RSPB Loughborough Local Group. Autumn/Winter. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Letter from your Leader.

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1 Letter from your Leader Hello and welcome to the first newsletter. I am the newly appointed group leader, my name is Charlotte and I am very passionate about wildlife and doing my bit to help nature. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds RSPB Loughborough Local Group I am very excited to lead the group and bring people together with nature. We have some exciting indoor meetings coming up and some very interesting places to visit for our outdoor trips and weekly walks. We also have a new Programme Secretary, Joanna Richart who will be planning the indoor meetings. About the RSPB The RSPB is a charity, founded in 1889 to counter the barbarous trade in plumes for women's hats, a fashion responsible for the destruction of many thousands of egrets, birds of paradise and other species whose plumes had become fashionable in the late Victorian era. The RSPB is a non-statutory body incorporated by Royal Charter. The Charter was originally granted in 1904 and, together with the Statutes, provides the rules and guidelines under which the RSPB operates. Avocet by Charlotte Blunt - Slimbridge Wetland Centre More information online: Autumn/Winter The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is a registered charity: England and Wales no and Scotland SC Cover Photo The cover photo was taken by Charlotte Blunt at Slimbridge Wetland Centre (WWT). If you have a photo that you think is suitable for the front cover, please send it and a description to Charlotte and look out for it on our future newsletters.

2 About the RSPB Loughborough Group The group s aim is to engage people in the work of the RSPB and nature conservation in general. We want to educate, inform and entertain people in the environment, particularly from a birding aspect. The group wishes to support the RSPB both financially and promotionally to preserve bird life in the local environment. Our field trips are relaxed and carefully planned to give people a wide range of bird watching experience and to allow them to decide what sort of day they want. Our indoor meetings are held at Loughborough University in a modern, tiered lecture theatre with safe free parking outside. There is a sound system (with hearing loop) and wheelchair access. These meetings are accompanied by a presentation and photos. We pay for the best speakers and carefully choose subjects that make for a balanced programme throughout the year. As you would expect, we have bias towards bird subjects but other forms of wildlife are often covered too. We promise you a warm welcome but we won t overwhelm you. There are a number of morning walks in the local area which take place during the week usually between 10 am and midday. Indoor Meetings Bird Watching in Italy and The Work of LIPU - David Lingard Friday 13 October :45 pm Birds of the North Norfolk Coastal Path - Jonathan Forgham Friday 10 November :45 pm The Isles of Scilly - Nigel Slater Friday 8 December :45 pm The Wild Journey Down Under - Gianpiero Ferrari Friday 12 January :45 pm Jewels of the Gambia - Ashley Grove Friday 9 February :45 pm Loughborough University Lecture Theatre Brockington Building Epinal Way Loughborough LE11 3TZ Meeting times and costs Group membership annual subscription rates: Adult 2, Family 4, OAP 2 Indoor meeting entry charges. Group Member 3.50, Non-group Member 4 Meeting Place There is ample free parking right outside the building. There is tiered padded seating, wheelchair access, air conditioning and a sound system with a hearing loop - it is of more than adequate size for our audience, which gives everybody that bit of extra space.

3 Weekday Walks We normally meet in the week around 10:00 am and return to vehicles around midday. Bob for more information at Wildlife Walk at Brandon Marsh Date: Monday 11 September :00 am Nearest Post Code: CV3 3GW Price: Entry fee for non-members of Wildlife Trust Wildlife Walk at Cossington Meadow Date: Tuesday 10 October :00 am Price: Free Wildlife Walk at Thornton Reservoir Date: Wednesday 15 November :00 am Nearest postcode: LE67 1AR Price: Free Wildlife Walk at Groby Pool Date: Thursday 14 December :00 am Nearest postcode LE6 0FR Price: Free Postage Stamps Help us stamp out albatross deaths by giving us your used postage stamps - we can convert them to cash. If you have any postage stamps then please bring them to a meeting/ walk/trip and hand them to any committee member. Or you can post them to: RSPB Stamps, PO Box 6198, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 9XT. You can also hand them into a visitors centre or shop at an RSPB reserve. For every 1 we raise the Albatross Task Force can purchase a weight to sink tuna fishermen s long line hooks away from danger to these magnificent birds. Each stamp has a very small value, but in large quantities they're still valuable. When you send in your stamps, you're helping give albatrosses a brighter future. Membership and Events Loughborough Local group has a stall at a few events over the next few months. We will be selling seeds and have information about the group and the indoor and outdoor meetings. Please come along and show your support!

4 Field Trips We go on regular field trips to different nature reserves. They are fun and we usually see a wild variety of nature. We travel on a comfortable coach with air conditioning. We have previously been to Potteric Carr in Doncaster, Bempton Cliffs, Titchwell, Gibraltar Point and many more (see some members photography in the centre pages). Pin Badges We are looking for volunteers to manage a pin box in your local pub, café, work or other places. All you need to do is keep the box stocked and collect the takings and pay the money raised to RSPB. If you are interested, please contact Charlotte for more information. Thank you. Price: 20 excluding entry fees (where applicable). We meet outside the Brockington Building at Loughborough University and leave together on the coach. Please bring a packed lunch and a drink. Some reserves have a café or refreshment facilities. We are planning some very exciting trips for the next year. The next field trip will be in October 2017, please keep an eye on the website for more details. Communication If you would prefer us to your newsletter and other information then please send your details to Charlotte and we will add you to our mailing list. We will send the newsletter and updates to you, you can opt out of this at any time. lboro.rspbgroup@talktalk.net Members Photography If you have taken any photos during our field trips and would like to share them with other members, then please them along with a description (what it is and where it was taken) to Charlotte and look out for it in future newsletters.

5 Members Photography Members Photography Photo by Pam Darby at RSPB Bempton Cliffs Photo by Pam Darby at RSPB Titchwell Marsh Photo by Charlotte Blunt at Frampton Marshes of a ruff Photo by Charlotte Blunt at Potteric Carr of a black-necked grebe Photo by Charlotte Blunt at Frampton Marshes of brent geese Photo by Charlotte Blunt at Potteric Carr of an azure damselfly and a blue tailed damselfly Photo by Pam Darby at Gibraltar Point Photo by Pam Darby at Potteric Carr

6 Seeds for Sale At every meeting we have seeds for sale: sunflower seeds, mixed seeds, peanuts and more, all competitively priced. All proceeds go directly to group funds. Contact details of Committee Members Group Leader and Newsletter Editor Charlotte Blunt Future Newsletters If you have an interesting story you want to share with the group, then please the information to Charlotte and look for it in future newsletters! Trip Organiser Dave Newham Website Editor Peter Farnworth Birdfair 2017 Programme Secretary Group Treasurer This is the main event of the year for birdwatchers. Birdfair dates: Friday 18 August 9:00 am - 5:30 pm Saturday 19 August 9:00 am - 5:30 pm Sunday 20 August 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Location: Rutland Water, Egleton Nature Reserve, LE15 8BT Website: Joanna Richart Andrew Bass Joanna.richart@gmail.com RSPB Midlands Regional Office 46 The Green, South Bar Banbury, Oxfordshire OX16 9AB Group address: Lboro.RSPBgroup@talktalk.net Website: