Firstly an update on the pair of Barn Owls and their young. Last month I mentioned that there were four young birds. There were actually six eggs that hatched and grew to a good size. I’ve recently only counted five of them on the camera monitor, but that’s not to say that the sixth bird wasn’t hiding out of view.
Talking of young birds, volunteer Chris du Feu, who keeps a very close eye on the reserve’s Tree Sparrow population, has informed me that the number of sparrows likely to fledge this year is likely to be close to 250. This is a considerable increase on the 180 birds that fledged in both 2012 and 2013 and the site must be one of the largest Tree Sparrow colonies in Nottinghamshire.
Preparations for September’s Marsh Fayre are well under way. This event is a joint venture between KISMET Theatre Group and Beckingham and Saundby History Group and will be held at both Beckingham Village Hall and The Old Willow Works on Saturday 20th September. The event will see numerous exhibitors and groups attending and will also feature a performance of KISMETS’s ‘Marsh Songs’ dramatic production. The production has been written as a celebration of the HLF-funded RSPB Beckingham Marshes project and will premiere on the evening of September 19th at Beckingham Village Hall.
During the run up to these events, textiles artist Julie Willoughby will be running numerous workshops to get members of the local community involved in producing some props for the show. Two of these will be held at Beckingham Recreation Rooms over the weekend of September 6th and 7th.
We hope to be running guided walks on the reserve on the day of the Marsh Fayre too, but if you don’t get chance then, we are running two more this summer and autumn. The first one is on Sunday 10th August and the second on Sunday 12th October. Booking is essential.
To book a place, for further information about RSPB Beckingham Marshes, volunteering opportunities, or our FREE educational visits please contact the office on 01636 893611. Alternatively you can email paul.bennett@rspb.org.uk