Forthcoming Outings
Guidance for members
Members intending to join an outing are requested to contact the leader in advance so that lifts can be arranged where possible and members can be contacted in the event of cancellation. The leader will provide advice about the arrangements for the visit. Please ensure that you are aware of these before travelling.
Please be prepared to share fuel & parking costs.
Tuesday 3rd February (Midweek walk) WWT Barnes. Leader: Jonathan Hannam 07745 022695
The reserve doesn’t open until 10am so that’s when we’ll meet, either by the Sir Peter Scott statue near the entrance or in the Observatory. WWT members, please remember to bring your membership cards! The cost of entrance for adult non-members is £19.95 (£18.10 without gift aid), reduced to £18.10 (£16.45 without gift aid) for those over 65 years old. Note that there is a 10% discount on these prices if they are purchased in advanced on-line, up to midnight the day before. This will be a relaxed walk, with plenty of stops. After gathering in the Observatory we will then walk along the South Route to the Peacock Tower before returning to the Visitor Centre for a spot of lunch. This can either be bought in their café or you can bring along your own picnic. We’ll then walk along the West Route, with the aim of finishing the trip between 2pm and 3pm. There are good paths around the site with a number of hides providing good views of the lakes and scrapes. At this time of year, there will be a lot of wintering wildfowl alongside the usual residents and the Bittern should still be present. We’ll be looking out for Redpoll, Siskin and wintering Thrushes amongst the trees.
Sunday 8th February Blashford Lakes. Leader Peter Knox gsw9859@gmail.com
Blashford Lakes postcode BH24 3PJ
Try to arrive by 0930, at centre on the right of the Ellingham Drove. This is an early start as Blashford Lakes is a good distance from Surbiton and the days are still short at this time of year. Blashford is normally an excellent site for viewing winter finches such as Redpoll, Siskin and Brambling. It is also an excellent place to see ducks and water birds such as Goldeneye and Goosander. We round the day off with a visit to Blackwater Arboretum to see Hawfinches going to roost. Do not forget to bring lunch and snacks.
Sunday 15th February Abberton Reservoir Leaders Thelma Caine & Paul Spencer Tel. 07527 448308 Abberton is about a 2-hour drive from Surbiton. Meet at 9.30 on the Layer Breton causeway, Layer Breton Hill just off the B1026. We will leave there at 9.50 to arrive at the Visitor Centre, Church Road, Layer-de-la-Haye CO2 0EU when it opens at 10.00am. The visitor centre has an entry fee (minimum £2). There are toilets here, a shop and a café. Abberton Reservoir is a SSSI Ramsar wetland site of international importance for wildfowl with impressive numbers of wintering duck and other wildfowl. Goosander usually occur here in good numbers and scarcer species reported recently have included Long-tailed Duck, Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Smew, Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes, Bewick’s Swan and Bean Geese. With luck some of these may still be here when we visit! A variety of waders and raptors are also likely. We will explore the reserve which has several hides, and drive to other watch-points around the reservoir before returning to the car park. Bring lunch and a drink. Also, please note it can be very cold here in winter so bring extra layers!
Saturday 21st February (morning) Horton Country Park Leader Paul Spencer
Join Paul on a ‘’Three hour’’ stroll around his local patch on what is first winter club trip at this site. A mixture of woodland, hedgerows, open horse fields, and ponds Paul has recorded around 40 species this winter including Firecrest, Siskin and Peregrine (divebombing Buzzards on one occasion). Currently Redwings are present in small numbers but if lucky we may get a big flock on a horse field or even hear them singing! Meet Paul at 8.30 am in Filby Road, Chessington near the entrance to the Castle Hill LNR part of the park, which is about 300 yards from the Copt Gilders bus stop served by the 71-bus route. If you require more details phone Paul on 0208 391 5656 (evenings only)
Sunday 1st March Acres Down. Leader: Peter Knox gsw9859@gmail.com
All day car outing to Acres Down, probably the best site in the New Forest for watching raptors. A hill-top ridge provides a good vantage point overlooking a large tract of woodland. The main target species will be Goshawk, who should be “sky dancing” at this time of year. It’s a good idea to bring some kind of camping seat. However this is dependent on the weather: if the weather forecast is particularly poor, the outing may be cancelled or an alternative destination arranged. Rendezvous: Acres Down Car Park at 8:30am (nearest postcode is SO43 7GE). Directions: from the A31 driving west, turn off at Stoney Cross just after the Esso Petrol Station (signed: ‘Emery Down’). Go south 1¼ miles and turn right at crossroads with the signpost: ‘Acres Down’. Continue over the ford and pass the Acres Down Farm Tea Rooms (which are closed). The free car park is at end of the track. The viewpoint has no benches, which is a ½ mile walk over uneven ground. The nearest public toilets are at The Swan Inn or the New Forest National Park Heritage Centre in Lyndhurst (2 miles away). There are also motorway services on the M27 at Rownham, just north of Southampton. After lunch, we may take a walk locally looking for Firecrest, Crossbill, Siskin, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Woodlark. Or we may relocate elsewhere in the New Forest, to be decided on the day. Bring lunch and a hot drink. If attending, please inform the Leader in advance.
Wednesday 11th March (Midweek, morning) Hogsmill River Walk. Leader Stephen Waters 07949 646987
Meet at Hogsmill nature reserve, Lower Marsh Lane 9.15 leaving after 10.Walking along the Hogsmill, finishing in Bushy park 1.30 – 2.00 walking back to the reserve to pick up cars.
March 29th, Sunday (all day): Rainham Marshes RSPB
April 12th, Sunday (all day): Dungeness RSPB
April 22nd, Wednesday (all day): Midweek: Pulborough Brooks RSPB
April 26th, Sunday (all day): Otmoor RSPB
May 3rd, Sunday (morning): Staines Moor
May 7th, Thursday (morning): Midweek: Chamber Meads NR
May 10th, Sunday (all day): Pagham Harbour
May 21st, Thursday (morning): Midweek: Farnham Heath RSPB
May 31st, Sunday (morning): Newhaven & Seaford
June 7th, Sunday (all day): Stodmarsh
June 17th, Wednesday (morning): Midweek: Thursley Common
June 20th, Saturday (evening): Nightjars
June 28th, Sunday (all day): Knepp Wildlands
July 5th, Sunday (morning): Butterfly Walk: Epsom Common
July 26th, Sunday (all day): Oare Marshes
August 23rd, Sunday (all day): Cliffe Pools RSPB
September 9th, Wednesday (all day): Midweek: Cissbury Ring
September 20th, Sunday (all day): Dungeness RSPB
September 30th, Wednesday (morning): Midweek: Bushy Park
October (Fri-Sun): Residential Weekend
October 14th, Wednesday (morning): Midweek: Kempton NR
October 18th, Sunday (all day): Farlington Marshes
October 25th, Sunday (all day): Rainham Marshes RSPB
November 8th, Sunday (all day): Two Tree Island
November 18th, Wednesday (morning): Midweek Walk
November 29th, Sunday (all day): Pulborough Brooks RSPB
December 6th, Sunday (all day): Rye Harbour
December 16th, Wednesday (morning): Midweek: Barnes WWT