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Camden Green Fair
This annual event takes place in Regents Park by the Cumberland Gate on Sunday 1st June 12noon - 7pm. There will be an animal and wildlife zone, a rich array of stalls and activities to help us make our lives more sustainable and all the fun of the solar-powered fair. There will also be a Fairtrade Tea Dance which is hoping to break a world record! See www.camdengreenfair.org.uk.
Birds on Hampstead Heath
MBS Members and friends come from all over London and beyond but the Club does have close links with Hampstead Heath. Our founding President, Kate Springett, was for many years the Heath’s official bird observer and persuaded the authorities to build the kingfisher wall where kingfishers do indeed now breed.
MBS is represented on the Consultative Committee and one of our members has been leading the spring and autumn birdwalks organised by the Heath and Hampstead Society for many years.
The Autumn Bird Walk was unfortunately again early September this year as the fungi walk needs to be in October. As usual there was quite a crowd with a good mix of experienced and novice birdwatchers, Heath regulars and others discovering it for the 1st time. Birds seemed scarce but we had c20 species and were delighted to end up with a kingfisher just as we were about to disperse.
The Spring Bird Walk was on Sunday 6th April in the SNOW! This was our last chance to see and hear the birds of the Heath with Alix Mullineaux though former MBS Chair John Hunt will leading them from the autumn.
The Heath & Hampstead Society organises a monthly walk on a variety of themes, usually in the afternoon, on the 1st Sunday of the month. The Autumn Bird Walk will be Sunday 7th September meeting at Burgh House at 10.30am.
The Tuesday walk on Hampstead Heath happens "most Tuesdays in the year". (They just might not venture out in hail stones or snow storm!) Meet 10am at the Parliament Hill Cafe by the band stand for an informal stroll round the Heath to see what birds are about.
These Tuesday walks attract quite a few Americans as well as Londoners to MBS and birdwatching. The report and photos of a couple grateful for the welcome they received in July 2006 can be viewed on http://www.bachster.com/birds/england2006/.
Hampstead Heath Bird Lists
MBS members and all birding visitors to Hampstead Heath are encouraged to send their records – of common as well as rarer birds – to
Meg Game, Ecologist, City of London, Heathfield House, 432 Archway Road, London N6 4JH; Tel 020 8342 9647
Copies of the checklist available as an Excel attachment by email from the Publicity Officer on birdsmbs@yahoo.com.
Local Nature Reserves
We have contacts with Dave Lawrence and Ben Genovese and members of the LWT working in parks and on small local nature reserves in Camden. We advertise any events when we can and encourage local people to support their "local". Check out the
Camden Council website.
Further details of Camden's small nature reserves and opportunities for volunteers from Dave Lawrence (Camden Community Liaison Officer - Wildspace) Tel 020 7974 8818 or 07881 840366 or email david.lawrence@camden.gov.uk
For events at Waterlow Park, Dartmouth Park Hill N19 call Ben on 020 7974 8817 or email ben.genovese@camden.gov.uk
Camley Street Natural Park
Amid all the development round Kings Cross, Camley Street Natural Park run by the London Wildlife Trust remains an oasis for wildlife and those interested in wildlife. Individuals and groups are welcome to visit the park, take part in activities or suggest projects which could be done in partnership with them.
Phone 020 7833 2311 or email CamleySt@wildlondon.org.uk.
Weekends away
Members went on two long weekends away during the 2006/7 season: to Norfolk with Bob Buckler in September 2006 and 2 groups to Northumberland with Mark Winter of Northumbria Wildlife in May/June 2007.
This April Barbara Luke arranged a return visit to the Portland Heights Hotel, Dorset, for the spring migration. A dozen of us enjoyed this weekend with Bob Ford as guide. For his report on the trip (it wasn't quite as wet as he implies) see the hotel’s Special Interest Breaks pages
http://www.heightshotel.com – local area and wildlife breaks – reports archive
http://www.natureportfolio.co.uk/birdbreak/report/archive/2008/apr19/report.htm
Books etc or rather AmazonMBS has links to Amazon on its website and, if sales are made via those links, MBS gets a small percentage. There's a selection of specific books on the home page including several by speakers at MBS events or you can simply link to Amazon to search for any book you like. If you do buy books or tapes etc from Amazon please do it through the MBS website links on the home page and help us make a few pennies.
Help for visiting birders
We often get enquiries from visitors to London wanting advice or company for the odd day’s birding. If you would be willing to show someone round your favourite bird sites, could you let me have an email address (preferably) or phone number so that I could call on you if the need arises. I would always forward the enquirer’s details to you and not the other way round.
RSPB Bird Pins
Following their success at the Camden Green Fair in June 2006, we are now, by arrangement with Central London RSPB Group, making the RSPB bird pins available at our indoor meetings.
For full details of MBS activities, please visit other pages of this website.
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