RSPB South Essex events for March - click here

RSPB South Essex events March 2008

Healthy living walk at Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea
Every Monday 12.30 – 1 pm
Come for a lunchtime walk on a regular basis to improve your fitness in the peaceful surroundings of Wat Tyler Country Park. Walks to suit all abilities. Please register at 12pm on your first walk. Free event, call 01268 559158 for more information

Saturday 1 March, RSPB Vange Marshes walk 10 am
Join our monthly walk with the warden around the RSPB’s new nature reserve in Vange. Learn about how we are managing the reserve for people and wildlife and see what’s about. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Saturday 1 March, 10 am – Explore South Essex at One Tree Hill Country Park.
South Essex contains a wealth of wildlife and beautiful places to take a stroll. If you need convincing or want to discover these areas, then join us for a walk every Saturday as we explore a different area and look out for birds and other wildlife. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Wednesday 5 March, 11 am – Midweek explorers walk at One Tree Hill Country Park.
Get out and about in South Essex and discover some places you might not have visited before. There’s bound to be some wildlife to see too, and we’ll help you look for it. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Saturday 8 March, 10 am – Explore South Essex at Southend Seafront.
South Essex contains a wealth of wildlife and beautiful places to take a stroll. If you need convincing or want to discover these areas, then join us for a walk every Saturday as we explore a different area and look out for birds and other wildlife. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Sunday 9 March, 10.30 am – Identify gulls at Westcliff seafront.
If you think all gulls look the same then think again! Come and see the many gulls on the seafront and learn how they differ in size and colour. Telescope viewpoints will be available and friendly experts will be on hand to help you identify the birds. Free event but small donation appreciated.
Wednesday 12 March, 11 am – Midweek explorers walk at Hullbridge.
Get out and about in South Essex and discover some places you might not have visited before. There’s bound to be some wildlife to see too, and we’ll help you look for it. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Saturday 15 March, 10 am – Explore South Essex at RSPB Vange Marsh.
South Essex contains a wealth of wildlife and beautiful places to take a stroll. If you need convincing or want to discover these areas, then join us for a walk every Saturday as we explore a different area and look out for birds and other wildlife. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Wednesday 19 March, 11 am – Midweek explorers walk at Hadleigh Castle Country Park.
Get out and about in South Essex and discover some places you might not have visited before. There’s bound to be some wildlife to see too, and we’ll help you look for it. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Saturday 22 March, 10 am – Explore South Essex at Coalhouse Fort, East Tilbury
South Essex contains a wealth of wildlife and beautiful places to take a stroll. If you need convincing or want to discover these areas, then join us for a walk every Saturday as we explore a different area and look out for birds and other wildlife. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Wednesday 26 March, 11 am – Midweek explorers walk at Coalhouse Fort, East Tilbury
Get out and about in South Essex and discover some places you might not have visited before. There’s bound to be some wildlife to see too, and we’ll help you look for it. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Saturday 29 March, 10 am – Explore South Essex at Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea
South Essex contains a wealth of wildlife and beautiful places to take a stroll. If you need convincing or want to discover these areas, then join us for a walk every Saturday as we explore a different area and look out for birds and other wildlife. £3 adults and £1.50 children (with a £1 discount for RSPB members)
Booking essential, call 01268 559158. Click here to book on-line for this event

Wanted: Help to Create a Jungle at Wat Tyler Country Park!

The RSPB needs your help to turn its visitor centre in Wat Tyler Country Park, Basildon, into an indoor jungle.

The charity is appealing for people to donate items such as plants (the more exotic the better!) to help create a mini rainforest in time for the April half term holidays.

From 31 March until 13 April, the RSPB visitor centre will be open daily with games and activities on a jungle theme. This is to promote one of the charity’s campaigns to save and protect an area of rainforest in Southeast Asia, where many exotic animals such as tigers and elephants live.

Fiona Hazelton, Community Project Manager, explains: “Saving the Sumatran rainforest is one of the RSPB’s most ambitious and exciting projects. The forest is disappearing at an alarming rate and yet is home to familiar animals and over 200 species of birds.

“Over the school holidays, we will transform the visitor centre into an indoor jungle and children can take part in activities to help them discover what lives in the rainforest and why it’s so special.”

As well as plants, other items needed include a water feature (with pump), a smoke machine, CDs and music of jungle sounds and inflatable or toy animals, such as monkeys, tigers, elephants and insects.

All items donated can be returned after the event has finished. If anybody can help please contact the RSPB office on 01268 559158 or go to the visitor centre at Wat Tyler Park, open Thursdays and weekends.

