Fortnightly Update

Greetings to you and I hope you are well and looking forward to spring!

 Reserve update:

Spring is creeping towards us and some of the birds are definitely tuning up for the breeding season. I have heard great tit and dunnock both in song and there is something more urgent about the robins.

 The cold and damp weather though has kept the feeders busy with numerous bullfinches lining up on the hedgerow and willow tits dashing in and out. Goosander, goldeneye and other winter wildfowl are still on the lake whilst some of the teal have now relocated to the wetter marsh pool. Snipe are still only in single figures but this seems to reflect the picture nationally with snipe numbers well down at other sites too and Jack snipe still very rare. water rail are still skulking in the lakeside reeds though a keen eye is needed to pick them out.

 Fox and squirrel are common mammal records for the site but myself and the Wildlife Garden team were treated to close and prolonged views of a pair of short tailed field voles feeding in the garden this week which was a bit more notable.

 This year we are aiming to collate a really up to date inventory of all of the recordable species on the reserve so please do make notes of any species that you see and particularly if they are not birds as non avian records are few and far between. Mike West has taken on the volunteer role of Biodiversity Coordinator so would be delighted to see any records from you of insects, amphibians and mammals that you might see as you are out and about.

 Goodbye wishes from Jo:

"I just want to send a quick thank you out to you all. I am so grateful to have had the chance to work here as Warden, not only career wise but also to have been able to spend time and work with you all. I’m sure Sandwell has a very exciting future ahead of it, as do the staff and volunteers who work so hard here.

 I really hope that the team can start settling into a routine, and just concentrating on making the reserves as special as it can be.

 I’m also hoping I will continue with the RSPB after Coombes but who knows what the future holds, I’ll just have to wait and see!"

 First Aid:

Thanks to the volunteers who gave up their time this week to attend the emergency first aid course at the centre. We will be organising another of these for next month too so if you are interested in this please let us know.

 Face painters needed:
Face-painting is a brilliant way of engaging with kids at events, and awesome fun for the person doing the painting.  Anyone people engagement volunteers who’d be interested in face-painting training in time for the spring and summer, please email Alison asap (alison.nimmo@rspb.org.uk). We have a provisional date of Thursday 16 February for an expert from the Lodge to come over and lead a session with us, which will even involve practising on real live children at the end (Sandwell’s Holiday Wildlife Club).  If you’re interested but can’t make this date, get in touch anyway and we’ll arrange a mini session later on to pass on the training. 

 Coming up:

This weekend the VO’s are running their pre-Big Garden Birdwatch event. They will be on hand to offer help and advice on how to attract the little feathery suckers in to your garden so they can be counted. This will be a drop-in event which may transfer to the hide.

 The following weekend, the real Big Garden Bird Watch event, the VO will be holding two bird counts a day using the expertise of volunteer bird spotters. Do come along and support them please.

 Next week the work party will be starting at 10 and will be until 3.30 if like me you are still needing to shift a few Christmas calories or just would enjoy some graft and fresh air! The following week there will be a work party on Friday the 3rd and then also on Sunday the 5th. both all day so bring some lunch. Hot drinks and biscuits will be provided.

 And that's that as they say but as always, many thanks for your help and support and I hope you have a good couple of weeks,

 All the best,

 Nick

  Nick Martin

 Senior Site Manager, RSPB Sandwell Valley and Middleton Lakes