Saturday 31 December 2022

Thursday 1st December to Saturday 31st December

Co-Op Local Community Fund

We are delighted to have been chosen to be part of the Co-op Local Community Fund. We're raising money to buy more tools and equipment for our volunteer work parties.

If you are a Co-Op member, please click the link below and choose us as your cause. 1% of everything you spend on selected Co-Op branded goods and services between today and 21st October 2023 will be donated to our cause:

https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/66193



Volunteer Work Parties

Our volunteer work party schedule for the next few months. Please do come and join us if you're free - a great way to spend a morning, helping nature, working with the local community, and having some fun at the same time.




Thursday 1st December

Colin Varndell: Great White Egret & Little Egret.

(c) Colin Varndell - Great Crested Grebe

(c) Colin Varndell - Bunter the Robin


Friday 2nd December

Mark Elsoffer: Green SandpiperGreat White Egret.

Richard Horton: 88 Cormorant (new site record).

Dina Burford: Little Egret.

Thanks to the 11 volunteers who turned up for our Friday Irregulars work party this morning. We cleared the southern edge of the big silt pond of willow, and started cutting a new ringing ride to the east of Horton’s Mound. Great work everyone.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Malcolm Fincham - Great White Egret

(c) Colin Varndell - Shoveler


Saturday 3rd December

Clare Dell: Lesser Redpoll.

(c) Clare Dell - Pied Wagtail


Sunday 4th December

Richard Seargent: Green Sandpiper.

Alan Bird: Little Egret


Monday 5th December

Richard Horton: Avocet (6th record for site, last recorded 29/03/16).

Volunteers from Hart Wildlife Rescue release an Avocet in the Workings this morning. The bird had been found ten days ago in Aldershot town centre, having apparently been attacked by a Peregrine.

(c) Dina Burford - Avocet Release

(c) Dina Burford - Avocet


Tuesday 6th December

Malcolm Fincham: Green Sandpiper & Dartford Warbler.

Colin Varndell: Little Egret, Fieldfare & 5 Pheasant (1m & 4f).

(c) Malcolm Fincham - Dartford Warbler

(c) Malcolm Fincham - Green Sandpiper

(c) Colin Varndell - Little Egret

(c) Colin Varndell - Long-tailed Tit

(c) Colin Varndell - Pheasant


Wednesday 7th December

Colin Varndell: Little Egret & Fieldfare.

(c) Colin Varndell - Fieldfare

(c) Colin Varndell - Song Thrush


Thursday 8th December



(c) Jon Hawkins - Frosty Morning

(c) Jon Hawkins - Grey Heron

(c) Jon Hawkins - Robin

(c) Colin Varndell - Frosty Morning


Friday 9th December

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 6 Snipe & Little Egret.

Big thank you to the 27 volunteers who turned out for our work party today, including the Growth Team from Surrey Choices. We cut and burnt lots of willow from the reed beds. 

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party


Saturday 10th December

Colin Varndell: 2 Snipe & Little Egret.

(c) Jon Hawkins - Frosty Morning

(c) Jon Hawkins - Grey Heron

(c) Jon Hawkins - Moorhen

(c) Colin Varndell - Meadow Pipit


Sunday 11th December

Peter Brown: Green Sandpiper.

Well done to Olivia and Emilie (who are doing their Duke of Edinburgh Award with us) for litter picking the nature reserve today!

(c) Sue Thomas - Litter Picking

(c) Colin Varndell - Robin

(c) Colin Varndell - Stonechat

(c) Colin Varndell - Frozen Workings


Monday 12th December


(c) Conor Macleod - Goldfinch


Tuesday 13th December

Colin Varndell: Pheasant.

(c) Colin Varndell - Meadow Pipit

(c) Colin Varndell - Winter Sunrise


Wednesday 14th December

Colin Varndell: 3 Stonechat.

(c) Colin Varndell - Stonechat


Thursday 15th December

Mark Elsoffer: Golden Plover, 2 Goosander (16th record for site, last recorded 03/04/21, 142nd species for 2022) & 21 Mute Swan.

