UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES - FEB - MAR 2010

Happy New Year everyone,

We've been working closely with several schools over the last few weeks (updates to follow), so welcome to new followers and look out for photos of yourselves....!

There's plenty of action coming up over the next couple of months. For starters, we've got Nature Trips to The London Wetland Centre for each estate during the February half-term. This amazing reserve is thought of as the best urban reserve in Europe, and we'll be picking up and dropping off from your doorsteps....

The dates are:

Kings Cross Ten estate - Tuesday 16th February
Whitechapel estate - Wednesday 17th February
Pembury estate - Thursday 18th February

Places are very limited, so be sure to get in touch as soon as possible to reserve your place. you can do this by emailing me at mpearson@wildlondon.org.uk, or calling 07971 077084 (leaving a message is fine, just make sure you leave your name and number).

By special request, we've organised an Outdoor Skills day for all estate residents at Camley St Natural Park, Kings Cross. Otherwise known as 'Bushcraft', it'll be a full day including how to use knives, outdoor foraging and cooking, making shelters and much more with our resident expert Enric.

All you have to do is make your own way there, and we'll refund your travel expenses. Places are again very limited, so get in touch....

We also have practical conservation days coming up on several Sundays in February and March, on all three estates - so if you fancy getting your hands dirty, planting shrubs, putting up nest boxes and bird-feeders, watch this space....!

see you soon

Mark

New Year, New events and activities

Happy New Year everyone!

lots of activity coming up in the next couple of months - have a look below and, if you're a local resident, get in touch and let me know if you'd like to get involved!

Bat days & Urban Bird Specials - November

So we've finished all our on-estate activities for this year. Ed Santry from the Bat Conservation Trust was good enough to give a presentation and Q & A on the estates, and then later in the month yours truly gave presentations and Q & A's on urban birds which live on and around the estates.

All the events were great fun, and thanks to everybody for coming along on what were often wet and windy days! Despite the weather, we got lots done afterwards, with everybody helping out to make bat-boxes and bird-feeders.

Events Update!

We're two-thirds of the way through of Urban Bird specials now, with the last one of this month coming up at Whitechapel this Sunday - 11 a.m. at the Community Centre on John Fisher Street.

I'll be giving a presentation and Q&A all about birds on and around the estate, how to identify them, which ones are resident and which ones come from much further away (including Africa and Russia!), and how we can help them - followed by either a short walk close by to see what's around, or a bird-feeder making session if the weather is lousy!

We're postponing the first Practical Conservation Days on the estates while we wait for exact details of what we can and can't do - we're still working out the plans with Peabody, and we'll have a clear picture of by the time of the resceduled Conservation Days in January (watch this space!). It's taking time, but we're putting together some great plans which will really benefit birds and wildlife on the estates.

And there's a great deal coming up in January. We'll have trips to nature reserves, bushcraft (outdoor skills) days, conservation days, and much more - and remember, it's all FREE. We've also got lots of events and activities with local schools coming up - look out for in your classroom or wildlife garden!

Mark

mpearson@wildlondon.org.uk

UPCOMING BIRD EVENTS!

A reminder about our upcomiong bird events on all three estate - note changes of dates!

PEMBURY - SATURDAY 21ST NOVEMBER

KINGS CROSS - SUNDAY 22ND NOVEMBER

WHITECHAPEL - SUNDAY 29TH NOVEMBER

Want to come along? Call Mark on 07971 077084 to book your FREE place!

Pembury Bat event, early November

A quick note to thank Ed Santry of The Bat Conservation Trust for an excellent session at the PETRA senior citizen's Centre on the Pembury Estate. Ed gave a very informative talk and presentation about urban bats, their lifestyles, and how we can help them locally; after a Q & A session, we then made seven bat-boxes, which we'll be putting up around the estate soon. Thanks again Ed!

(photos to follow)

Nature Trips to Rainham Marshes

Fast forward to October, and after more engagement events in the meantime, we went on our first trips to nature reserves- this time, to the fantastic Rainham Marshes, on the East London / Essex border, right on the banks of the Thames.

Picking up and dropping off at each estate, we took the minibus out for fantastic days learning about birds - by watching them from the paths, from the special hides and from the very cosy, glass-fronted visitors centre (tea and cake all round - luxury birding!). The reserve has a variety of habitats that are very important to birds which live in, or visit London - reedbeds, marshes, lakes, ponds, scrub, grassland and woodland to name just a few.

Everybody had a great time, and thanks to Howard (Rainham's Information Officer) for giving us the special treatment - making bird-feeders, free goodies and a very informative chat about why urban nature reserves are so important.