Wednesday 5 December 2018 – CVWG AGM update
Joshua Harris, local wildlife photographer and aspiring cameraman, will be giving an illustrated talk tonight at the AGM at Swallow (see CVWG events page for directions).
Seasonal refreshments (mulled wine/juice & mince pies) from 7.30pm, followed by short AGM and talks by Diana Walker and Joshua Harris. No charge.
There will be seasonal refreshments (mulled wine/juice & mince pies) from 7.30pm at Swallow on 5th December, followed by short AGM. Then Diana will be talking about her wildlife encounters during the year. Please also bring along your own photos from the past year. Direction to Swallow are at the bottom of the CVWG Events programme.
The 2017 Avon bird report is now out. It is available from Harvey Rose for £11.50 (includes postage) at Arncliffe, Coast Road, Walton Bay, Clevedon, BS21 7FW. Cheques should be made out to ‘AOG’.
The Woodland Trust are not able to provide a speaker as planned, unfortunately, and it has not been possible to find a replacement external speaker. However, Helena Crouch, the North Somerset Recorder for Flora, has very kindly agreed to provide us with a talk on Flora of the Cam Valley. Thanks to Helena, for coming to the rescue!
Coffee & cake from 7.30pm, talk at 8pm.
Venue: SWALLOW, Old Engine House, Old Pit Road, Midsomer Norton, BA3 4BQ
CVWG is hosting a talk about the wildlife of the Somerset Coal Canal tonight at Swallow, Missomer Norton. Coffee & cake from 7.30pm, talk at 8pm. Members £2, (non-members £3) For details and directions to Swallow, see https://cvwg.org.uk/cam-valley-wildlife-group-events/events-programme/
CVWG is hosting a talk, “Standing up for Trees” by Owen Rogers of Woodland Trust, at Swallow on Wednesday 14th November at 7.30 pm (see https://cvwg.org.uk/cam-valley-wildlife-group-events/events-programme/).
Timsbury Natural History Society is hosting a talk at the Conygre Hall Monday 19th November about a birding journey through Spain. See https://cvwg.org.uk/cam-valley-wildlife-group-events/ for details.
The Cam Valley Wildlife Group Events Programme for September 2018 to March 2019 is now available on our website.
If you would like to leave a comment/observation without using our Contacts page you can use the comments facility for posts through the ‘More posts’ button below.
An updated membership form is available on our website homepage for download
Interested in evening botany walks? We have a varied programme of weekly walks , available on our website to view or download.
The spring 2018 newsletter is now out and the Winter newsletterhttps://cvwg.org.uk/cam-valley-wildlife-group-newsletter/ has been posted on our website – a mixture of business and pleasure including an AGM report and a Spring Mining bee identification piece
Talk with live bats followed by a walk with bat detectors around Wellow village finishing at a greater and lesser horseshoe roost, for the Festival of Nature and the Avon Bat Group. 26th of May at 7pm. Contact Jo McKerr – Mob: 07957 246150; Tel: 01225 833748; joannamckerr@gmail.com
The Cam Valley Wildlife Group Events programme for April to September is now available on our website
The Cam Valley Wildlife Group Winter newsletter 2018 is out and the Autumn 2017 newsletter is now available on our website.
Our first talk of the season is on Wednesday 21st February at 7.30 pm for 8.00 pm at SWALLOW – a talk by Dan Cragg of Bristol Zoo on the Zoo’s conservation work. For details, see our Events programme
Saturday 27th January: PORTLAND/WEYMOUTH HARBOUR, Dorset. Joint RSPB/Bath Nats Coach Trip. Booking is essential, by coach booking form and pre-payment. For details, see the Bath Nats website at http://www.bathnats.org.uk
2018 New Year’s Day Walk
Leader: Diana Walker
Meet: 2 pm at the entrance to Grovewood Road, Haydon, Radstock, BA3 3QZ
A gentle walk from Haydon into Radstock and along the valley to Haydon Batch, then back to Diana’s house for tea and cakes at about 3.30 pm. The route will be a bit muddy so she recommends that you wear boots and have a walking stick might be helpful. The steepest part of the walk will be down hill from Haydon
Contact: Diana Walker on 01761 433688 or dianawalker4@gmail.com
Why not check out the natural history books for sale in our Spring newsletter, just posted? The list includes “collectables”. Proceeds go to the group.
If you are attending the supper and bat evening at Judy’s in Welton, don’t forget to tell Judy now so she knows how many to cater for!
