The October Big Day is part of the Global Bird Weekend and coinciding with World Migratory Bird Day it runs from midnight to midnight in any local time zone on 12th October and the object is to record as many species of bird as possible across the world on that day. Global Birding [a venture formed by Tim Appleton MBE that aims to inspire birdwatchers to come together as a global community and celebrate birds by participating in birdwatching, birdwatching events, citizen science and conservation] says: “We hope to create another NEW WORLD RECORD for the largest number of birds seen by the greatest number of people on this peak migration weekend. We achieved this last October for Global Bird Weekend and again for Global Big Day in May so let's see if we can break that record together again.” 

 

We’d really love it if you would all join in for ‘Team NENBC’ to support this worthwhile cause and have a fab day out [or in] at the same time doing our Global October Big Day Challenge. We are challenging NENBC members to upload as many records as they can to our website on Saturday and we will put an NENBC Team species submission on to e-bird so that our records can be included in the world-wide totals. So, from your gardens or out and about, see how many habitats you can cover to maximise the species you record. Every record counts so whatever your level of birding experience and whether you can do 10 minutes or all day, you would be contributing to a better understanding of global bird populations. If you can do your birding on foot or on your bike, even better, as you will promoting low-carbon birding and hopefully increasing your species counts towards your Eco-badges.

 

DATE: Saturday 12th October 2024
 

TIME: Midday onwards
 

WALK LEADER: Janice Darch
 

BOOKING REQUIRED: So that we don’t monopolise car parks or take over at smaller locations, we ask for advance bookings on some of our walks and limit the group size to 15. Please remember to sign up with Janice if you would like to come on this one by emailing her on janicedarch@gmail.com before 5.00pm Thursday 10th October.

WALK DESCRIPTION: Our later than usual start time will allow us to walk around Blakeney Harbour towards Cley as the incoming tide brings waders and wildfowl towards us. High tide a Blakeney is at 13:36. Expect to see the first winter geese (a few Pinks and Brents), wildfowl such as Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall plus a selection of waders such as Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Greenshank and Dunlin. Our return will take just past Wiveton Hall café and onto Friary Hills where we will scan for passerines, raptors and more wildfowl.

 

SUGGESTIONS: You may want to have eaten lunch before we start the walk, or bring a snack to munch on, as we are unlikely to have time to stop en route.
 

MEETING POINT: Meet in the car park at Blakeney Parish Council Hall.

 

PARKING AND SITE INFORMATION: The car park at Blakeney Parish Council Hall and Scout Hut is free and is on Langham Road, Blakeney, NR25 7PG.

 

DISTANCE: About 3 miles
 

ACCESSIBILITY: Some of the footpaths we will be using are uneven and so this event isn’t suitable for wheelchair users but please do contact us on nenbc@aol.co.uk to see which of our events can currently accommodate wheelchair users or could be adapted to do so.
 

FACILITIES: The hall at the start has toilets and there are also some in the village. 

 

STAR STATUS: This walk is not within the NENBC recording area so the bird species you see or hear won’t be able to count towards your personal NENBC Star Badges on this occasion (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum awards based on the number of species you have seen or heard in the club area).
 

GOING GREEN!: This walk is out of the club area so the bird species you see or hear can’t count towards your Eco-badges for birding without the use of motorised transport but if you are able to walk or cycle to the start point from home, or even use public transport, that would be fantastic! Alternatively, car-sharing is encouraged. We are working on a way to best facilitate this but in the meantime, have a chat with folks at any of our events or message them via the member page of our website to arrange something for next time.
 

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Binoculars are always recommended to gain full enjoyment from your birding and if you want the added bonus of using a scope, please do bring your own along. Stout footwear is recommended as paths may be slippery or muddy particularly after rain. Young people aged 16 and 17 are welcome to attend unaccompanied with prior written consent from a parent or guardian who has also supplied a phone number where they can be contacted in an emergency but children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Sorry no dogs except guide dogs. Please respect social distancing on the walk when appropriate for current conditions and preference of participants.

DATE: Wednesday 16th October 2024

TIME: 9.00am to 11:00am

WALK LEADER: Trevor Williams

NO BOOKING REQUIRED: It is always nice to know if you are coming via nenbc@aol.co.uk but by no means essential so if it takes your fancy on the day, please just turn up as we would love to see you!

 

WALK DESCRIPTION: This walk caters for all levels of birding ability so come and give us a try! We are a friendly bunch and always pleased to have folk join us whether they are NENBC members or not. We take a leisurely walk around the park and lake, route dependent on the local bird and other wildlife recently reported or likely to be present on the day. We regularly see over 40 bird species on an average walk and even on the worst of days more than 30.
 

