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Friday, 16 May 2008
A simpler way to get news updates
Further to my article in the latest newsletter, I have implemented a much simpler solution for those of you who are a bit unsure about "RSS feeds"! If you look on the home page, you will see a new blue box on the left inviting you receive news updates as emails. If you click this box, a new window will pop up asking you to enter your email address. Once you have entered your email address you will be sent a confirmation email, and you need to click on the link in that email to activate your subscription. You are free to unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in any of the news emails you receive. Your email address will remain confidential and will not be used for anything other than the Gravesend RSPB News Feed. Hope this is a better solution for you all and I look forward to seeing the number of registered email addresses going up very quickly!
Alan
Monday, 12 May 2008
AGM reminder
This month's indoor meeting at St Botolph's Hall will include a short AGM, followed by a presentation by David James, RSPB Education Officer at North Kent Marshes, about the work of our local RSPB reserves. Come along and find out what the RSPB is doing in our patch. 07:45pm start - see our "Indoor Meetings" page for full details.
Friday, 9 May 2008
Dawn Chorus at Stodmarsh NNR
Don't forget the outdoor meeting this weekend. Set your alarm clocks for a VERY early start on Sunday 11th May - meet in the reserve car park at Stodmarsh for a 6am start! See our programme for full details and a Google map is available on our "Outdoor Trips" page.
Friday, 2 May 2008
Tern raft update
2 common terns were seen on the raft yesterday (thurs) - fingers crossed...!
Thursday, 10 April 2008
One good tern (raft) deserves another
The Thursday team of volunteers built and launched a second tern raft at Cliffe last week. Unfortunately, there were a few buoyancy issues resulting in some comments from passing birdwatchers such as " 'ere mate, yer rafts sinkin" and "Gone-Tiki, eh, ha ha ha". So this week, our intrepid volunteers have been re-adjusting buoyancy tanks and re-balancing the tonnes of gravel and the result is a level platform on which any self-respecting tern with a pilot's license could land on a sixpence.
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
black throated diver at Danson Park
Ian took this photograph of a Black Throated Diver at Danson Park yesterday (24th March).
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Tern raft - the movie
This is a video clip of the official launch of tern raft no 1 at Cliffe Pools:
credits: Cameraman - Steve
Editor - Alan
Starring - Nick, Brian, Alan (and Steve behind the camera) plus RSPB warden, Paul
Friday, 22 February 2008
Tern raft at Cliffe Pools
The Thursday volunteers have been working hard over the past few weeks preparing to make the first of several (well, maybe two or three) Tern rafts to be floated on the pools at Cliffe. Once we'd bolted the frame together, we added the platform boards with supports and then attached 10 drums for buoyancy before the big launch. We then added over a tonne of gravel to the floating platform (all shovelled by hand!) before attaching the concrete anchors with chains and towing it out into position. If you look carefully, you can just make out a small raised covered section on the platform - this is for the chicks to hide from predators. Despite the proximity to water, the only casualty was Steve with one wet foot!
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Elmley
Steve went to RSPB Elmley reserve on a guided fact finding tour on our behalf. Alan Johnson, RSPB North Kent Marshes area manager, was leading the walk and providing the latest reserve information for the benefit of local groups. Steve said it was hard work but made slightly easier by brilliant views of peregrine, marsh harrier, hen harrier etc etc! He was welcomed to the reserve by a volunteer kestrel.
Falcated Duck
I don't really want to get involved in this. Allegedly this is a falcated duck but after my recent efforts with kingfishers I will let you decide. Its a very smart duck though. It turned up just outside Gravesend and Julie sent me this brilliant photo. I say no more. Argue amongst yourselves! John - its probably plastic anyway.
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Caught in the Act!
Now you know who it is that leaves a pile of feathers on the lawn. Poor old collared dove! On Wednesday at the Cliffe Pools RSPB reserve consultation meeting a chap walked in and showed me a series a brilliant photographs of this sparrowhawk. I said that I liked them and he went home and returned for the evening session with a CD full of great pictures. I wasn't there but he left the CD for me but didn't leave his name! To whom it concerns - thanks!
