A session of watching from the Visitor Centre makes a pleasant break from hurly-burly

THIS EVENT HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED: WE WILL TRY AGAIN IN 2022

Saturday 21st August

This is a trip to the biggest gathering of bird enthusiasts in Britain. It was cancelled in 2010 and the organisers are determined to bring it back in style. There are extensive exhibitions of all sorts, a wide range of free talks by some of the world’s experts, and the chance to do some special bird watching too, since the site is a magnet to all sorts of birds. (NB. This trip is biennial, so your next chance will be in 2023.)

Depart 7.00 a.m. Whiteknights Park, Shinfield Road main entrance (SU728719 / RG6 6UR)

Pick up: 7.30 a.m. at Braywick Park (Braywick Sports Ground) Braywick Rd Maidenhead (SU892798/ SL6 1DX)

*Costing is provisional.

Wednesday 2^nd June, 2021

This Ridgeway site is north of Compton. A fine June evening on the Downs can be a real treat, with buntings, larks, pipits and wagtails – and maybe a few special surprises too.

Meet at 19:00 hrs at the north end of Churn Road, (which can be a bit rough at times) off High Street, Compton, at SU 507821 / RG20 7LY (nearest)

(For more about this area see County Sites on this web-site)

Thursday 22^rd April, 2021

Our first version of this walk in 2019 was well-attended, so it is offered again in 2021 in the hope of introducing more of us to some different flying creatures. We hope to encounter three or four species during this twilight session, but hardened birders should note that both Tawny and Little Owls also frequent the park.

Meet at 20.15 at the entrance to the Harris Garden (behind School of Biological Sciences) (SU 737714/ RG6 6EG ) Parking is available in that area.

Scattered houses, a light railway and hundreds of acres of gravel

Saturday 8^th May, 2021

It is a prime site at most times of the year At this season there should be nesting activity, incoming migrants, and sea passage.

See http://www.eastberksrspb.org.uk/calendar/56/359-RSPB-Dungeness-2021-br-Saturday-COACH-trip/ for more details

Meet at 7 a.m. at Braywick Park (Braywick Sports Ground) Braywick Rd Maidenhead (SU892798 / SL6 1DX)

Sedge Warblers sing their eccentric, excitable songs from reeds and bushes

Sunday 25th April , 2021

All nine regular warblers should be back, so we will get out early while they are still singing . There is a good chance on this extensive and varied site of finding Cuckoo, Common Tern, Swift and hirundines, as well as some passage waders.

Meet at 7.30 a.m. at Lavells Discovery Centre Car park (SU786725 / RG10 0SU) (Parking charge £1.50/hr)

(For more about this area see County Sites on this web-site)

A Roebuck in winter coat and antler velvet at Moor Green

Thursday 17^th December, 2020

We will walk around the lakes (possibly a short walk for some and a longer walk for others) to look for wildfowl, wintering finches etc., and maybe owls and raptors. Roe Deer are frequently seen.

If the weather does not suit, or if you want a gentle social lunch, simply join us for our Christmas meal at 1.30 p.m. Details will be available later but you must book well in advance.

Meet at 10 a.m. at Moor Green NR car park for the walk. (SU805627/ RG40 3TJ)

Lunch Menu and Booking (essential) via Carole White

(For more about this area see County Sites on this web-site)

Wildfowl and other water birds are sometimes corralled by winter ice 

Tuesday 5^th January, 2021

Walk off the New Year excesses, get a breath of air, and see some interesting birds to start your year-list. Drinks and snacks afterwards are optional, but you will need to book in advance. It is a gentle walk with lots of stops, but the wooded margins and the lake itself may throw up a wide variety of species and we should have time to check out Main Pit – just in case!

Meet at 10 a.m. in The Fox and Hounds car park at SU649698 / RG7 4BE

(For more about this area see County Sites on this web-site)

EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO CURRENT RESTRICTIONS

Spoonbills are now a regular feature at this site

Sunday 28th March, 2021

This site – an extensive area of marshlands, reed-beds and pools along the shore of the Solent – can normally produce a huge variety of waders and wildfowl, with a good chance of sea-ducks, divers and scarce grebes. The area rarely fails to produce something really special.

Meet at 9.00 a.m. at Keyhaven car park (SZ308916 / SO41 0TR) for limited free parking; there is a paying car park nearby and toilets.

Great Bustards feeding at the conservation site

March 2021: visit by car to the Great Bustard reintroduction site (Dates are flexible)

This is a good time to see the spectacular leks. These birds now qualify as a British species breeding freely in the wild. Access to the hide is via booking only and there is a fee. The site in Wiltshire is about 75 mins by car from Reading. Parking is in a nearby village and visitors are transferred to the site by Landrover.

Contact Ray Reedman before the end of January if you wish to book via the club.