Saturday 24th January 2026 – Our annual trip to Slimbridge
Meet at 9.30am at Paulton car park for car share or 11am at Slimbridge
Further information from Diana 07581 451805
Wednesday 4thFebruary 2026 – Talk; The Secret Lives of Garden Bees by Jeanie Vernon
If you want to learn more about the wild bees in your garden, then this talk is just for you. Come and join us for presentation/talk with award winning writer and author Jean Vernon (aka Jeanie Bee). Jean is on a mission to unravel, demystify and explain the intricate balance of nature and to introduce everyone to the familiar and unfamiliar bees that live and breed in our gardens. During the illustrated talk Jean will offer a glimpse into the secret world of our wild bees and introduce you to some of the charming bumblebees and fascinating solitary bees that bring our gardens alive and pollinate our plants. Learn about their nesting needs and the power plants that make a difference and a few stories about incredible bees that will simply amaze you.
See ‘Other Information’ below for talk location and entry details.
Friday 6th February 2026 – Trip to Ham Wall
Meet in RSPB car park at 3pm to go and watch the starling murmuration, wear warm clothes. Date may change depending on weather conditions.
Contact Diana for further information or car share 07581 451805
Saturday 7th February 2026 – Goosard Batch Nature Reserve work morning
Please contact Jim Crouch 01761 410731 or by email: jim.crouch@macegroup.com to let him know who is coming so he can plan activities. Anyone is welcome to attend.
Wednesday 4th March 2026 – Talk; The Swans on The Bishop Palace Moat
Moira Anderson will be giving a lighthearted look at the history of the Swans on the moat.
See ‘Other Information’ below for talk location and entry details.
Wednesday 3rd December – AGM and Diana’s Photographic Year
Radstock Working Men’s Club at 7.30 pm for an 8 pm start.
There is no charge for this event.
Saturday 6th December – Goosard Batch Nature Reserve work morning
Please contact Jim Crouch 01761 410731 or by email: jim.crouch@macegroup.com to let him know who is coming so he can plan activities. Anyone is welcome to attend.
The next events are:
Saturday 19th July – Bat Walk, Radstock – Braysdown – Radstock (ST700553)
This 1 ½-mile ‘circular’ walk will take in Woodborough, Braysdown and the Colliers Way cycle path, including about 100 m on-road. We expect to see and hear Serotines and other bats, weather permitting. We will have a few bat detectors, but do feel free to bring your own!
The walk starts on the cycle path just east of Lower Whitelands at 9.15 pm. Please bring a torch and suitable clothing/footwear. The event will be cancelled if the weather is not suitable.
Parking: Parking is tricky and limited. It might be easiest to use the car park by the Radstock Memorial and take the route of NCN 24 (Colliers Way cycle route) east from there. Using the car park will add an extra 1 ½ miles of (easy) walking.
Contact Deborah at camvalleywildlife@gmail.com or on 01761 435563 for further details
Sunday 27th July – Butterfly Trip to Alners Gorse at Hazelbury Bryan, Sturminster Newton, DT10 2AU, Dorset
The Butterfly Conservation’s flagship Reserve. The last time we visited in 2009, 21 species of butterflies were spotted. Meet at Diana’s by 9.30am for car share as there is not much space for parking on the road. Bring a picnic, and stout footwear is also needed. If the weather forecast is poor please ring Diana the night before on 07581 451805
We are especially in need of help with setting up and taking down the stall at the Clutton Flower Show on Saturday 9th August. Please contact Diana on 07581 451805 if you can help.
Diana has sent an appeal out asking for volunteers. The village days planned are:
Paulton in the Park, 5th July; Midsomer Norton Town Fayre, 12th July; and Clutton Flower Show 9th August. Set-up and take-down times are on this poster.
The spring 2025 newsletter features Nature Notes, Members’ Photos, End-of-year Project Reports (AGM article), Goosard Reserve and an article entitled, “How are Moths Faring in Britain?” Can you spot the error (courtesy of an IT problem) and identify the real identity of the imposter? Clues: 1) Not so rustic after all! 2) British Crown Dependency’s big cat.
The CVWG Events Programme has been updated.
Upcoming July Events are Goosard Reserve Workday (5th), Walk around Haydon Batch (13th), Bat Walk (19th) and Butterfly Trip (27th). The CVWG stall will be at the Paulton Party in the Park on 5th and the Midsomer Norton Town Fayre on 12th.
CVWG contributes to the Barn Owl Trust’s annual report on barn owl populations in the UK. We have added an article about the report and our group’s statistics to our own 2024 report. Please visit our Barn Owl Reports page to view.
The Cam Valley Wildlife Group Newsletter, Winter 2024 has been posted on our website. Back copies of this and previous newsletters can be downloaded from the back copies page.
Cam Valley Wildlife Group 