Friday, 18 January 2008
Lydd Airport Protest Meeting
Please note that this meeting has been cancelled. Thank you very much for offering to help with the activities we were planning for the Shepway Council meeting on January 30. I am pleased to be able to tell you that your support won't be needed that day because, since we asked people to help, the situation has changed dramatically. The Council has backed away from taking an early decision and is no longer meeting on January 30. It all happened very suddenly when on Monday morning at 10.45 a.m. Shepway District Council issued a statement saying that needed more time to gather information about the impacts of the airport expansion. As a result, they were postponing the Council meeting on January 30 for between two and six months. Although this doesn't mean that we've seen back of the airport expansion plans, we believe that the Council is at last beginning to recognise how serious an impact a larger airport will have on the surrounding area. The very fact that they are asking for extra time to gather information to help inform their decision is further proof of the complexity of the issues and adds weight to the argument that the final decision should be made at a Public Inquiry.
Sunday, 6 January 2008
Shellness - the horizon of the future?
As the Oystercatchers make their way out for afternoon tea, wind turbines fill the horizon behind them. Will this be the sea view all around Britain in years to come? What do you think - good or bad?
Shellness NNR meeting
About 20 hardy souls braved the cold on a gloriously sunny day looking for waders and raptors. Here we all are sheltering out of the chilly wind watching a large flock of Knot and another of Oystercatchers, all roosting on the beach waiting for the tide to go out. Well done Malcolm for spotting a Purple Sandpiper which everyone else missed!
Saturday, 5 January 2008
Website changes
Just to let you all know that the 2008 events programme is now available to download online. Also, on the Outdoor Trips page I have added a link to a "Google Map" which will show you all the locations for this year. Within Google Maps you can zoom in and out, and switch to a Satellite image that lets you see from above exactly where to meet, so you can have no more excuses for getting lost!
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
It wasn't me Guv - honest!
Paul is having a well earned break from removing tree guards from young oak trees. Two members of this work group remember collecting acorns from the existing wood and growing them on in pots. The oak whips were planted out about 10 years ago. The oak and bramble scrub is now full of breeding whitethroats in the spring. Many insect species are attracted by oak. Recently a study of a species of moth that feeds on oak leaves was carried out on these young trees at Northward Hill. The moth is quite common but during the study a rare parasitic hymenopteran wasp was found attacking the moth caterpillars. These trees are only the second known location for this species in Britain! By the way. Paul would like it to be known that he is not responsible for the damage to the RSPB truck.
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Christmas Working Group
On the Friday after Christmas volunteers from the Gravesend Group met at Northward Hill reserve to work off the Christmas excesses by removing wire and plastic tree guards from some oaks that we had planted about 10 years ago. The new woodland area is just below the woodland that contains the Northward Hill heronry. The herons should start gathering on the marsh in the next few weeks. They have a favourite ditch along which they like to gather after spending the winter dispersed throughout the Thames and Medway estuaries. Our group of volunteers worked in the morning and after lunch visited the northern sections of the marsh near the Thames. Two marsh harriers were with us most of the afternoon but a couple of hares soon vanished! Several herons were seen so perhaps they are already starting to return to Northward Hill.
Sunday, 23 December 2007
This really is a reed bunting
Reed Bunting
Oare Marsh. A reed bunting feeding on the seeds of Spartina on the saltmarsh. Tried to get a photo of the avocets but they were too far away.
North Kent Marshes Volunteers
On Thursday volunteers from the RSPB North Kent Reserves gathered at Oare (a KWT reserve!) for a festive birdwatch. The floods were frozen but it was a beautiful morning. Merlin, marsh harrier, waders and rock pipit were among some the birds seen. Five bearded tits were found in the small reedbed. The volunteers then went to the Shipswright Arms for a team building session.
FW: Group visit to Dungeness
Monday, 17 December 2007
Siskins are back
The recent cold weather has led to an increase in the number of siskins visiting gardens. Siskins will use bird feeders - evidently they like peanuts in red net bags. This photograph from Julie shows a female siskin on a niger feeder.
