The Bird Club organises a series of outdoor meetings and events throughout the year, and talks and presentations from September to March.
Winter Programme 2023/24
Three confirmed Indoor Meetings in Maulden Village Hall (Sept, Dec, Feb) – Other meetings will be on Zoom
INDOOR MEETING – Tuesday 26th September at 8:00pm, Maulden Village Hall
Andy Sands: Ancient Trees & Woodlands
ZOOM TALK – Tuesday 24th October
Mark James Pearson – Bempton Cliffs and Filey Bay – Seabird Nirvana
ZOOM TALK – Tuesday 28th November
Greg Conway: Nightjars
INDOOR MEETING – Tuesday 19th December at 8:00pm, Maulden Village HalL
Richard Bashford: Annual Review
ZOOM TALK – Tuesday 23rd January
James Lowen: Much ado about Mothing
INDOOR MEETING – Tuesday 27th February at 7:45pm, Maulden Village HalL
AGM then Graham White. 20 years after LIFE – is the future of Bittern assured
ZOOM TALK – Tuesday 26th March
Dusty Gedge. Scott Stalham Lecture 1. Black Redstarts
Outdoor Meetings 2024
BIRD CLUB OUTDOOR MEETING – Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, Sunday 11th February 2024, 8.30 am – led by Richard Bashford
High St, Little Paxton, Saint Neots PE19 6ET (Grid ref: TL 1956 6292)
A morning walk to this reserve which has a rich mosaic of wildlife habitats. Meet in the car park at 8.30 am for 2-2.5 hours. The Visitor Centre should be open 11.00-15.00, has facilities and a range of snacks and drinks.
BIRD CLUB OUTDOOR MEETING – Clifton Bury Farm, Saturday March 9th, led by Terry Osborn and Kathy Blackmore, meet 8.30 am at Clifton Bury Farm for a flat walk on farm and grass tracks, 2.5 + miles.
Donald and Valerie Brace, who own the farm, have invited us to park on the farm which can be found on the lefthand side of Church Street; go down the farm drive, pass the farmhouse on the right and farm buildings on the left and park on the grass near Donald’s much loved old, blue Fordson tractor.
The Address is: Clifton Bury Farm, Church Street, Clifton, SG17 5EX. (NB don’t go down the tree lined drive to Clifton Bury)
BIRD CLUB OUTDOOR MEETING – Pegsdon Hills Nature Reserve, Wildlife Trust BCN, Sunday 14th April, meet 8.00 am, led by Jon Palmer for a 2-3 miles’ walk with steep hills and narrow uneven tracks to look for spring passage migrants.
Please park considerately on the roads in the village or in nearby lay-bys. We will meet in the vicinity of the carpark of The View then Jon will lead us across the road to enter the reserve. Location details for the carpark: SG5 3JX OS Grid ref: TL 1211 3027
BIRD CLUB OUTDOOR MEETING – Dawn Chorus Meeting Priory Country Park – Sunday 5th May, meet 5.00 am at: Priory Country Park, Barkers Lane, Bedford, MK41 9DJ Grid ref: TL 072 493. Followed by breakfast in the local Toby Carvery, event organised by Bedford RSPB Local Group.
BIRD CLUB OUTDOOR MEETING – Strawberry Hill Nature Reserve, Wildlife Trust BCN, Saturday May 11th, led by Chantelle Warriner, meet 9.30 am for a flat walk but paths can be narrow and overgrown. Chantelle is confident we will hear Nightingales. No fee but donations welcome. Meet in the car park which will be open grid ref TL005626 Post code MK44 1AA. Please do NOT park on the grass verges
BIRD CLUB OUTDOOR MEETING – Marston Moretaine Forest Centre, Saturday June 8, led by Bob Hook and Neil Wright, meet 8.00 am in the car park.
