FENSTANTON PARISH NEWS ARCHIVE
RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes, for June 2011 Posted: 13/05/2011
Firstly, some news that should please members of 1st Over St. Mary’s Guides – a variety of bugs has been seen visiting the hotel that the girls built in our new discovery zone in late April. Other volunteers have completed a dipping platform nearby, ready for school groups and our summer events programme.
On 30 May we begin an exciting couple of weeks of history at Willingham Mere, working with archaeologists from Cambridge University who are excavating a new site. We expect to find plant and animal remains – beaver and pelican bones have been found in nearby excavations, as well as bones from animals that we are familiar with now. Quite a few local people are joining the archaeologists for a few days, digging and/or cleaning and identifying. There may still be places available – call us on 01954 233260 to find out.
There’ll be daily tours for almost everyone (the site isn’t pushchair or wheelchair friendly), at 11am and 2pm. The afternoon tours will be followed by wildlife walks on June 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th. All of these tours are free.
The last digging day at Willingham Mere is Friday 10th, and we go from there to the Fen Drayton Open Gardens weekend on 11th and 12th June.
If community groups would like a private tour of the Hanson-RSPB Wetland Project, Chris is happy to arrange one for you – contact him on 01954 233265, or
June is a great month to be outside and enjoying wildlife. We can expect to see lots of butterflies, damsel and dragonflies on warm days, while bats will be hunting on warm, calm evenings. Regardless of the weather, there’ll be lots of wild flowers and lots of baby birds. Baby birds make lots of strange noises as they beg for food, working on the theory that the harder they shout, the more likely they are to be given something!
If you find a well-feathered baby bird, the best thing you can do is leave it alone. The parents will know exactly where it is, but they’ll stay away while people are around. If you think the young bird is in danger, perhaps from a cat or a dog, or it is on the road, then move it to somewhere safer, but not far, so the parents will still be able to hear it and then find it and give it some more food.
If the baby bird isn’t well feathered, then it has probably fallen from a nest, which must be close by. It sounds simple, but find the nest and pop the chick back in.
Neil Renwick, Community Projects Officer,
T: 01954 233267 or E: [email protected]
Our address is RSPB, The Grange, 20 Market Street, Swavesey, Cambridgeshire CB24 4QG.
Fen Drayton Lakes events in June
Wednesday 8th, 10am-1pm – Wednesday Wander
Join our regular walk looking for seasonal highlights
Sunday 19th, 6.30-9pm – Magical Midsummer Evening Walk with Medical Herbalist, Julie Dore. Learn more about the uses and folklore of some of our plants, many of which were known to William Shakespeare. Please book – RSPB members £3, other adults £6, children £2
Wednesday 22nd, 7-9.30pm – Mare Fen evening walk with Phil Clark (CCC)
Meet on the Green in Market Street, Swavesey for a free event
Saturday 25th, 2.30-4pm – Deadly Dozen Bug Hunt – please book.
Join our first expedition of 2011, to find our top 12 predatory mini-beasts.
RSPB wildlife Explorer members £1, other children £2, accompanying adults free
Sunday 26th, 2-4.30pm – Dragonflies and butterflies guided walk. We’ll look for a local speciality, a rare dragonfly called scarce chaser.
Wednesday 29th, 2.30-4pm – Pond dipping for adults. Have you seen how much fun children have? Now it is the adults’ turn – no children allowed! Please book
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