Coming up in Rushcliffe

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SPRING & SUMMER OUT & ABOUT WITH WILDLIFE PROGRAMME

Mon 13th May – Holy Cross Convent (Costock) for a guided walk with Sister Mary Julian around the Convents woodlands, several acres of rough grassland, a wildflower strip and old orchard. Meet 10 am, but numbers limited, contact Gordon Dyne 0115 8784842 or gordon.dyne@gmail.com for details.

Wed 15th May – Wilwell Cutting Nature Reserve in late spring – with Tim Williams looking at a variety of wildlife found on the reserve btoh obvious and obscure. Meet 10 am at road entrance, on the right just after going under the ring road along the B680 between Wilford and Ruddington. (Gordon Dyne 0115 8784842 or gordon.dyne@gmail.com)

Sat 18th May – Ruddington Spring Fair – 9.30am till 12 pm at St Peters Rooms, Ruddington  (opposite the church) selling plants, cakes, craft goods to raise funds for Notts Wildlife Trust. (Gordon Dyne 0115 8784842 or gordon.dyne@gmail.com)

Sun 26th May – Bingham Linear Park Grizzeled Skipper Butterfly Walk (and other flora and fauna), meet 10 am Tithby Bridge entrance. Led by Jenny Hawkings (hawkingsjenny@gmail.com)

Sat 1st June Wilwell Cutting Nature Reserve Open Day from 10 am till 4pm – particularly for the early summer wildflowers (including Southern Marsh Orchids) labelled up around the reserve. Also some guided walks. Road entrance, on the right just after going under the ring road along the B680 between Wilford and Ruddington. Car parking available. (Gordon Dyne 0115 8784842 or gordon.dyne@gmail.com)

Sunday 2nd Jun 2019 – Keyworth Meadow open day walk starting at the Keyworth burial ground car park at 09.30. Further details from Neil Pinder on 07981 928402

Sun 9th June – Guided walk round Dewberry Hill Nature Reserve at Radcliffe on Trent. Meet 2 pm at the entrance on Cropwell Road (going out of Radcliffe), parking on the left about 150m beyond the traffic lights up the hill. Gordon Dyne (01158784842 or gordon.dyne@gmail.com)

Wed 12th Jun – Site Visit Gresham Marsh – meet 7pm at the Emmanuel School roundabout on Wilford Lane West Bridgford. Gordon Dyne (gordon.dyne@gmail.com or 0115 8784842)

Sat  22nd June – Moth morning at Wilwell Cutting Nature Reserve – the chance to view in detail the contents of last nights moth trap with Paul Dulwich. Meet 8.30 am at the Road entrance, on the right just after going under the ring road along the B680 between Wilford and Ruddington. Car parking available. (Gordon Dyne 0115 8784842 or gordon.dyne@gmail.com)

 

Rushcliffe Wildlife WATCH Summer Programme

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Please find the new Spring to Summer programme for Rushcliffe Wildlife Watch  Wildlife Watch programme Spring to Summer 2019.  Based at Rushcliffe Country Park WATCH Is for children between 8 and 13 years old.

Even if they don`t come to WATCH they can still participate in ‘30 days wild‘ in June. 30 Days Wild is all about doing a ‘random act of wildness’ each day during June to bring you closer to nature. Our 30 Days Wild web page has information about last year’s activity and a few blogs to inspire you to get involved. This will be updated as we go through the campaign. So, we would like to encourage all of you to sign up online here: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild.

In addition to our regular programme, you will notice that we have a very special event in August during the school holidays. The Wilder Woodland Gathering at Skylarks Nature Reserve is a free family event starting at 1:00pm and going through till 7:00pm and there will lots of fun activities running right through. So put the date in your diaries now so as not to be disappointed on the day!

We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday 11th May at 11:00am. Don’t forget your coats and wellies in case it is a bit wet as we will have lots of fun out in the park.

WHATTON PRISON WILDLIFE PROJECT RECIEVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION

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Numerous projects have been carried out in the grounds of HMP Whatton in Rushcliffe, including creation and management of extensive wildflower areas, installation of bird feeding stations and nest boxes for birds (including swift and owl boxes) and bats manufactured in the craft workshop, shrub beds, walkways, small ponds and water gardens, bug houses, log piles and a wormery. These projects very much link to and support the biodiversity of the local area, with Bingham Linear Park and the River Smite being very close by.

The staff and prisoners are closely involved in all projects and the work closely ties in to rehabilitation, skill development and wellbeing, with the prisoner’s having an increased awareness of wildlife and the natural environment.

HMP Whatton has closely involved and engaged with external local partners on these projects, including Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers, Swift Conservation, Rushcliffe Barn Owl Project and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust organised and delivered a presentation/ demonstration event, centred on ponds and amphibians and further activity and projects are being planned for the future. The prisoner’s take part in monitoring wildlife, for instance recording bird and small mammals found in the habitat areas.

We are very pleased that HMP Whatton has received national recognition for the excellent nature conservation projects they are carrying out in the prison grounds. Their achievements have been recognised through the Ministry of Justice as they recently won the National Offenders Management Service (NOMS) Wildlife awards as outright winners in 2018. As partners, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust was pleased to attend a celebration event at the prison in September.

