Hello I have just joined this site as I want to start to watch more birds. I enjoy the pleasure they give me daily in our tiny garden and would like to "spread my wings" birding wise. I am a total beginner with camera (A beginner in photography too!) So would like to come to Beckingham Marshes sometime and hopefully meet people with more experience and learn more about the local wildlife. I live near Misterton and have friends in Beckingham but do not know it very well. It is not far to come. Do you have meetings?
Hope to hear from someone soon as have no idea where to go and not too keen on going alone.
Thanks for reading this
Happy Wildlife Watcher :)
Hello and thank you for your posting.
Luckily for you, Beckingham Marshes is just around the corner from you! However, being one of the RSPB's newest nature reserves, it is still in the development stages.
If you look back through some of last year's blog postings, you'll see how well it's been developing.
Unfortunately, there is currently no public access on site, apart from the public footpath that runs along the western perimeter. We will be creating a circular route around the less sensitive parts of the site, as soon as we've got the habitats right.
If you would like any further information about Beckingham Marshes, including future volunteering opportunities, then e-mail me on:
paul.bennett@rspb.org.uk
In the meantime, if you have any transport available, there are two very good RSPB nature reserves quite nearby to you; RSPB Old Moor and RSPB Blacktoft Sands. There is also information on the RSPB's website about joining local groups (under 'Things to do, and Local Groups'). I believe the Doncaster Local Members Group would be your nearest.
Thanks again,
Paul
Hi Topsy10
As Paul said Old Moor and Blacktoft Sands are both great places to go, once you have been to Old Moor everywhere else pales into the background. I don't get as often as I would like due to the distance (and petrol prices!)
If you want to get out somewhere local try a walk down the canal and river Idle, I used to live in Misterton and learned a lot about birds on my local patch.
Good luck with taking pics
Amanda
Hi
Paul will be leading a walk for Lound Bird Club at Beckingham Marshes on Saturday 26th February meeting at 10.30 am at the Old Willow Works building (on Station Road - leave the village and its an obvious large red brick barn on the left). After a 'behind the scenes' look at the reserve we will travel down to the RSPB's Langford Lowfields reserve north of Newark for another 'behind the scenes' tour and afternoon's birdwatching. Check out the Langford Lowfields reserve webpage for details of recent sightings at this developing reedbed reserve (recent highlights have been marsh harrier, bittern, bearded tit, Cetti's warbler, whooper swan, brambling and mealy redpoll).
Lound Bird Club welcomes non-members on its fieldtrips. Living at Misterton you are close to Lound GPs, now managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust as the Idle Valley Nature Reserve. For more details of Lound Bird Club and recent sightings see the website http://loundbirdclub.webs.com
Also, you're not far from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's reserve at Potteric Carr on the outskirts of Doncaster or Natural England's Humberhead Peatlands reserve at Hatfield Moors (main car park is signposted off A614 just south of Hatfield). Both have websites which you can find through Google.
Hopefully we'll see you on Saturday 26th February.
Best wishes
Carl
RSPB Conservation Officer and Lound Bird Club Liaison Officer
Thanks for letting us know about the walk. I'll go have a look at their website too