Next Indoor Meeting - Wednesday 1st June

Hello

The next indoor meeting of the Northants Bird Club will be on this coming Wednesday (1st June) at the usual venue of the Fishing Lodge at Pitsford Reservoir (NN6 9SJ).

Our speaker will be David Ogombar from the British Trust for Ornithology who will present  'Hooked on Albatrosses'. The presentation will revolve around the fortunes of these fantastic ocean-going birds from the southern hemisphere and what has been accomplished in trying to reduce deaths associated with commercial long-line fishing.

As usual the meeting will open at 7.30pm will a few notices and then straight in to the main presentation. Hot drinks and biscuits will be available during the evening. Car parking facilities exist around the Fishing Lodge itself with an overflow capacity down by the water's edge by the fishing boats. Please note that the causeway does not provide an opportunity for parking now due to the installation of permanent wooden bollards.

Members and non-members alike are invited to the meeting and I look forward to seeing you there!

Regards

Neil M

BIRD CLUB OUTING

Sunday the 15th May, Bob Gill, Wendy and myself travelled to Lakenheath RSPB reserve on the
monthly Northants Bird Club outing.
Bravely, we were joined by Paul and John Fuller, taking the full 10 minutes to get there from
their abode nearby.

Lakenheath is always a great reserve to visit any time of year with always plenty to see and find.
Slowly heading to the parking area, two beautiful Roe Deer stood in the woods watching our arrival.
Bob forced us to having a cuppa and sandwich before setting off onto the reserve proper, a policy I
willingly adhered to.

Typically for me our progress was slow, but hey, we had all day. Cajoled and harried to the first
bus stop, Fen Hide, a flurry of photographers were all vying for pics of Cuckoo.

By then all the usual suspects had been seen Reed, Sedge, Willow Warblers, Whitethroats, etc.
Cetti's and Bearded Tit seen briefly.

The Cuckoos, up to three in all, didn't want to play ball keeping at distance but calling defiantly.

Someone strolled up from a group trip from Brandon Marsh way toting their latest Bird Report,
on front, a stunning image of a Cuckoo on a stump taken at the marsh, I had to hold Bob back!

We spent a fair chunk of time there waiting and waiting and waiting. Meantime, Paul and John
had continued and were now making their way back home just in time for Lewis and Nico to crash.

Back for refreshments then straight to Mere Hide hopefully for Kingfisher, to be fair, the hide was as quiet as the grave, but over the marsh Marsh Harriers and Hobbies were hunting. Watching  Hobbies
hunt is absolutely wonderful, twisting and turning on a sixpence, grabbing insects on the wing dismembering them then eating without looking forward, it really is good stuff.
Bellowing booms of Bittern and the echoing call of Cuckoos, just listening with eyes closed was in
the real sense of the word Magical just Magical.

Wendy had wandered off to grip us off with Garganey.

Returning back for hot chocolate, the Macros came out. Wendy found a great little Pied Shieldbug
Tritomegas dubius, this is like the black and white version but has a metallic green sheen, Yeah!

PIED SHIELDBUG

DEAD NETTLE BEETLE

SOLITARY WASP sp

To be honest going to Lakenheath is a great day out anytime and with good company you can't whack it with a big stick.

Photographic Meeting

We’ve been running digital photographic meetings for just over a year now and the last one 'What Makes a Great Wildlife Image?' was one of the best attended so far.

We’re thinking of topics for the next meeting and are open to suggestions.

Following on from Robin’s fantastic illustrated talk on insects at the last Bird Club meeting, how about macro photography?

Are you familiar with all the setting for your new DSLR? How about birds in flight? What shutter speed should be used?

The meetings are held at Pitsford Fishing Lodge on a Saturday morning and are free to all comers, members and non-members alike.

Just let Robin, Dave T. or me know what subjects you’d like to see covered or leave a message below and we’ll arrange a date for a Saturday in June. Hope to see you there.

Dave J.

p.s. A big thank you to Sarah who gives her time and allows us to use the room, I must remember that Old Rosie next time!

Edit: Next meeting is July 2nd - see above.

Driven grouse shooting petition

Hello

Conservationist Mark Avery has initiated an e-petition on the Westminster government webpage which is asking for driven grouse shooting to be banned:-

              https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125003 

This e-petition is whizzing along, having been signed by 33,000 UK citizens in under six weeks. We have another 20 weeks to go and we might just reach the magic 100,000 signatures which will trigger a debate in parliament. We might!

Driven grouse shooting elicits (illegal) persecution of protected birds of prey like Hen Harriers but also depends on intensive moorland management that increases greenhouse gas emissions, reduces water quality (and increases water bills), increases flood risk (and home insurance costs) and reduces aquatic biodiversity (and probably fish stocks). That's the short version of why grouse shooting needs to change.

So, please sign this e-petition and we might just be able to preserve our upland habitats for the right environmental reasons and not just create a huge sterile grouse rearing pen.

Thank-you

Neil M

Female Red Grouse

Meadow Pipit, a typical
breeding bird of the uplands
and wild places in the British Isles.

Indoor Meeting 4th May

Elephant Hawk-moth

Hello

A reminder that our next indoor meeting will be this coming Wednesday (4th May) when Bird Club Committee member Robin Gossage will be presenting his own illustrated talk 'A Journey into Insects'.

Combining Robin's fascination of both photography and mini-beasts, Robin hopes to provide us with an opportunity of properly appreciating the intricacy and beauty of the smaller things in life. The images will portray insects and similar from both the UK and his travels around the world.

As usual the meeting will be at the Fishing Lodge, Pitsford Reservoir, just outside Holcot village on the Brixworth Road (NN6 9SJ) starting at 7.30pm with some preliminary notices.

Hot drinks and biscuits will be available during the evening and both members and non-members are most welcome!

Thank-you

Neil McMahon

Banded Demoiselle