The Forest Centre, Station Rd, Marston Moretaine, Bedford MK43 0PR (Grid ref: TL 0049 4171)
A morning walk, meet 8.00 in the car park, parking fees apply. There may be an entrance fee to the reserve £2.50 adults/£1.75 concessions. The Centre opens 9.00 and has facilities and a café
BIRD CLUB OUTDOOR MEETING – Joint Bird Club & BNHS Meeting to Sandy Smith Nature Reserve – Tuesday 25th June – led by Stefan Baltruschat and Sue Raven for an Evening Walk, on established tracks, there is a steady incline, meet 7.00 pm. Address – near Speeds Dairy Farm, Beadlow, SG17 5PL; Parking: ///inflating.nickname.detonated – Grid reference of reserve entrance – TL109387;
Outdoor Meetings 2023
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO MAULDEN WOOD – Sunday 12th February – led by Terry Osborn
Meet 9.00, lay-by off north-bound carriageway 1.3 miles North of Clophill roundabout on the A6
Car park entrance: TL 0726 3941 What3Words: ///guarded.looms.engine
Parking in lay-by or in Greensand Ridge Car Park on right, £1
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO RUTLAND WATER BIRDWATCHING CENTRE – Saturday 11th March
Day trip, led by Sheila Alliez
Meet at 9.00 at: Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre, Egleton, Oakham, LE15 8BT, SK 878 073
Parking and entry permits to be purchased from the Centre, toilets, snacks and drinks available, packed lunch suggested.
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO PEGSDON HILLS – Sunday 16th April
Meet 8.00 am at: The View, Pegsdon Way, Hexton Hitchin SG5 3JX OS Grid ref: TL 1211 3027
A morning trip to Pegsdon Hills to look for spring passage migrants, led by Jon Palmer. The restaurant has kindly allowed us to use their car park; they will be open for coffee (and facilities) by the time our walk finishes at 11.00, so we hope members will be able to join Jon in supporting their business.
BIRD CLUB TRIP – DAWN CHORUS MEETING – Saturday 6th May.
Meet 5.00am at: Barkers Lane, Bedford, MK41 9DJ Grid ref: TL 072 493
Followed by breakfast in the local Toby Carvery, event organised by Bedford RSPB Local Group.
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO AMPTHILL PARK – Sunday 14th May. Led by Paul Wright
Meet at 8:00am at the Hub Café, Woburn St, Ampthill, Bedford MK45 2HX for a walk in this 160 acres of parkland and woodland. Parking is available along Woburn Street or in Ampthill Park Car Park, where parking charges may apply: Woburn Rd, Ampthill, Bedford MK45 2HX
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO JOHN O’GAUNT GOLF CLUB – Tuesday 30th May. Led by Steve Thompson
Meet at 7:00pm at Sutton Park, Sandy, SG19 2LY. This evening walk with Steve will show the wildlife friendly approach to managing these lovely courses and there might be a chance of seeing some chicks in a nestbox. The Course is just 5 mins from RSPB HQ at Sandy
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO PAXTON PITS – Sunday 11th June. Led by Richard Bashford
Meeting at Stirtloe Road end at 9:00am. We are hoping to hear Nightingales in the woodland to the north and a good view of the big right hand lake – scope recommended. Recommended access to the Stirtloe Road is by going north to the Buckton roundabout and back south to turn left into the road. Park in lay-bys near the sewage works TL 2006 6693, What Three Words ///engine.masterpiece.trouser
Map of parking (marked in red) and the walk (marked in green) attached.
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO SANDY SMITH NATURE RESERVE EVENING WALK – Tuesday 20th June. Led by Stefan Baltruschat and Sue Raven
Meet at 7:00pm at parking area near Speeds Dairy Farm, Beadlow, SG17 5PL;
Parking: ///inflating.nickname.detonated. Grid reference of reserve entrance – TL109387;
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO NORTHILL – Sunday 9th July. Led by Stefan Baltruschat and Greg Nunn
Meeting at 8:00am. Park on the Ickwell Road near the Crown or Northill Road opposite the School, SG18 9AH, TL 14941 46565, ///dairies.craft.bulge This walk will take us through woodland where we should see quite a few butterflies, it is quite flat and should take a couple of hours.
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO RSPB FRAMPTON MARSH – Sunday 10th September. Led by Malcolm & Carolyn Hawkes
Roads Farmhouse, Frampton Roads, Frampton, Boston, Lincolnshire PE20 1AY (Grid ref: TF 356392). What3Words: left.linguists.these Meet in the main car park at 9:00am.
