Early morning hoarfrost after a very cold night!
and one of our volunteers, wildlife photographer Luke Massey, has included this photo of a heron on our site in his calendar for 2013 ….
For more information and to see more of his excellent photographs, go to Luke’s website: www.lmasseyimages.com
Seen perching on the boardwalk handrail, Tuesday morning…. and yes, there are two. No copying or pasting here …..
A rare dry day saw the volunteers out in force for the first cut of the meadow area ……
Make the most of it! Recent showers have had no effect on the continuing fall in water level.
On the subject of our local chalk stream, a new book has been announced ……
– The River Ver – A Meander through Time
by Jacqui Banfield-Taylor
This first major and comprehensive work on the River Ver
reveals a fascinating story from source to confluence and prehistory to the
twenty-first century of a chalk stream that has shaped not only the local
landscape but the lives of people past and present.
With a forward by the renowned television presenter and
wildlife photographer Chris Packham of Spring/Autumn Watch fame, the book tells
of the Ver’s long, interesting and chequered history, including archaeology and
geology, milling and watercress growing, problems with abstraction along with
rainfall and aquifer records, abstraction and flow charts and comprehensive
records and details of a selection of local flora and fauna.
There are wonderful personal memories and experiences
sprinkled throughout the book of people who have lived, worked and played on or
near the river, helping to bring the past to us here in the present, all
complemented with over 300 illustrations, many never seen before in public and
some going back more than 250 years.
The River Ver, A Meander through Time, makes it clear how
valuable and important our chalk streams are and how vital it is to raise their
profile and that of the rich diversity of wildlife they support. This
beautifully written and illustrated book hopes to encourage readers to take an
interest in exploring and caring for this superlative resource and its
surroundings and help to give the River Ver its rightful importance now and for
future generations.
Just a few days after our AGM talk by Peter Antram , leader of the St Albans RSPB , Mamta from Luton reported a productive visit with her RSPB group …
Blackbird, blue tit, carrion crow, chaffinch, coot, dunnock, great spotted woodpecker, great tit, green woodpecker, jackdaw, jay, kingfisher, lesser redpoll, long tail tit, magpie, mallard, moorhen, ring-neck parakeet, robin, siskin, song thrush, wood pigeon, and wren
and all before 10.00 am …. learner birders take note, make an early start!
Please leave a comment on this post with your sightings and be sure to include the following details if at all possible.
19.01.2012
9 ring necked parakeets on site today.
They’re always there and few native species seems to worry them.
Until a sparrowhawk flew over that is, then they went into an extreme panic.
Not quite as dominant as we thought they were then. . . .
some fly-bys:
spotted on site early morning January 16th.
… too cold to be enjoying the view though ….
