DaNES Insect Show 2023

Join Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Entomology Society for their 2023 Insect Show – ‘A celebration of Insects’. It takes place on Saturday 11th November at the NTU Brackenhurst Campus, from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. Free entry.

Click here for details

Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Volunteer Forum 2023

The Forum is scheduled for Sat 7th Oct at Upper Saxondale Community Hall 11.15 am to 4 pm  (lunch provided). The overall theme for the day will be Community Action for Wildlife, plus an update on the Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy, followed by a visit to the Saxondale Nature Reserve and Orchard.
This is open to anyone engaged with wildlife and nature conservation in Rushcliffe  so please forward it onto other membefrs of your group.
Look forward to seeing you there.
Gordon Dyne –  Chair RNCSIG

Kinoulton Swift Project

Kinoulton Swift Project are having another swift evening on 10th July at St Luke’s church, Kinoulton. Big emphasis on insects and the churchyard, as well as the colony in the tower. Swifts 61% occupancy, 25 breeding pairs so far; 10 nests with 3 chicks, 7 with 2 chicks. We have 16 nests on camera in the nave.

Attaching a flyer for the evening. Alan Wilkins Kinoulton Swift Project flyer

http://www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SAW-flyer-2023-AJB145529062023-A4-scaled.jpg

Wildlife walks in May

 

Bingham Linear Park and Cotgrave Country Park are running wildlife walks in may as well so this is an updated list

Sat 6th May – Wilwell Farm Cutting in Spring. Join Gordon Dyne to look at the wildflowers at the height of the spring season around the reserve. Maybe some mud. Meet 10 am at the Wilwell car park on the left, just before the ring road bridge on the B680 between Ruddington and Wilford (look out for reserve sign) . Post Code for approx location NG2 7UT, Just Three Words = home, news, fuzzy   Need more info contact gordon.dyne@gmail.com

Sun 7th May – Dawn Chorus Walk at Rushcliffe Country Park 5.45 am till 7 pm. Come and hear the early birds with us. Join Staff and Volunteers on a gentle, informal early morning stroll celebrating International Dawn Chorus Day (Friends of Rushcliffe Country Park). The event is free. Just meet at the Visitor Centre.

Sat 13th May Bird Song Walk at Cotgrave Country Park at 6.30am   Learn about the birds chirping in the bushes with Lee Scudder and the Friends Group. Bring binocs, ID guides are available. Charge £2 to book tickets go to Book your ticket here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-friends-of-cotgrave…

Sun 21st May – Guided walk along Bingham Linear Park with Jenni Craig  at 10 am, starting from the Tythby Rd entrance. We are looking out for butterflies such as the Grizzled Skipper. Wear stout shoes. jenny@ifcraig.com

Out and About with Wildlife 2023,

South Notts Local Group is running a series  of walks based around Rushcliffe nature reserves running through to Autumn.

Starting in Feb with a Winter Widfowl walk in and around Skylarks NR with Neil Glenn on Wed 8th and a Winter Wildlife walk round Wilwell Farm Cutting NR with Gordon the warden on Sat 18th. So put on your boots and warm winter woolies and get out and about.

For full details and the complete programme of walks follow this link  http://www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/?page_id=231   

ONLINE WINTER WILDLIFE TALKS COMING UP

Coming up next in the online talks programme Thurs 24th Nov – Wildlife of Finland with Cate Barrow featuring spring and summer wildlife, with images from a recent trip to Finland. This is the first of South Notts Local Groups programme of talks. It starts at 7pm, the cost is £4 per device and it is on ZOOM. To book a front row seat and also to see the rest of the Talks prog, follow this link  http://www.southnottswildlife.org.uk/content/?page_id=1969.

followed by

Thursday 1st December:   Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks – Max & Christine Maughan Come with Max and Christine as they describe the spectacular wildlife encountered on a visit to the world-famous Yellowstone National Park, and the magnificent geothermal and geographical features of these two iconic areas in the USA.

Max & Christine have had a passionate interest in all forms of wildlife for many years, and travelled to many destinations abroad, studying the wildlife of those areas. They regularly give talks based on their experiences.

