor) & Spotted Thintail Hoverfly (Meliscaeva auricallis).

Thanks to the 19 volunteers who planted the rest of the Woodland Trust trees in our rejuvenated hedgerow. We also planted 15 disease resistant elms, sourced by the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership from the Hampshire Forest Partnership. Great to be working with the Surrey Choices Growth Team as always.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Gillian Bamford - Brimstone

(c) Gillian Bamford - Colin & Richard

(c) Roger Dickey - Bullfinch

(c) Colin Varndell - Red Kite & Carrion Crow

Saturday 9th March

No reports.

Sunday 10th March

Peter Brown: 2 Green Sandpiper, 5 Snipe & 2 Water Rail.

(c) Colin Varndell - Chaffinch

(c) Tony Sadler - Mute Swans

Monday 11th March

(c) Chris Marney - Tufted Duck

Tuesday 12th March

(c) Tony Sadler - Mallards

Wednesday 13th March

Richard Horton: 2 Sand Martin - first of the year.

Thursday 14th March

John Hunt: 6 Sand Martin.

Dina Burford: Green Sandpiper.

Colin Varndell: Nuthatch.

(c) Colin Varndell - Nuthatch

Friday 15th March

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 6 Snipe, Water Rail & Stonechat.

Richard Horton: 12 Wigeon & Skylark.

We spent the morning fixing the new solar panel to the new Sand Martin Bank, along with the battery, and two chick shelters for the roof (thanks Phil). The caller is now working - hopefully the recorded calls we’re playing will attract the Sand Martins this year.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

Saturday 16th March

Peter Brown: 3 Green Sandpiper & Water Rail.

(c) Tony Sadler - Mute Swan

(c) Colin Varndell - Black-headed Gull

Sunday 17th March

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 20+ Snipe, Water Rail, 2 Linnet, 2 Stonechat, Skylark, 6 Meadow Pipit, Goshawk & Raven.

Mark Elsoffer: Peacock (butterfly) - first of the year.

Monday 18th March

Richard Horton: Green Sandpiper.

Dina Burford: Water Rail.

(c) Chris Marney - Kestrel

Tuesday 19th March

Peter Brown: Green Sandpiper, 8 Snipe & Water Rail.

Colin Varndell: Little Egret & Siskin.

(c) Colin Varndell - Bullock

(c) Colin Varndell - Roe Deer

Wednesday 20th March

Richard Horton: 3 Green Sandpiper.

Dina Burford: 2+ Snipe.

(c) Colin Varndell - Cetti's Warbler

Thursday 21st March

Dina Burford: 2 Snipe.

(c) Colin Varndell - Little Grebe

(c) Colin Varndell - Red Kite

Friday 22nd March

Richard Seargent: Yellow-legged Gull (last recorded 30/12/21),

Dina Burford: 3+ Snipe.

(c) Dina Burford - Snipe

(c) Dina Burford - Yellow-legged Gull

(c) Colin Varndell - Long-tailed Tit

Saturday 23rd March

Colin Varndell: Snipe.

We had a stall at the Farnham Bloomin' Community Fair at Gostrey Meadow today.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Farnham Bloomin' Community Fair

(c) Wild Cam - Chiffchaff

(c) Wild Cam - Roe Deer

(c) Colin Varndell - Blackcap

(c) Colin Varndell - Jackdaws

Sunday 24th March

S Brownhill: Wheatear (first of the year) & 5+ Sand Martin.

Dina Burford: Snipe.

(c) Dina Burford - Little Egret

Monday 25th March

(c) Chris Marney - Jay

(c) Rich Ment - Blackbird

Tuesday 26th March

(c) Colin Varndell - Black-headed Gulls

(c) Colin Varndell - Song Thrush

(c) Colin Varndell - Starling

Wednesday 27th March

Don Lemmon: Swallow (first of the year) & Sand Martin.

Dina Burford: 2 Snipe.

Thursday 28th March

(c) Jon Hawkins - Roe Deer

Friday 29th March

Peter Brown: 5 Snipe.

T Smith: 2 Swallow.

(c) Dina Burford - Snipe

Saturday 30th March

Mark Elsoffer: 6 Snipe, 2 Skylark, 2 Mistle Thrush & 4 Stonechat.

Dina Burford: Orange-tip - first of the year.

Gillian Bamford: Holly Blue - first of the year.

Melanie Nicholls: Green-socks Peacock Beetle (Elaphrus riparius) - new species for site.

Over 150 children (and around 400 people in total) attended our joint Easter Egg Trail and Community Garden Open Day at the Kiln today. Well done to Katie and her team for organising such a great free event for local families.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Easter Event

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Easter Event

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Easter Event

(c) Dina Burford - Mistle Thrush

(c) Gillian Bamford - Red Admiral

(c) Melanie Nicholls - Green-socks Peacock Beetle

(c) Melanie Nicholls - Tapered Drone Fly

Sunday 31st March

Our female Barn Owl laid her first egg this morning. You can follow all the web cameras from this link.

(c) Colin Varndell - Pheasants

(c) Colin Varndell - Pheasant