MEETING POINT: National Trust Main Car Park, Felbrigg Park [Postcode: NR11 8PP will get you to the main entrance | what3words: denoting.reminds.bags for the car park | Grid Reference: TG197394 for the car park]
 

PARKING AND SITE INFORMATION: Although access to the grounds is free to all and parking is free in the main car park for National Trust [NT] members with their machine-validated membership card, a parking fee is payable via the machines for non-NT members (£5 per vehicle). At time of writing, Sexton’s Lodge car park at the western end of the estate however remains free to all users and you can walk up from there along the internal estate road to our start point (about 10 mins). Do check out the NT website nearer the time though in case of any changes to their arrangements, including the free car parking at the Lodge. For further information see Felbrigg Hall, Gardens and Estate | Norfolk | National Trust
 

DISTANCE: Approximately 2-mile circular walk
 

ACCESSIBILITY: The walk is usually ‘off-road’ along dirt footpaths and tracks, across fields, through woods and can include a few stairs by the lake. As such, this event isn’t suitable for wheelchair users but please do contact us on nenbc@aol.co.uk to see which of our events can currently accommodate wheelchair users or could be adapted to do so.
 

FACILITIES: Toilets and café facilities available at Felbrigg Hall.
 

STAR STATUS: This walk is within the NENBC recording area so any bird species you see or hear can all count towards your personal NENBC Star Badges (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum awards based on the number of species you have personally seen or heard in the club area and recorded on our website since becoming a member).
 

GOING GREEN!: If you are able to walk or cycle to the start point from home, that would be fantastic, and as the walk is within the NENBC recording area, all the birds you see or hear can contribute to your personal NENBC Eco-badges (Green or Super-Green)! The Weavers’ Way and many other public footpaths bisect the park, as does the regional cycle route formerly named route 30. Bicycle racks are also available in the main car park. Felbrigg village and Aylmerton are also served by public transport, but buses are not frequent and unfortunately unlikely to fit with walk timings. Alternatively, car-sharing is encouraged. We are working on a way to best facilitate this but in the meantime, have a chat with folks at any of our events and contact them by email via the member page of our website to arrange something for next time.
 

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Binoculars are always recommended to gain full enjoyment from your birding. We don’t specifically carry a telescope on the walk unless one of our regulars brings theirs as it usually isn’t necessary but if you’d like to use one, please bring one along. Stout footwear is advised as paths may be slippery or muddy any time of year, particularly after rain. Young people aged 16 and 17 are welcome to attend unaccompanied with prior written consent from a parent or guardian who has also supplied a phone number where they can be contacted in an emergency but children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Sorry no dogs except guide dogs. When appropriate for prevailing conditions and preference of participants, please respect social distancing when requested.

 

TIME: 7.30pm to 9.30pm

 

JOIN IN: Either in person at Gresham Village Hall or live online via Zoom from home

 

A BIT ABOUT THE SPEAKER AND THEIR TALK: Ros Green will present the results of her PhD research so far, studying the migration of Common Shelduck in relation to offshore wind farms. She’s been GPS tracking their migration for five years and is also using stable isotope analysis to understand where they moult and spend their winters. She’ll show you how she intends to use BTO (BirdTrack) data, bird club data and other data sources to understand this species’ migration better and explain how the growing number of offshore wind farms might impact this migration. Bio: Ros is a part-time PhD student studying at the University of Liverpool, whilst continuing her previous role as Research Ecologist at the British Trust for Ornithology. She’s been a professional avian behavioural ecologist for over a decade, focussing mostly on seabirds, waders and (now) ducks. She used to live in Thetford but has now relocated to the Welsh borders. For further info see: https://shelducks.co.uk/ and Ros Green | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology 

AT THE HALL: Those of you attending in-person at the hall can expect a selection of home-made cakes plus tea, coffee, hot chocolate, wine and cold drinks during the interval and of course the chance to socialise with other members. We can cater for gluten-free or other requirements if you let us know in advance. We have a 2nd hand ‘natural world’ book stall for you to purchase from / contribute your no-longer-required stock to, supplies of our publications to buy (including our annual bird reports), a display of member photos and details on our upcoming events. We are happy to offer members’ old birding equipment for sale at our events (or in our newsletter) with a contribution going to club funds.

 

BOOKING ARRANGEMENTS: It is always nice to know if you are coming to the hall but by no means essential so if it takes your fancy on the evening, please just turn up as we would love to see you and we have plenty of space! If you are intending to join via Zoom though, you definitely need to let us know in advance so we can get the link out to you in good time. 

 

ACCESSIBILITY: The hall is wheelchair accessible. The level car park at the hall is shingle but we can reserve a space next to the entrance if you need it. 

 

GOING GREEN!: The hall isn’t really accessible by public transport but if you are able to walk or cycle to the event that would be fantastic! Alternatively, car-sharing is encouraged. We are working on a way to best facilitate this but in the meantime, have a chat with folks at any of our events and contact them by email via the member page of our website to arrange something for next time, or let us know and we will try to put you in touch.