Din Burford: 4 Green Sandpiper, Snipe & Little Egret.

Colin Varndell: Nuthatch.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Goosander

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Golden Plover

(c) Paul Fitchett - Starling

(c) Dina Burford - Fox on Ice

(c) Colin Varndell - Nuthatch

(c) Colin Varndell - Snipe


Friday 16th December

Mark Elsoffer: Golden Plover, Green Sandpiper, 12 Snipe, Little Egret & Nuthatch.

A huge thank you to the 20 volunteers who turned out for our work party today - 10 from Surrey Choices and 10 from our Friday Irregulars. We cut and burnt willow from the river and reed beds. 

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Golden Plover

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party


Saturday 17th December

Mark Elsoffer: 4+ Green Sandpiper, 2 Jack Snipe, 15 Snipe, Goosander, Nuthatch & Cetti's Warbler.

Karen Cobbett: 3 Coal Tit, 15 Wigeon & Little Grebe.

A huge festive thank you to the 32 volunteers who turned out for our work party today. We managed to cut and burn a huge amount of willow! Thanks to Lord Len for again running the logistics. And to Andy & Sharon for the lovely baked potatoes and home made mince pies.

(c) Colin Varndell - Winter Sunrise

(c) Colin Varndell - Lord Len

(c) Colin Varndell - Mark

(c) Colin Varndell - Work Party

(c) Colin Varndell - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Work Party

(c) Jon Hawkins - Fox on Ice

(c) Jon Hawkins - Fox on Ice

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Goosander


Sunday 18th December

Colin Varndell: Grey Wagtail.

Noel: Brambling (20th record for site).

(c) Colin Varndell - Grey Wagtail

(c) Colin Varndell - Song Thrush

(c) Colin Varndell - Wigeon


Monday 19th December

No reports.


Tuesday 20th December

Peter Brown: 2 Green Sandpiper.

Alan Bird: Coal Tit, 2 Siskin & Cetti's Warbler.

(c) Dina Burford - Green Sandpiper

(c) Gillian Bamford - Mallards


Wednesday 21st December


(c) Colin Varndell - Sunset over the Meadow


Thursday 22nd December

John Hunt: Green Sandpiper & 360 Lapwing.

(c) Colin Varndell - Little Grebes

(c) Colin Varndell - The Workings


Friday 23rd December

Mark Elsoffer: 3 Green Sandpiper, Snipe, 500+ Lapwing, c200 Teal, 6 Little Grebe & Cetti's Warbler.

Alan Bird: Grey Wagtail.

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Rive in Flood


Saturday 24th December

Colin Varndell: Oystercatcher (over).

(c) Colin Varndell - Gadwall

(c) Colin Varndell - Great Crested Grebe


Sunday 25th December


(c) Colin Varndell - Buzzard

(c) Colin Varndell - Pied Wagtail


Monday 26th December

Sara Badger: Green Sandpiper.

(c) Wild Cam - Roe Deer

(c) Wild Cam - Reed Bunting


Tuesday 27th December

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, c300 Lapwing, 17 Pochard, 6 Little Grebe & Cetti's Warbler.

Colin Varndell: Snipe.

(c) Colin Varndell - Kestrel

(c) Colin Varndell - Tufted Duck


Wednesday 28th December

No reports.


Thursday 29th December

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 3 Snipe, 104 Gadwall, 17 Pochard, 6 Little Grebe, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Pheasant, Cetti's Warbler, Coal Tit, Lesser Redpoll, Nuthatch, Grey Wagtail & Peregrine.

Richard Horton: Raven.

Colin Varndell: 436 Lapwing.

(c) Dina Burford - Green Sandpiper

(c) Colin Varndell - Black-headed Gull

(c) Colin Varndell - Lapwing

(c) Mark Elsoffer - Little Grebes


Friday 30th December

Mark Elsoffer: 2 Green Sandpiper, 400+ Lapwing, 6 Little Grebe, 113 Teal, 17 Pochard & 13 Wigeon.


Saturday 31st December

No reports.