BIRD CLUB OUTDOOR MEETING – Saturday 15th October. Led by Matt Burgess.
Broom East County Wildlife Site. A morning’s walk at this County Wildlife Site to look for passage migrants and water birds, meet 8.00 am at the main gate to the reserve. Walk 2.5 hours depending on what we find. Roadside parking available Gypsy Lane and in Broom village, members may wish to park at G&M Growers or Jordans. Please note there are no facilities, but nearby Jordans Mill has facilities and a café, Holme Mills, Southill Road, Broom, SG18 9JX
BIRD CLUB OUTDOOR MEETING – Saturday 11th November. Led by Greg Nunn
Morning walk to look for farmland birds. The walk is 2.5 miles + extension on farm tracks with a long incline. Meet Gardeners Lane car park, Henlow, SG16 6DJ; TL 179 389;
Parking: ///clauses.sidelined.estimates
22nd CHRISTMAS BIRD HUNT
All bird club members are invited to record all bird species seen (or heard) in Bedfordshire between 00:00 on 25/12/2023 and 24:00 on 31/12/2023. The full list of species seen will be on the dedicated page on the bird club website and daily updates will be posted on the bedsbirds email group.
Winter Programme 2022/23
pdf copy of Winter Programme 2022/23
Two confirmed Indoor Meetings in Maulden Village Hall – Other meetings will be on Zoom
ZOOM TALK – Return of the White-tailed Eagle – Tuesday 27th September at 8:00pm
Dr Tim Mackrill of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation will describe ongoing efforts to restore White-tailed Eagles to England though the reintroduction project based on the Isle of Wight.
Tuesday 25 October, 7:45pm, Maulden Village Hall
Conor Jamieson: Birdman from the Pampas – The story of W H Hudson (1841-1922) W H Hudson was an unschooled, impoverished, battle-scarred immigrant who came to be influential in the creation of the RSPB by its founding women, and in the rise of the modern-day conservation movement.
ZOOM TALK – Tuesday 29 November, 8pm
Brian Eversham. Climate Change and Local Wildlife. Brian will talk on how climate change has affected local wildlife, focusing particularly on birds. Brian has been the CEO of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire for the past 14 years, and was conservation director before that. He will be sharing with us his extensive personal and professional experience of impacts of global changes on a scale local to us.
ZOOM TALK – Tuesday 20 December, 8pm
Andy Bloomfield: Holkham and it’s Spoonbills. Holkham born and bred, Andy Bloomfield, Senior Warden, shares the extraordinary story of the Spoonbills on the Holkham National Nature Reserve. Learn about their recent colonisation of the reserve, and the efforts the team makes to maintain a growing population.
ZOOM TALK – Tuesday 24 January 2023, 8pm
Dr Alex Lees: Vagrancy in Birds Dr Alexander Lees is Reader in Biodiversity at Manchester Metropolitan University and a research associate of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, USA. He recently published his first book ‘Vagrancy in Birds’ written with James Gilroy, the culmination of a lifelong obsession with understanding avian vagrancy.
Tuesday 28 February, 7.45pm, Maulden Village Hall – note change of date was moved from 21st
AGM and Richard Bashford’s Review of the Year. Break out the popcorn and shake off those winter blues! Join us as we go to the movies for the always entertaining review of the year through the eyes of members’ video and photographs, seamlessly edited into a very enjoyable movie by our very own Richard Bashford.
ZOOM TALK – Tuesday 14 March, 8pm
Dr Sam Franks BTO: Working towards a brighter future for waders. Sam’s interests focus on exploring how our changing environment is influencing bird populations. After several years working in the Alaskan Arctic, she joined BTO in 2013 and is leading elements of the BTO’s breeding wader research, with a particular focus on Curlew. Her talk will cover the causes of Curlew declines, and how BTO’s research on Curlew and other waders is contributing to informing the future of wader conservation in the UK.