Saturday, 1 December 2007
Seasalter - New RSPB Reserve
On Tuesday RSPB volunteers and group members visited the new RSPB reserve at Seasalter. Alan Johnson, North Kent Reserves area manager, gave the group a conducted tour of the reserve and explained the future management of the area. Although there is a lot of habitat restoration required it is hoped that within five years the reserve will support good numbers of breeding waders such as lapwings and redshanks. He explained that there would not be any visitor access for the foreseeable future.
Thursday, 22 November 2007
juvenile malachite kingfisher? maybe not...
Spot the difference. Well, I didn't know. Jan sent me this photo of a kingfisher that she had taken on holiday. What she didn't tell me was that she had been to the Keurbooms River in South Africa!
Holy Trinity School
On Friday 16th November, pupils from Holy Trinity Primary School visited Kingsnorth Power Station on the North Kent Marshes, where Bill Jones has a nature study centre. The children had great fun learning about the wildlife of the area. They visited the ringing station and saw this beautiful great spotted woodpecker.
Peregrine
On Saturday 17th November the Group visited Elmley RSPB Reserve. Unusually for this reserve we did not see many birds although we did see a grey phalarope. Some members of the Group left early and immediately saw a hunting peregrine which came to ground just in front of them. Julie texted me the news and sent me this picture. Of course those of us who stayed on did not see the bird. Well thank you very much Julie!
Saturday, 27 October 2007
Outdoor meeting at Oare Marsh KWT October 27th, 2007
 The weather was quite good for late October. It was deceptively warm in the car park but people soon reached for their gloves once we got on the sea wall and felt the chilly wind - but a gentle walk in the morning sunshine soon warmed us up! There were plenty of waders about in quite large numbers - Redshank, Black Tailed Godwit, Golden Plover, Lapwing and Dunlin in abundance, and some Ringed Plover, Curlew, Ruff and Avocet. We also found a Little Stint scurrying about between the feet of the bigger waders. Other birds in or around the water included Shelduck, Shoveller, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Heron, Little Egret and Cormorant. Amongst the reeds we heard a few Cetti's Warblers, some of us saw Bearded Tits, and there were plenty of Stonechats about - we also spotted a few Fieldfare. We thought we had a Buzzard but it was a long way off and not confirmed, but we did see Marsh Harrier and Kestrel. Other animal "spots" were some Seals in the distance, a Marsh Frog hopped across our path, and one or two people caught a glimse of a Water Vole. After lunch, some of us decided to go to Reculver where there had been reports of a Great Grey Shrike and a Dusky Warbler. When we got there, the Shrike had long gone, but the Dusky Warbler was still there. After quite a bit of waiting and watching along an overgrown footpath, one or two of us caught brief sightings of it, but it was very elusive - some hardened "twitchers" had been there for several hours and had still not seen it! Photograph is of the group scanning the estuary for some VERY distant Brent Geese.
Thursday, 25 October 2007
30th Anniversary Meal
Our group leaders past and present; from the left: Malcolm Jennings, current group leader; David Arnold - group leader from 1984 - 1997; Peter Heathcote - group leader from 1997 to 2002. Taken at the 30th anniversary dinner of the Gravesend group.
Friday, 19 October 2007
Installation of Memorial Bench
Brian and Bob have almost completed the installation of the new memorial bench kindly provided by the Bexley RSPB Local Group. The Ernie Hemsley viewpoint gives outstanding views of the RSPB North Kent Marshes Reserve at Northward Hill.
Gravesend RSPB Volunteeers
Brian and Malcolm prepare to set out for the Ernie Hemsley viewpoint at the RSPB Northward Hill reserve. Having spent the morning coppicing woodland they have one last task to achieve today.
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Rainham Visitor Centre
The new Rainham Marshes RSPB visitor centre - Love it or loathe it! The Gravesend group gave the visitor centre a "thumbs up" after their visit on Sunday. Nice teapots!
Monday, 15 October 2007
Stonechat picture
Thanks to Ian for sending this great picture of one of the stonechats seen on Sunday.
Stonechat at Rainham
On Sunday 14th October 20 members of the group visited Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve. This was our first visit to this newly opened reserve. Everyone was impressed by the visitor facilities and how the RSPB have turned a rather ragged and much abused area into a great place to visit. Snipe, wigeon and ruff were some of the birds on show and stonechats seemed to be in every bush.
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