Haslemere garden
Sparrowhawk feeding on a pigeon for over 1½ hours Click for photo
Events
Spring birds at Ebernoe Common (Sussex Wildlife Trust)
Leader: Sarah Shepley (HNHS member) On a beautiful spring morning 21 members visited Ebernoe Common with a view to see and hear birds, led by Sarah Shepley. The walk commenced in Furnace Field, which has a gorse thicket growing across the middle: an ideal habitat for Nightingales. Everybody was enthralled by the song, and the […]
Annual General Meeting followed by an illustrated talk: Horseshoes Heading East
Speaker: Martyn Phillis (HNHS Vice Chair and member of the Surrey Bat Group)The Greater Horseshoe Bat Project was started after this rare bat was found roosting in a semi-derelict building near Petworth in 2019.This species is very sensitive to light, humidity and temperature and nursery roosts need to be maintained at about 27ºC to maximise […]
Hindhead garden
Sparrowhawk
River and Flood Plain Restoration on Leconfield Estate, Petworth
Leader: Andrew Thompson (Fisheries Bailiff for Leconfield Estate)On private land, Andrew, the Fisheries Bailiff for the Estate, showed 25 members the work that is being done to restore the River Rother to its flood plain. The banks are being lowered and so, when in the past winter there were 4 floods, a reed bed is […]
Modern conservation with reference to a national park in Uganda.
Speaker: Dr. Mark Infield (Conservationist)From boyhood Mark has been influenced by wildlife and spent 30 years in conservation work in Africa, Asia and Europe. In 1991 he went to Lake Mburo National Park to help redress the bad effects suffered by the wildlife. He worked on a community conservation project with education and consultation with […]
Birds at Medmerry [RSPB Reserve]
Leader: Rob Wiggins (RSPB)In ideal conditions it was a remarkable morning as a total of 45 bird species was seen at this newest and ever-evolving reserve of the RSPB. Established in 2010 when flood protection, a new dyke and the breaching of the shingle wall took place, it has a large number of wildfowl, waders […]
Tennysons Lane garden
Buzzard taking a great interest in bird feeders Click for photo
Gardening for wildlife
Speaker: Michael JosephMichael and Jane Joseph, living near Billingshurst, have established a beautiful garden full of wildlife habitats and an impressive wildflower meadow. In achieving this their photographs showed best practice by having: plant diversity with a long flowering season to attract birds and insects; the need for water, as in ponds; plenty of dense […]
A St. Valentine’s Birdwatch!
Leader: Jon Taylor (HNHS member)Crossing Grayswood’s Village Green a pair of Carrion Crows was probing in the grass. These (and other covid and owl species) bond early in the spring.Jon explained that birds’ calls include songs, usually by the male, when establishing or needing to hold a territory and to attract a mate; and alarm […]