Outdoor Meetings 2022
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO RUTLAND WATER – 13th February 2022 – led by Sheila Alliez.
Meet 9.00 at: Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre, Egleton, Oakham, LE15 8BT, SK 878 073
Parking is free once an entry permit has been purchased from the centre, toilets, snacks and drinks are available, packed lunch suggested. Please email Sheila if you wish to attend so she can give the centre an idea of numbers. sjalliez12@btinternet.com
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO HARROLD-ODELL CP – 12th March 2022 – led by Stephanie Kimsey
Meet 9.00 am at: Harold-Odell CP, Carlton Rd, Harrold, Bedford MK43 7DS, SP 956 566
There is no parking charge, but a donation is encouraged, the Dragonfly Café should be open for drinks and snacks.
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO PEGSDON HILLS TO LOOK FOR SPRING PASSAGE MIGRANTS – 24th April 2022 – led by Jon Palmer
Meet at 8.00 in the car park of The View Restaurant (previously Live and Let Live). Pegsdon Way, Hexton, Hitchin, SG5 3JX.
The restaurant has kindly allowed us to use their car park; they will be open for coffee (and facilities) by the time our walk finishes at 11.00, so we hope members will be able to join Jon in supporting their business.
DAWN CHORUS WALK @ PRIORY COUNTRY PARK, – Sun 1st May 2022
Meet at 5.00am in thecar park at Barkers Lane, Bedford, MK41 9DJ (Grid ref: TL 072 493) Followed by breakfast in the local Toby Carvery, event organised by Bedford RSPB Local Group.
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO BROOM EAST COUNTY WILDLIFE SITE – Sat 7th May 2022 – led by Matt Burgess
Gypsy Lane East, Broom, SG18 9NJ (What3Words: ///season.remaking.fatherly – Grid Ref: TL 17841 43639)
A morning’s walk at this County Wildlife Site for warblers and water birds, meet 7.30am at the main gate to the reserve. Walk 2.5 hours depending on what we find. Roadside parking available Gypsy Lane and in Broom village, members may wish to park at G&M Growers or Jordans. Please note there are no facilities, but nearby Jordans Mill has facilities and a café, Holme Mills, Southill Road, Broom, SG18 9JX
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO PAXTON PITS NATURE RESERVE – Sat 11th June 2022 – led by Richard Bashford
High St, Little Paxton, Saint Neots PE19 6ET (Grid ref: TL 1956 6292)
A morning walk to look for a range of summer migrants and breeding birds. Meet in the car park at 8.00am for 2-2.5 hours. The Visitor Centre is open 11.00-15.00 and has facilities and a range of snacks and drinks
JOINT BIRD CLUB AND BNHS MEETING TO SANDY SMITH NATURE RESERVE – Tuesday 21st June – led by Stefan Baltruschat and Sue Raven
Evening Walk, 7.00 pm
Address – near Speeds Dairy Farm, Beadlow, SG17 5PL; Parking: ///inflating.nickname.detonated – Grid reference of reserve entrance – TL109387;
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO MARSTON VALE FOREST WETLAND NATURE RESERVE – Sun 10th July – led by Neil Wright and Bob Hook
The Forest Centre, Station Rd, Marston Moretaine, Bedford MK43 0PR (Grid ref: TL 0049 4171)
A morning walk, meet 8.00 in the car park, parking fees apply. There may be an entrance fee to the reserve £2.50 adults/£1.75 concessions. The Centre opens 9.00 and has facilities and a café
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO RSPB FRAMPTON MARSH – Sun 11th September 2022 – led by Malcolm and Carolyn Hawkes
Roads Farmhouse, Frampton Roads, Frampton, Boston, Lincolnshire PE20 1AY (Grid ref: TF 356 392) – What3Words: left.linguists.these Meet in the main car park at 9:00am.
Blessed with a variety of freshwater habitats, Frampton Marsh provides close views of the abundant birdlife of The Wash, one of Europe’s most special places for wildlife. Packed lunch suggested, drinks and facilities available at the Visitor Centre, open 10.00-16.00.
