For more information contact Brian by pressing on the link above. Fill in the form, press send and it will go to Brian.

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Colin and Sandra have stepped down as conveynors of the group from September 2025.
They thank all the members for the gifts and flowers and say that they are very grateful. Colin says "I am so pleased that the Group will continue and a huge thank you to Brian for agreeing to replace me as the Group Conveynor. I'm sure we are all looking forward to an enjoyable year. Thank you to those who have agreed to act as Convenors for the various visits and undertake the other roles within the Group. Good luck to Brian. All future missives will come from him."

Our next visit
Our next outing on 15th June should have been to Worcester/ Upton Warren which was swapped with Whixall on 20th April, but I have had a suggestion that Tittesworth Water (near Leek) could be a good venue to visit.
 ST13 8SW

Previous meetings
May 18th 2026
I think we can all agree we had a very enjoyable time last Monday at RSPB Ham Wall.
What a treat we enjoyed, personally for me it is the best experience I’ve had at a RSPB reserve,  and also just a few miles away from the reserve I was lucky enough to spot a Bittern in Flight, and a Barn owl hunting successfully for breakfast.
Thanks to Colin & Sandra for asking Sue to provide some expert knowledge of the site, and for organising the pub meal on Monday evening.

We had a few new species for 25-26, which include:
Barn Owl, Bittern, Cuckoo, Garden Warbler, Hobby, House Martin, Swallow, Swift and Willow Warbler.
I think we spotted over 51 species, bringing our total count of different species in 2025-26 to 104

Apr 20th 2026 - Whixhall Moss

Mar 16th 2026 - RSPB Point of Ayr/Rspb Conway

Feb 16th 2026 - Carsington Water

Jan 19th 2026 - Westport Lake Nine new members joined the group for a visit to Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent. It was a little bit misty but that didn't detract from an enjoyable stroll around the lake. 37 different species of birds were spotted, with a couple of new species being added to our list. This brings the total of 67 different species this season since september 2025 at four different locations.

Westport Lake is the largest expanse of water in Stoke-on-Trent. There is a level footpath of about 1 mile (1.6KM) around the lake and it is an overwintering site for many species.

Monday 17 Nov 2025 - Venus Pool -10 members were detoured around the flooded Severn to enjoy a sunny mornings visit to Venus Pool.
In total 42 species were spotted, a nice sight was to view a Grey Heron, a Great Egret an a Little Egret all within 20 metres of each other.
Another highlight of the morning was to see a multitude of Snipe foraging instead of 'hiding'.

Monday 20 Oct 2025 - Belvide Reservoir - Despite being down on numbers seven members dodged the rain, and we enjoyed a good day.

Monday 22 Sep 2025 - Wood Lane reserve and Ellesmere - Although I wasn't in attendance personally , 11 members attended our first visit of the 2025-2026 season. First stop was Wood Lane then onto Ellesmere and further species were observed. In total 33 different species were spotted on the day.

Monday 16 June 2025 - Bempton Cliffs

Monday 19 May 2025 - Westport Lake in Stoke. The refurbed cafe should be open.

Monday 7 April 2025,

Cars will leave Buntingsdale Road at 9.15am.

Ellesmere Heronwatch and Wood Lane. Our very own leader Colin getting a robin to eat from his hand.

Nine members of the Group enjoyed two days away in North Norfolk. Visits were made to RSPB Snettisham, RSPB Titchwell Marsh and Norfolk Wildlife Trusts site at Holme Next the Sea. The main highlights there were a small flock of Snow Buntings, and the detonation of an unexploded bomb on the beach!

Sadly, the expected spectacular at Snettisham did not materialise, although a good selection of species were seen.

Our day at Titchwell Marsh was particularly fruitful, with a total of 50 different species sighted.

Visit to North Norfolk 15/16 March 2025

The visit was rounded off with a Group Meal at The Jolly Sailors in Brancaster Staithe, where members were unexpectedly treated to a 2 hour concert of folk songs and sea shanty's by a 20 strong group.

Overall a very successful and enjoyable trip.

Tuesday 18 February the Bird Watching Group, joined with members of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, to enjoy a very informative presentation by Ian Barthorpe, Visitor Experience Officer at RSPB Minsmere, entitled "A Brazilian Adventure, visiting the Pantanal and Southern Amazon in Search of Birds, Mammals and More"

During his visit, he saw 406 different bird species, plus such mammals as jaguars, Capybara, Ant Waters and Giant River Otters. A fascinating evening.

Monday  17 February 2025 - Carsington Water.

Twelve members of the Group enjoyed a productive visit to Carsington Water, near Ashbourne on Monday 17 February. This was a new site for many of us, run by Severn Trent Water. The birdlife was very active, and we managed to see 46 different species, including some new ones for this season. In addition we were briefly entertained by the appearance of a Mink!

On Monday 20 January 2025 - 12 members of the Group enjoyed a very productive visit to RSPB Conway. Despite the dull and damp weather we were able to spot 39 different species, including the elusive Water Rail, a first for some members.

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