Monday 17 February 2020

Tuesday February 4th to Monday February 17th

2018 Annual Report

Our 2018 Annual Report is now on sale.

£15 for a full colour, glossy, 140 page A4 report. All profits will be spent on our work at Tice's Meadow Nature Reserve.

The report is much more than a list of the birds seen, it includes all of the site's wildlife, and is a record of all the work we did on site in 2018.


You can collect in person from Richard Horton, or we can post it to you (+ £2 p&p). Please message or email us to place an order.

Once we've sold all 60 copies, we will release a free lower-res pdf for all to read.




Co-op Local Community Fund

We're delighted to be taking part in the Co-op Local Community Fund. If you're a Co-op member, please choose us as and 1% of your spending will be donated to us, no matter where you live. If you're not a Co-op member, please consider signing up.

https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/33287


Volunteer Work Parties

Our volunteer work party schedule for the next 3 months.

Whilst the site sale hangs over us, it's still business as usual as we have a community nature reserve to manage. Our summer migrant breeding birds will be returning soon, so we have plenty of work to do getting the nest boxes, tern rafts, sand martin bank & swift tower ready for them.

All welcome to join us. More details here:
http://www.ticesmeadow.org/p/blog-page_20.html



BioBlitz

We're holding our annual BioBlitz on Saturday 13th June - please see the below poster for details. More events will be added as we get closer to the event, so please keep checking our website.





Ringed Bird Recovery

We've received news that a Reed Warbler ringed on site on 06/05/18 by Roger Dickey, was re-trapped in SW Portugal on 11/09/18, 1,625km into its annual migration to sub-Saharan Africa. Great data, and an indicator of the importance of the site for breeding migrant birds.


Tuesday February 4th

Dina Burford: Little Egret, 5 Little Grebe & Goldcrest.

We were honoured to be the guests of HM Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey at a function at Loseley Park for all six of the groups who’ve been nominated for a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service - the highest honour available to volunteer groups in the UK. A great evening of networking with every council leader & mayor in Surrey, plus some wonderful volunteer groups.
The official photos from the evening can be seen here.
(c) Mark Elsoffer - The Tice's Crew

(c) Mark Elsoffer - The Tice's Display
(c) David Munro - Meeting the Surrey Police & Crime Commissioner
(c) Dina Burford - Goldcrest
(c) Dina Burford - Waterside Hide



Wednesday February 5th

Colin Varndell: 3 Little Egret.

Nicola Stevens: Tawny Owl.

Sean Foote: Merlin (chasing a small paserine over the housing estate).

13th site record of Merlin, last reported on 16/01/20. Also recently reported in and over the housing estate by locals.

(c) Colin Varndell - Goldfinch
(c) Colin Varndell - Black-headed Gulls
(c) Colin Varndell - Little Egret


Thursday February 6th

Angela Stephens: Grey Wagtail.

Dina Burford: 21 Lapwing.

Four volunteers spent the day cutting out all the parts for 70 new nest boxes - 50 for Badshot Lea Infants School, 10 for Space2Grow Farnham, and 10 for site.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Building the Nest Boxes
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Half of the Parts for the Nest Boxes
(c) Angela Stephens - Flooded Meadow
(c) Angela Stephens - View from the Hide
(c) Dina Burford - Gadwall
(c) Dina Burford - Silt Pond
(c) Keith Lightfoot - Buzzards
(c) Keith Lightfoot - Long-tailed Tit
(c) Keith Lightfoot - Greenfinch
(c) Keith Lightfoot - Meadow Pipit
(c) Jason Davies - Goldfinch
(c) Jason Davies - Greenfinch
(c) Jason Davies - Pied Wagtail
(c) Kyle Russell - Busy Feeders
(c) Kyle Russell - Flooded Reed Beds
(c) Colin Varndell - Goldcrest
(c) Colin Varndell - Meadow Pipit
(c) Colin Varndell - Pochard
(c) Colin Varndell - Reed Bunting


Friday February 7th

John Hunt: Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel & Red Kite.