To book this talk, please click on https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/south-notts-group-talk-yellowstone-grand-teton-national-parks-tickets-405191808607

Grizzled Skipper Butterfly Project Work Parties for 2022/23

These are the dates for the autumn/winter volunteer work parties for 2022/23. Once again we will be laying on 10 work parties during this period. I hope that you are able to come along and help continue the work to support this nationally scarce and locally, very important species.

2022

Sunday 2nd October – GCRN, Lime Sidings to Barnstone Tunnel – hay raking & removal

Tuesday 1st November – Grange Farm, Normanton on Soar – scrub clearance/ bare earth creation

Sunday 13th November – GCRN, Rushcliffe Halt & Cutting – scrub clearance/ bare earth creation

Tuesday 22nd November – Saxondale Disused Railway Spur – scrub clearance/ bare earth creation

Sunday 4th December – GCRN, Lime Sidings to Barnstone Tunnel – scrub clearance and egg laying site maintenance

2023

Sunday 15th January  – Flawborough Triangle – scrub regrowth clearance & treatment/ bare earth creation

Tuesday 24th January – Granby Disused Railway – egg laying site maintenance and targeted scrub clearance

Thursday 9th February – Staunton Quarry – scrub clearance & treatment

Sunday 19th February – Flawborough Footpath – scrub clearance and scallop creation/ bare earth creation

Tuesday 7th March – Site & Task to be Confirmed

We hope you will help us to prepare local sites for grizzled skipper to enjoy in spring 2023. Please contact me for meeting instructions – Chris Jackson (Notts Biodiversity Action Group Officer) Christopher.Jackson@nottscc.gov.uk

 

Red Kites in Rushcliffe.

According to Notts Birders two pairs of Red Kites have successfully bred in Rushcliffe this year. Apparently Red Kites are noted for setting up clusters of nests, so they are hoping that this is the start of a colonisation process over the next few years. So keep an eye on the sky, the next big bird you see might not be the usual Buzzard. Although it does make me wonder – will they be in competition with Buzzards anyone know ?

To look out for – the reddish  colouring on the body, upper tail and wing, but  probably most notable is that Red Kites have a shallow forked tail, whilst the Buzzard tail fans out. Bigger than a Buzzard it `s call is described as a thin piping sound, similar to but less mewling than the common buzzard.

Bonus fact – the UK supports 10% of the RK population.

 

Wildlife for Children

Rushcliffe Wildlife Watch meets every second Saturday at the Rushcliffe Country Park Visitors Centre between 11 am to 1pm and is open to children between 8 and 12 years of age. Charge £3. For more info contact rushcliffewatch@nottswt.co.uk  . Next meeting is on Sat 10th Sept, with subsequent meetings on the 8th Oct, 10th Nov and 12th Dec.

UPDATE – this is the planned programme of activities  Rushcliffe Wildlife Watch programme Autumn to Winter 2022

Notts WT Work Party dates

Here are dates for Notts Wildlife Trust volunteer work parties in the southern half of Notts coming up in the next few weeks including a couple in the Rushcliffe area. Click on the links for more details.

Attenborough

Monday 4th July – Delta – Balsam work

Tuesday 5th July – Delta – Balsam work

Friday 8th July – Delta – Balsam work

 

Monday 18th July – Delta Meadow

Tuesday 19th July – Delta Meadow

Friday 22nd July – Delta Hide – Meadow work

Attenborough Women’s Group

Saturday 16th July – Delta – Balsam work

Attenborough Sunday Group

Sunday 10th July – Butterfly Patch

Sunday 24th July – Location TBC

Tuesday Group

Tuesday 5th July – Kimberley Meadow – Hay work

Tuesday 12th July – Teversal Pastures – Common Standards Monitoring

Tuesday 19th July – Dukes Wood – Meadow management

Tuesday 26th July – Location TBC

South Notts Group

Wednesday 6th July – Skylarks – Path work

Wednesday 20th July – Skylarks – Meadow management