 

DIRECTIONS: Gresham Village Hall, East Beckham Road off Church Lane, Gresham, Norfolk, NR11 8RT but note the published postcode might not take you to exactly the right spot! If you are coming through Aylmerton and Lower Gresham, turn right by the church (just after the school) and the hall is on your left. If you are coming through Gresham, turn left at the church (just before the school) and the hall is on your left. If you are dropping down from East Beckham, the hall is on your right opposite the church.

 

PARKING: Access to the hall car park is off East Beckham Road, opposite the church. There is additional parking on the road along the side of the church itself and an overflow car park has kindly been offered to us by Gresham Village School. The school car park is located on Cromer Road to the left of the school as you face it and at the left-hand end of the row of houses – about a 300m walk from the hall. Please park considerately to allow maximum number of cars in the car parks and on the road but with enough space for passing traffic to be able to get through, including agricultural vehicles. We can send you a map of the locality on request. 

 

FOR THE ZOOM LINK OR ANY QUERIES: Contact Carol on nenbc@aol.co.uk

DATE: Thursday 31st Octoberr 2024

 

TIME: 7.30pm to 9.30pm

 

JOIN IN: Either in person at Gresham Village Hall or live online via Zoom from home

 

A BIT ABOUT THE SPEAKER AND THEIR TALK: For our October meeting we welcome back David North for one of his insightful talks about the wildlife around us. Those of you who have heard David talk before will know that an evening with him provides a rather special take on things. For his talk David will speak of the seasonal shifts which are nowhere more marked than along our coast - each month bringing new arrivals and departures. This talk focuses on the month by month changes to wildlife and landscape he has observed on and around the reserve. He says of himself: "My career has been in nature conservation including work with Wildlife Trusts, RSPB and National Trust. I am now retired but love spending time outdoors wildlife watching or walking with my Border Collie Hamish. I also enjoy writing about nature and landscape and have a special love for the North Norfolk coast. I volunteer as a reserve guide at NWT Cley and Salthouse Marshes and sometimes help answer wildlife questions for NWT’s ‘Wildline’. I enjoy sharing my love of nature with others. Leading guided walks and volunteering as a reserve guide gives me the opportunity to show people wildlife. It’s especially rewarding to share wildlife spectacles and enable visitors to see nature in new ways. Visiting the reserve every week makes me very aware of the changing wildlife and landscape. It’s a privilege to see birds arriving in the spring – Wheatears, warblers, Swallows and terns. To see the first pink-feet, Wigeon and Brent Geese arrive in the autumn. There are wildlife bonuses too, such as seeing Kingfishers or occasionally otters. But really every visit is special even if it’s just sharing a close view of some of the commoner species on the reserve. Who could not be inspired by the plumage of a drake Teal in sunlight or watching a flock of waders twist and turn over the scrape pools?"

AT THE HALL: Those of you attending in-person at the hall can expect a selection of home-made cakes plus tea, coffee, hot chocolate, wine and cold drinks during the interval and of course the chance to socialise with other members. We can cater for gluten-free or other requirements if you let us know in advance. We have a 2nd hand ‘natural world’ book stall for you to purchase from / contribute your no-longer-required stock to, supplies of our publications to buy (including our annual bird reports), a display of member photos and details on our upcoming events. We are happy to offer members’ old birding equipment for sale at our events (or in our newsletter) with a contribution going to club funds.

 

BOOKING ARRANGEMENTS: It is always nice to know if you are coming to the hall but by no means essential so if it takes your fancy on the evening, please just turn up as we would love to see you and we have plenty of space! If you are intending to join via Zoom though, you definitely need to let us know in advance so we can get the link out to you in good time. 

 

ACCESSIBILITY: The hall is wheelchair accessible. The level car park at the hall is shingle but we can reserve a space next to the entrance if you need it. 

 

GOING GREEN!: The hall isn’t really accessible by public transport but if you are able to walk or cycle to the event that would be fantastic! Alternatively, car-sharing is encouraged. We are working on a way to best facilitate this but in the meantime, have a chat with folks at any of our events and contact them by email via the member page of our website to arrange something for next time, or let us know and we will try to put you in touch.

 

DIRECTIONS: Gresham Village Hall, East Beckham Road off Church Lane, Gresham, Norfolk, NR11 8RT but note the published postcode might not take you to exactly the right spot! If you are coming through Aylmerton and Lower Gresham, turn right by the church (just after the school) and the hall is on your left. If you are coming through Gresham, turn left at the church (just before the school) and the hall is on your left. If you are dropping down from East Beckham, the hall is on your right opposite the church.

 

PARKING: Access to the hall car park is off East Beckham Road, opposite the church. There is additional parking on the road along the side of the church itself and an overflow car park has kindly been offered to us by Gresham Village School. The school car park is located on Cromer Road to the left of the school as you face it and at the left-hand end of the row of houses – about a 300m walk from the hall. Please park considerately to allow maximum number of cars in the car parks and on the road but with enough space for passing traffic to be able to get through, including agricultural vehicles. We can send you a map of the locality on request. 

 

FOR THE ZOOM LINK OR ANY QUERIES: Contact Carol on nenbc@aol.co.uk