(c) John Hunt - Grey Wagtail
(c) John Hunt - Red Kite
(c) Mal Hennessey - Buzzard
(c) Mal Hennessey - Gadwall
(c) Mal Hennessey - Little Egret
(c) Mal Hennessey - Tufted Duck


Saturday February 8th

Anthony George: Grey Wagtail.

Thirteen volunteers attended our work party this morning. We cleaned out and disinfected all of the nest boxes in the woods. We also cut back bramble around the Dragonfly Pond, and litter picked through the woods.

After the work party, six volunteers continued to work on the 70 new nest boxes at our Aldershot Depot.

Colin Varndell photographed a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull today. Ringed as an adult in Jankowo (Poland) on 01/06/17. Subsequently seen in Poland on 2 days in July 2017. Not recorded since, until Saturday when it was at Tice's - 982 days & 1,296km away.

(c) Colin Varndell - Colour-ringed Black-headed Gull
(c) Rustam Khan - Bullfinch
(c) Rustam Khan - Goldfinch
(c) Rustam Khan - Greenfinches
(c) Colin Varndell - Gadwall
(c) Colin Varndell - Meadow Pipit
(c) Colin Varndell - Pied Wagtail
(c) Colin Varndell - Red Kite
(c) Dina Burford - Water Levels Continue to Rise

(c) Anthony George - Grey Wagtail
(c) Anthony George - Robin
(c) Anthony George - Stonechat
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Cleaning Out the Nest Boxes
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Building the Nest Boxes
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Building the Nest Boxes




Sunday February 9th

No reports.


Monday February 10th

Oli gave a short talk about Tice's Meadow at the launch event for Farnham in Bloom 2020 at the Town Council offices this evening.

(c) Dina Burford - Flooded Track
(c) Dina Burford - Our Hide is an Island
(c) Colin Varndell - Sunrise Over the Workings


Tuesday February 11th

(c) Colin Varndell - Cormorant
(c) Colin Varndell - Gadwall
(c) Colin Varndell - Meadow Pipit
(c) Colin Varndell - Red Kite


Wednesday February 12th

Peter Brown: 3 Little Egret & 37 Lapwing.

(c) Dina Burford - Bullfinch
(c) Dina Burford - Greenfinch
(c) Dina Burford - Redwing
(c) Dina Burford - Stonechat
(c) Colin Varndell - Lovey Doves


Thursday February 13th

Five volunteers rescued & re-positioned the Sand Martin Bank speakers & electronics this morning, ahead of the rapidly rising water levels.

We also attended the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust's AGM this evening with our display stand.
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Working on the Sand Martin Bank
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Working on the Sand Martin Bank
 

Friday February 14th

Four volunteers spent the day finishing off the 70 new nest boxes, which will be delivered to Badshot Lea Infants School and Space2Grow Farnham in the next week.

We were delighted to help our friend Bill Bidell conduct the NFU's Big Farmland Bird Count at his Hampton Estate this afternoon. The highlight was a pair of Goosander flying over (probably heading to Cuttmill Pond) - not your typical farmland bird!

(c) Murray Nurse - Hide Guard Ducks
(c) Mark Elsoffer - The Finished Nest Boxes
(c) Jort Brough - The Farmland Bird Surveyors



Saturday February 15th

No reports.


Sunday February 16th

Richard Horton: Merlin (over Horton's Mound towards Feeding Station).

14th site record of Merlin, last reported on 05/02/20.

Simon Monk has finished the first of our Common Tern decoys for our new tern rafts. Looks great, well done Simon!

(c) Simon Monk - Tern Decoy
(c) Colin Varndell - The Seawatching Hide
(c) Colin Varndell - River in Flood
(c) Colin Varndell - Flooded Meadow


Monday February 17th

(c) Colin Varndell - Bullfinch
(c) Colin Varndell - Chaffinch
(c) Colin Varndell - Goldfinch
(c) Dina Burford - More Rain