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO RSPB THE LODGE RESERVE – Sat 8th October 2022 – led by Peter Bradley, Senior Sites Manager for The Lodge and Fowlmere
Potton Rd, Sandy SG19 2DL (Grid ref: TL 191 485 – What3Words: factor.grasp.employers )
A behind the scenes walk with the Warden to look at the restoration and management of the Lodge Nature Reserve which includes the largest area of lowland heath on Bedfordshire’s Greensand Ridge. Meet in the picnic areas near the car park for a 2-hour walk beginning at 11.00. Refreshments and facilities available in the Gatehouse between 10.00-17.00
BIRD CLUB TRIP TO POPPY HILL LANGFORD – Saturday 12th November 2022 – led by Greg Nunn
Morning walk to look for farmland birds, starting at 8:30am
Meet Gardeners Lane car park, Henlow, SG16 6DJ; TL 179 389; Parking: ///clauses.sidelined.estimates
21ST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD HUNT
All bird club members are invited to record all bird species seen (or heard) in Bedfordshire between 00:00 on 25/12/2022 and 24:00 on 31/12/2022. The full list of species seen will be on the dedicated page on the bird club website and daily updates will be posted on the bedsbirds email group.
In 2020 we found 115 species and in 2021 we found 113 species giving an average over the 20 years of 112.25.
All meetings are suitable for beginners and experienced birdwatchers alike.
Dunstable Sewage Treatment Works will unfortunately not be open to all members on the first Sunday of each month after June 5th 2022 due to a policy change with Anglia Water. Pedestrian access remains for approved keyholders.
To contact the Leader of the Warden Team, Mike Jones, call 01525 874525
East Hyde Wader Scrape To contact the Honorary Warden, Allan Cutts, call 01582 412135 or email allan@cutts6.freeserve.co.uk
Winter Talks Program 2021/22 – on Zoom
To join one of our winter program Zoom talks that are limited to 100 participants, please contact Peter Nash who is managing these events on behalf of the Bird Club.
Tuesday October 26th 2021 – “Yunnan” presented by Jeff Bilncow. A Zoom meeting and the First of our Winter Programme.
This talk highlights the superb birds seen on a trip to south-west China in the winter. Yunnan has a varied landscape with snow-capped mountains, lakes, deep gorges and rich sub-tropical forest in the south. At first, visiting in winter would appear an unusual idea, but the lowland forests along the Burmese border hold a strong resident avifauna and the region is the wintering ground for migrants from nearly all points of the compass.
Jeff Blincow has been lecturing on wildlife since 1980 on such topics as Ecuador, New Zealand, Australia and bird families. He has travelled widely and his focus on South America in the 1990s led him to be one of the founder committee members of the Neotropical Bird Club.
Tuesday November 30th 2021 – Raptor Persecution by Mark Thomas.
Perhaps the most persecuted family of birds, raptors are facing tough times as their very existence is seen by some as a threat to habitats managed for hunting. Mark Thomas takes us on a journey through the varied and often challenging work of the RSPB Investigations Team.
Mark is a Senior Investigations Officer at the RSPB, setting up protection schemes for rare breeding birds like Bee-eaters and also investigating wildlife crime and catching raptor killers. Away from work, Mark spends most weekends on the Yorkshire coast at his birding and ringing site at Buckton. Mark is fascinated by weather and migration
Tuesday December 21st 2021 – Christmas Meeting and Review of the Year by Chairman Richard Bashford. Join us for virtual mulled wine and mince pies with Richard’s annual film show detailing the many avian highlights of the year. Please do send Richard your footage for inclusion in this excellent ongoing project. Please email him at ribashford@gmail.com
Tuesday January 25th 2022 – The work of the Rare Birds Breeding Panel by Dr Mark Eaton. RBBP is a UK-wide panel of ornithologists responsible for the collation and curation of data and information on rare breeding bird species in the UK. RBBP is supported by JNCC, RSPB and BTO as well as having independent members representing the community of volunteer ornithologists who supply most of the data and information on rare breeding birds in the UK.
