The group was formed when the popularity of the Bird Watching Group threatened to make the group too large.
We normally meet on the third Thursday of each month for a walk to see birds (and other wildlife), in particular waterfowl. The walk is usually in the morning starting at 10:30am followed by an optional lunch in a local pub or café for those who wish to partake.
We alternate between walks close to home and those a little further away but usually with no more than a ninety minute drive to get to.
We break for the summer months of June to August when foliage cover makes it more difficult to see song birds and most winter visiting waterfowl have migrated to their breeding grounds in more northerly regions - Iceland, North Scotland etc.
Venues for a typical season may include:
- Local sites such as Dinton Pastures including Lavell's Lake hides - typically held when we meet in September; Moor's Green Lakes, Wokingham; Twyford Nature Reserve (BBOWT) and Spade Oak Nature Reserve in Little Marlow These sites based around former gravel pits are excellent for waterfowl but also have a lot of song birds in the surrounding trees. Further away we may visit Wildfowl and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust sites at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire and Barnes (the London Wetland Centre) nationally important sites for over-wintering waterfowl and waders; RSPB sites such as Rainham Marshes in Essex; BBOWT (Bucks, Berks and Oxon Wildlife Trust) reserves such as College Lake in Hertfordshire, as well as other National and Local Nature Reserves.
We visit sites to see what we can see there and don't pursue particular species.