Ben Driver  (NWT Southern Conservation Officer)

 

WILWELL CUTTING NATURE RESERVE OPEN DAY

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Visit the reserve in early summer, the Southern Marsh Orchids will be in flower along with a host of other wildflowers. We will be labelling many of them up, but in addition volunteers will run several guided walks round the site and will also have the South Notts nature table out. The open Day is on Saturday 1st June from 10 am till 4 pm and the reserve can be found on the B680 on the left just before the ring road bridge between Ruddington and Wilford Village. The entrance to the car park will be signed (Post Code NG2 7UT will get you very close, but not spot on. For a map of the reserve and general location see https://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/nature-reserves/wilwell-farm-cutting-nature-reserve

Gordon Dyne (Reserve Warden)

 

SOUTH NOTTS RINGING GROUP – 2018 REPORT

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The bird ringing group have published thier annual report covering thier principal rinnging sites at Attenborough and Holme Pierrepont, see SNRG Report 2018  for details. But this year the ringing group have agreed to hold an “open morning” where people can come along and see thier work (and the birds) at close hand. This is on Sundaty 18th Aug at Skylarks Nature Reserve BUT numbers are limited in timed groups and to reserve a time slot please contact Gordon Dyne on gordon.dyne@gmail.com for more details.

RUSHCLIFFE REPTILE & AMPHIBAIN SURVEY

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Under the ausoices of the Nottinghamshire Amphibain and Reptile Group (NARG) we are putting out an appeal for records of amphibains and reptiles seen in Rushcliffe. These can be posted online (  https://groups.arguk.org/nottsarg )  and will add to our understanding of these species distribution within Rushcliffe and the county. All that is required is date, species, number and location and a photo if possible (particularly important if it is something very unusual like an adder, sloworm or common lizard). And of couse records of the young ie tadpoles etc are equaly good evidence of presence.

Although you might think your few records from a garden pond say are not important, they can contribute to a much bigger picture confirminmg presence in an area and contributing to a better view of abundance.

For more infornation about the survey and reptile and amphbians in Rushcliffe see 2019 Rushcliffe Amphibian Survey final -v2

Why trees have been felled at Sharphill Wood

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Ash dieback, the tree disease currently attracting most attention, is unfortunately not the only disease that affects trees. Sharphill Wood has been struck by a number of other fungal infections that have weakened many mature trees including Ash, which is common in the wood. In recent years many trees have fallen or been blown down, but a number have had to be felled because they pose a danger to the public using the footpaths and the many organised school groups who play in the wood. The sight of so many fallen trees has understandably attracted concern from visitors to the wood.

The Friends of Sharphill Wood have been consulted by Rushcliffe Borough Council, the wood’s owner, on the need to remove the dangerous trees and we rely on them to clear any trees that fall blocking the footpaths. We have recently been donated some new trees, which go some way to replacing the lost trees. Much more planting will be required to replace all the lost trees and we hope to meet with Council officers and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, with whom we operate a management plan for the wood, to discuss how we can regenerate the wood to ensure its continued amenity value to the area.

The award winning Friends Group have been working to maintain the wood for the past 10 years and this latest challenge, together with mitigating the impact of the new housing development, places unprecedented demands on our volunteers. If you would like to help save this iconic landmark for future generations you can contact us through our website www.sharphillwood.org or on facebook. It would be marvellous to hear from you.

Bill Logan

Friends of Sharphill Wood

Notts Wildlife Trust in Rushcliffe

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A few months ago NWT briefed Rushscliffe Borough Councilon NWT activities in Rushcliffe, which in part is funded by the council under a Service Level Agreement to promote nature conservation localy. This link Rushcliffe SLA Presentation to RBC June 2018  is the slide set from that and gives a very good idea of the range of activities being undertaken, both by staff and volunteers in 2017, but you can assume that 2018 is similar.

CELEBRATING RUSHCLIFFE AWARDS 2018

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At a very good awards ceremony held at Beckett School local nature conservation groups & people were well represented. In the Environment Category the winner was Tim Williams & Ian Workman for their particular contributions to the Wilwell Farm Work Party (and also Wilford Claypits), but in addition the East Bridgford Wildlife Group were short listed for their work at Springdale Wood and Bridgford Street Meadow. In the Young Environmentalist category I am delighted to say that Samuel Mark won for his volunteer work at Skylarks and that the Rushcliffe Wildlife Group were also short listed.  As was Bill Logan in the Volunteer of the Year category , Bill is an NWT Trustee but locally is a principal organizer of the Friends of Sharphill Wood.

So congratulations to the winners and short listed, but also a big thanks to all the other nature conservation related groups nominated (South Notts Ringing Group, Grizzeled Skipper Project, Radcliffe on Trent Conservation Volunteers, StMarys Convent, Whatton Prison) for their distinctive contributions to the natural environment of Rushcliffe.

 It demonstrates how vibrant the local nature conservation community is, as  that list could have easily been doubled.

 

CRAFT GOODS FOR THE SPRING FAIR

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In this years Spring Fair at Ruddington (Sat 18th May) we are hoping to extend the range of our crafts stall. Do you have any ideas/skills that might provide us with some different craft goods, particularly if it is wildlife themed ?

We would love to hear from you, as it would be assist us in our major fund raising exercise.

Contact gordon.dyne@gmail.com