The Bath Natural History Society’s June programme is out, starting with a trip to the North Wessex Downs on Saturday 3rd June. For further information , go to the “Field Trips” part of their website (about 12th on the list)
11.00am – Garden visit to Burrow Farm Gardens, Dalwood, Axminster, East Devon, EX13 7ET 13 acre garden with lovely naturalistic planting and views. Tea room and nursery. For further details, see the Events programme
Members of Cam Valley Wildlife Group had a trip out of the area on Sunday 30 April to visit the beautiful Langford Lakes nature reserve in the Wylye Valley near Warminster. For a short report and lovely photos of Great crested grebes, please visit our Events page.
Just a reminder that Phil Hall, who gave the Five-year Buterfly Hunt talk, is leading a live transect survey on Saturday 13th May from Single Hill to Stony Littleton and back (about 1 hour) followed by another site survey. See Events programme for more information.
Red kite seen in Radstock, Holly Blue butterflies on the wing in Carlingcott and Radstock, and those Green-winged orchids at Edford Meadows (see the Sightings page)
Phil Gait reports, “Lots of green winged orchids flowering in the four Edford Meadows fields – have been for over a week – earlier than last year!”
The Langford Lakes birdwatching trip in the Wylye Valley is on 30th April. This Wiltshire Wildlife Trust reserve has level paths and five hides. Contact Judy for more information/car share.
You might want to check out the Sightings page for updates about local sightings of skylarks, swallows, sparrowhawk, Barn owl, solitary and social bees and bee-flies. The sightings page now has photos alongside some of the entries.
Recent sightings by Judy Hampshire:
Sunday 26 March, 5.30pm above White City, Welton: skylarks fluttering and singing.
Monday 27 March: between 8.30 and 9am: Pair of grey wagtails, and dipper on Wellow Brook at Welton. (One morning last week, I saw a pair of dippers there but usually only see one at a time.) A wren accompanied me up the footpath at back of MN leisure centre car park, then on the broadwalk at back of Sun Chemical I saw a female goldcrest. ( A few weeks ago I saw a male goldcrest at the same spot, who actually hopped towards me along the metal fence, until it was level with my head! A magical moment!)
The 2017 CVWG Botany Walks programme is now available via our Events page. The first walk of the season is in Radstock at Waterside. Park in Radstock and meet at St Nicholas Church (ST688546) for a short walk beside the stream. Start time 7 pm. Lift share is encouraged and all are welcome. Contact details are on the programme.
CVWG event – Chew Valley lake on Sunday 19th March. We hope to see the grebes doing their famous mating dance. Meet outside the “Salt & Malt” café, junction of Walley Lane & Denny Lane, Chew Stoke, BS40 8XS at 11am. Parking costs £2 for the day. Please contact Judy for more information/car share.
I saw my first Hairy-footed flower bee of the year today, a male. He nectared at Lungwort and then settled on a nearby dandelion plant.
We have added a Q&A category to our message board, so if you want to ask a question there are two options:
Use the contact page to send a question for posting on the message board
Become a Contributor on our website
Contributors can write a message for any of our message board pages. Messages will go through a moderation process before posting. If you want to become a contributor, please ask for an invite through our contact page.
The CVWG Members’ plants and fungi gallery now has photos of some flora and one fungus. If you have some to send in, please use the contact page.
On the afternoon of 24th February, Stephen and I saw a pair of Marsh tits calling and displaying in woodland to the north of the bridleway between Radstock Sewage Works bridge and Lower Writhlington. The male was calling strongly and displaying to the female, who twittered and shook in food-begging mode.
There will be a CVWG stall at the 2017 Seedy Saturday event on 11th March at the Conygre Hall, Timsbury, 10.00 am to 2.00 pm – seed swap, potato day and green fair. For details of the event, go to http://www.seedysaturday.org.uk
New sightings, 16.02.2017 – see Sightings page
The Botany Drinks venue has been moved from the Somerset Wagon to the White Post, near Stratton-on-the-Fosse. The time is the same – 7pm
New February sightings posted on the Sightings page
Monday 6th March – Rob Randall – ‘Recording Wildlife in the Bath Nats Area’
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, 16-18 Queen Square, Bath. BA1 2HN.
Doors open 7.00 pm for 7.30 pm start
Rob will demonstrate the new facilities by which Bath Nats recorders can build up a database of wildlife and plants in the Bath area and how these data will be passed on to the local biological record centres and become an educational resource for the general public. This facility will be hosted by BRLSI on their website and local flora and fauna will be illustrated by photographs taken by Bath Nats members and other local residents.
The first sightings reports have come in! Andre has sent in some interesting ones, which are posted on the Sightings page. This is an interim measure while we look at setting up a system that members can use to post information themselves, by category. If you are interested in posting info and/or have suggestions for categories (e.g. Sightings!), please let us know via the Contact page.