Ratty gets legal protection

Water voles added to DEFRA listings

London’s Rainham Marshes nature reserve is home to the UK’s biggest concentration of water voles and staff at the RSPB reserve have welcomed news water voles are now named in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Water vole populations across the UK have been declining rapidly over the last ten years

Biodiversity Minister Joan Ruddock announced [Tuesday 26 Feb] that the water vole will gain protection against being killed, injured, or taken from the wild from 6 April. Water voles join the list of wildlife species such as the otter and grass snake that already enjoy protection under the Act.

This coming November sees the 100th anniversary of the publication of the Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame’s famous story, which includes a water vole, Ratty, as one of the central characters.

“This extra protection for water voles couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Rainham manager Nick Bruce-White. “With the centenary of Wind in the Willows fast looming it means future generations will be able to see real water voles in their natural surroundings.”
Alastair Driver, National Conservation Manager for the Environment Agency and Chair of the UK Water Vole Species Action Plan Group said: "We welcome this announcement which is great news for water vole conservation. It not only serves to minimise deliberate persecution and accidental poisoning, but also clarifies the law for planners and developers."

Notes

1. Rainham Marshes is next to the River Thames, near Purfleet rail station and just inside the M25 within sight of the Dartford Crossing. The reserve is signposted off New Tank Hill Road (A1090) in Purfleet-on-Thames, Essex RM19 1SZ. The reserve is 15 minutes’ walk from Purfleet railway station. OS grid reference TQ551790. It is an ancient marshland that survived because the Ministry of Defence used the area as a firing range until the 1990s. The RSPB bought the 870-acre site in 2000. It was opened to the public in November 2006. High numbers of wintering ducks, wading birds, finches and birds of prey use the site in winter with flocks often numbering more than 7,000 birds. Scarce wetland plants and insects are also found at Rainham.

2. Rainham Marshes is one of Britain’s most important sites for the water vole. Existing legal protection covered just water voles environment rather than the species itself. At Rainham, the RSPB works with London Wildlife Trust to protect and support water voles, which are the UK’s fastest declining mammal with the population dipping 90% compared with 1990 levels.

Images

water vole - John Markham (rspb-images.com)

Thames Tunnel plans premature and ill advised

Plans to build a tunnel under the Thames have been roundly criticised by the RSPB.

The route of the proposed tunnel, road and rail links crosses the wildlife-rich south Essex Marshes, including the RSPB’s West Canvey Marshes nature reserve.

The RSPB has already voiced its concerns about the likely damage to the North Kent Marshes, large areas of which are protected by European and UK law.

Constructing the 'lower Thames crossing', as proposed by the Metrotidal consortium, would cause potentially irreparable damage to the mudflats and grazing marshes that ten of thousands of birds depend on for food and shelter during the winter, says the RSPB.

Chris Durdin, RSPB spokesman in Eastern England said, “Not for the first time, it looks like engineers have looked on a map of the Thames estuary and marshes, found somewhere there are no people, and concluded it’s ideal for new transport links.

“It would be better if they did their homework about the wildlife value of the Thames marshes before making announcements.

“From the shoreline, the route seems to start by cutting through Canvey Wick, a Site of Special Scientific Interest known as one of the best sites for invertebrates in the UK. It then crosses the RSPB’s West Canvey Marshes nature reserve, then cuts through Bowers Marsh at Pitsea.

“To come out with a proposal such as this in advance of any proper feasibility study is premature and ill-advised. If such a crossing really is needed, all the options must be considered and the environmental damage assessed.

“This scheme appears to ride roughshod over one of the most charismatic landscapes and important wildlife sites in the Thames Gateway.”

The Government’s plans for Thames Gateway have indicated the importance of the natural environment to the area’s regeneration. RSPB nature reserves on Canvey Island, Vange Marshes and Rainham Marshes have benefited from Government support because of their valuable role as areas of wildlife-rich green space for people to enjoy.

The RSPB is also critical of the joint statement by Essex and Kent County Councils as failing to recognise the wildlife value of the Thames marshes.

In addition to the direct damage the plans would cause, serious questions must be asked about how a buried tube and the huge tidal lagoon would affect tidal flow and intertidal habitats, like mudflats and saltmarsh, along the length of the Thames estuary.

Sea level rise, caused by climate change, is already threatening intertidal habitats and changes to the tidal flow of the Thames could exacerbate the problem still further.

