The CVWG autumn/winter programme is posted in the Events Programme. It includes walks, talks amd conservation workdays. Our weekly Botany Walks are over for the year, but the 2023 programme is still up on the Botany Walks Programme page if you would like to see it. Please note that Moth and Bat night on 4th May 2024 is cancelled .

General Events information

CVWG runs events all year round, ranging from walks and conservation activities to talks and social events. We have two programmes, the (general) Events Programme and the Botany Walks programme. 

Botany Walks are usually held weekly on Wednesdays at 7 pm and run from early April to early September.  Everyone is welcome. Lift-sharing is encouraged. Contact Helena Crouch at helenacrouch@sky.com

Goosard reserve workdays are held on the first Saturday of each month. Please Contact Jim Couch on 01761 410731 or by email: jim.crouch@macegroup.com to book as anyone is welcome to attend but numbers are limited.

Venue for CVWG talks: Radstock Working Men’s Club, which has a large hall, with a large screen. A bar is available in the main part of the club, serving hot and cold drinks. Please park in the town car park next door (behind the library). There is a side entrance into the club from the car park. Entrance to talks is £2.00 for members, £3.00 for non-members. The cost of talks is subsidised to keep entry charges low. Any donations are most welcome.

Project work takes place throughout the year. For details of projects, please visit the Projects pages.

CVWG stalls at local events

Contact Diana for further information or to enquire about our stalls: 07581 451805

Insect/invertebrate events

If you would like to attend insect events, some of which are local and not posted in the programme, or if you wish to be added to our list of people who are notified of upcoming insect/invertebrate walks or surveys please send your details via our contact page or direct to camvalleywildlife@gmail.com.

Additional Events

To be notified of any additional events, please ‘follow’ our blog (see the bottom of the page). Reports on a few of our past events can be viewed below.

Other groups’ events

The Bath Natural History Society runs a good programme of events. For information about their events, please visit their website.

Timsbury Natural History Group also runs a good programme of outings and hosts interesting talks at the Conygre Hall.

The group can be contacted through its Secretary, Andrew Harrison, on 07814680062

The Keynsham branch of the Avon Wildlife Trust runs a varied programme of talks (2nd Friday of the month) and events.

The Mendip Gardening Club hosts talks including on wildlife. Visitors and new members welcome.

Past Events – a sample

Visit to Ham Wall, May 2018

On Sunday 20 May, 8 Members met up at Ham Wall RSPB reserve on the Somerset Levels for a glorious afternoon. Bitterns were booming in the reeds, and we also heard cuckoos and warblers, including Cettis. Among the birds we were lucky enough to see were Hobby, Marsh Harrier, Great Egret, Grebe, and Lapwing. Among the damselflies was the Red-Eyed Damselfly. We saw a few butterflies, including Holly Blue, Orange Tip, Brimstone and Red Admiral.

The highlight of the day however, was the sight of 2 Tawny Owl chicks high up on a branch, not far from the Avalon Hide. What a lovely surprise it was to see them!

Photos by Diana Walker

Visit to Long Wood, Cheddar, April 2018

On Sunday 22 April, 9 of us gathered at 10am on a beautiful morning for a walk at Long Wood, Black Rock at Cheddar. The late Spring meant that the bluebells we’d come to see were only just coming out , and provided a blue shimmer rather than a spectacular display. We also only saw one butterfly – a female orange tip. However, there was lots more to enjoy. At the entrance to Long Wood, a Black cap sang on a low branch to welcome us. We also heard frequent calls from green woodpeckers, and the surprisingly loud call of nuthatches.  

There were cuckoo flowers galore, and wood anemones, and Tony even found us a small patch of moschatel. We also saw several toothworts at the foot of hazels (see another of Diana’s photos attached). A good start to our season of Spring and Summer activities! A good start to our season of Spring and Summer activities!

Photos by Diana Walker. Please do not reproduce the photos without permission.

Visit to Birds of Prey Centre

Members of Cam Valley Wildlife Group went along to an Open Day at the North Somerset Birds of Prey Centre in Congresbury. We were particularly impressed by the large number of different owls at the Centre, including some very beautiful and unusual ones. The flying display in the afternoon gave Members an opportunity to take photos of the birds in flight, before the rain came down. 

We were also pleased to enjoy the shelter of the tropical Butterfly House next door,  where brightly coloured butterflies delight visitors – one even landing on the head of one of our Members! A really enjoyable day out, especially as there is an excellent café next door.

Owl photos by Gary Kingman.

Visit to the Avalon Marshes

The intermittent drizzle on the Avalon Marshes visit on Saturday 15 July didn’t dampen our spirits, but the weather meant that there was no sign of the White Admiral butterfly, although we saw plenty of others: Red Admirals on burdock, and ringlets, small white, gatekeeper and skipper. Swifts and swallows swooped around us as we walked to the reserve from the café. We saw many other birds on this beautiful romantic landscape, including bittern and cormorants flying overhead. Lots and lots of swans, including two families on the drain. On the lakes we saw white egrets, green sandpipers, reed bunting and a great spotted woodpecker perched high on a dead tree.

Visit to Langford Lakes Nature Reserve

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. As well as the usual ducks and swans, we saw a Greenshank, a plover, a Red kite and a flock of Lapwings. Highlight of the day was watching a pair of Great crested grebes building their nest on a fallen log in the water, right in front of us. Mike and Carol were lucky enough to spot a kingfisher, but even this did not stop Mike from bemoaning the fact that he hadn’t seen a snipe! Birders and their lists! We were also able to enjoy tasty home made cakes at a pop-up café in the education centre. Photos of the grebes below were taken by Gary and Diana.

Please do not use the above photos without permission. Thank you.