Dr Mark Eaton is a Principal Conservation Scientist in the Monitoring section of the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science. He is responsible for overseeing much of the RSPB’s involvement in monitoring of wildlife – through surveys, red-listing, indicators and ‘state of’ reporting – in the UK and internationally
Tuesday February 22nd 2022 – Operation Godwit by Jonathan Taylor.
Black-tailed Godwits breed in small numbers in the fens but breeding success is by no means guaranteed, with the ongoing problems associated with breeding habitats, climate change and migration. Senior Site Manager Jonathan, and his team manage the Ouse Washes making sure the washes perform at their best for breeding waders and wintering waterfowl.
Jonathan is the Senior Site Manager for the RSPB Ouse Washes Nature Reserve. He also knows a fair bit about the Nene Washes and their godwits having been the site warden many years before his hop over to manage the nearby Ouse Washes. In 2016 Jonathan published the well received Birds of the Nene Washes.
Tuesday March 29th 2022 – Four years at Falsterbo by Stephen Menzie.
Falsterbo, southern Sweden, is one of the world’s foremost sites for bird migration, with more than a million birds passing each year. Ringers at the ringing station there handle tens of thousands of birds each year, and our speaker was lucky enough to spend six seasons over four years working there. This talk details the birds caught – from the common to the rare; the spectacle of bird migration at the site; and some of the extraordinary movements that take place each year.
Stephen is a birder, ringer and tour leader living Falsterbo, Sweden. He holds an interest in a variety of field-birding related topics, particularly moult, ageing, and identification. He is the manager of Falsterbo Bird Observatory, Sweden, as well as a being the current editor of British Birds, and is a voting member on the British Birds Rarities Committee.
Indoor Venue – for Oct 2022 and Feb 2023
All indoor meetings are held in Maulden Village Hall at the junction of Ampthill and Flitwick Road, Maulden MK45 2DN (TL 049381), commencing at 8.00pm sharp (except the AGM which starts at 7.45pm). Doors open 7.30pm. Refreshments will be available.
Visitors and non-members are always welcome!
Historical Programs for reference
Tuesday October 27th 2020 – “Wild Japan” presented by Stuart Elsom’ a Zoom meeting and the First of our Winter Programme.
Tuesday November 24th 2020 – “Far from Land – the Mysterious Life of Seabirds” will be presented by Dr Michael Brooke, a Zoom meeting and the second of our Winter Programme.
Tuesday December 15th 2020 – “Review of the Year” – our annual review of video of birds around the county hosted by Richard Bashford – on Zoom
Tuesday 26th January 2021 – The Amazing Biodiversity of Bolivia by Rich Hoyer. Bolivia is one of the least visited birding destinations in the tropics, and this is perhaps the reason is that Bolivia is still relatively unknown in birding circles. But the country holds magnificent birds, and with a list of 1452 species it is the sixth country with the largest number of birds after Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Indonesia, and Ecuador. Our speaker Rich Hoyer is a professional tour guide who has led hundreds of birding tours across North, Central and South America, and joins us using the power of zoom from his home state of Oregon in the Pacific northwest of USA
Tuesday 23rd February 2021 – Birds by Habitat by Carl Chapman. Birds are linked to their habitat even when they occur out of range. We explore by way of an illustrated presentation (via zoom) the occurrence and spread of some species occurring in the UK and beyond. Carl resides in Norfolk, UK from where he runs Wildlife Tours and Education, a company specialising in the provision of birdwatching breaks for experts and beginners alike. He is the Norfolk Cetacean recorder and Chairman of Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society.
Tuesday 23rd March 2021 –The Land of the Long White Cloud : New Zealand by Mike Read. New Zealand is a wonderful place to visit for a wildlife holiday or to photograph the locations and wildlife, not least for the spectacular albatrosses and other sought-after seabirds. Our speaker for this evening is a freelance nature photographer specialising in birds, flowers, mammals and other wildlife as well as landscapes. He lives on the western edge of the fabulous New Forest National Park in southern England and has a wide range of images of wildlife, traditions and views from this unique area.
Complete Bird Club Summer Programme 2020 pdf for download
Bird Club Winter Programme 2019-2020
Bird Club Summer Programme 2019
Bird Club Winter Programme 2018/19