Wallasea Wetlands click here

An RSPB advertised guided walk on Wallasea island this morning to view the newly created wetland attracted over twenty people. The weather for early February was exceptional, with a clear blue sky, warm sunshine and not a breath of wind. Corn buntings showed very well with one singing on a fence post on the new seawall only 20 yards from us. Little egrets were very evident with one or two feeding in the borrowdyke and more out on the wetland. Skylarks were singing over the nearby farmland, many wading birds were feeding on the mud and included dunlin, ringed plover, redshank and oystercatcher. Thirty shelducks flew past and more were seen roosting as the tide began to rise. Linnets and reed buntings were seen on the salt marsh.

If you would like to come along on one of our guided walks, you can find more information here: http://www.southendrspb.co.uk/calender.htm

Below are some views of the wetland, taken from the seawall above the car park.

Home Tweet Home at Wat Tyler Country Park

RSPB visitors can help first-time fliers during half-term week (9 – 17 February) by building a bungalow for birds at Wat Tyler Country Park in Basildon.

Use basic DIY skills to construct a nestbox for fledgling birds between 10 am and 4 pm everyday. There will also be the opportunity to explore the park, watch live footage of birds nearby and ask advice from staff about feeding garden birds.

Fiona Hazelton, Community Project Manager, says: “The RSPB welcomes families during school holidays, and what could be more fitting than a family activity which helps young bird families as they start out. The natural nest sites on which many species depend – like holes in trees and buildings – are fast disappearing as gardens and woods are ‘tidied’ and old houses are repaired. Building a nest box is a small action that has huge benefits for garden birds in Britain”.

The RSPB has recently launched Homes for Wildlife, a new initiative that aims to help reverse declines in garden birds. The charity hopes that more than 200,000 people will sign-up for the Homes for Wildlife project to receive free wildlife-gardening advice that can help transform their homes and gardens into magical wildlife havens.

Homes for Wildlife aims to inspire people to make a difference for the wildlife that shares the open spaces closest to them. Everybody registering to take part in the project will receive a comprehensive information pack full of simple advice and recommendations for all types and sizes of garden. For further information on how to register to take part in Homes for Wildlife, please visit the RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk/hfw or telephone 0870 240 1001.
No need to book, just turn up to make your nestbox. Cost: £5.50 per box (RSPB members and Wildlife Explorers receive £1 discount)

Nestbox Fact-file:
· Over 60 species of birds are known to have used nestboxes
· Blue and great tits are probably the most regular users of nestboxes - they can lay up to 14 eggs in their cosy starter homes
· Other birds that use nestboxes range from robins to tawny owls
· It is estimated that around two million fledgling birds are raised in man-made nestboxes in Britain every year
· Many birds roost in nestboxes, especially during a cold winter night. These roosts are frequently communal. The record number of birds found in one nestbox is 61 wrens.

Notes
Wat Tyler Country Park is owned and managed by Basildon District Council and contains the RSPB visitor centre as well as the motorboat museum, miniature railway, craft shops, adventure play area and café.

The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment. Nature is amazing - help us keep it that way. The RSPB is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654

The RSPB run a year-round programme of events and activities for the whole family at locations across south Essex, to get people closer to nature. Call 01268 559158 for more information.The RSPB’s south Essex Project is supported by Veolia ES Cleanaway Pitsea Marshes Trust and EEDA

Recent Wildlife Sightings

Wat Tyler Country Park

Little egret – at least 1 around the park.
White-fronted goose – at least 3 have been seen with the greylag flock, best viewed from the motorboat museum bird hide.
Marsh harrier – a female has been seen regularly during January from the motorboat museum bird hide.
Peregrine – sporadic appearances during January, but worth checking the pylons!
Water rail - currently best heard from the motorboat museum bird hide.
Black-tailed godwit – 6 seen on the scrape January 5
Green sandpiper – 2 seen on the scrape January 22
Barn owl – on a few occasions recently one has been seen roosting in a nest box on the former landfill site.
Stonechat – at least 2 around the park, best seen around the marina area.
Fieldfare & redwing – numbers have steadily fallen during January, with just one or two remaining.
Cetti’s warbler – at least 5 around the park, currently best heard from the motorboat museum bird hide.
Reed bunting – at least 2, best seen along the perimeter path.

Vange Marsh

Wildfowl numbers increased steadily during January, at least 300 teal, 60 shoveler, 50 wigeon and a few shelducks now present.
Merlin – 1 seen hunting low along the creek on February 1
Barn owl – one has been showing very well recently, hunting along the moat edges. Late afternoon is best, but it has been seen around the middle of the day also!
Curlew – small groups feeding on the marsh regularly.
Black-tailed godwit – 6+ often over high tide.
Reed bunting – at least 15 feeding around marsh edge.

February 1 - of interest, one of the small blackthorn bushes is beginning to flower!