East Midlands Region

Birdfair 2010 – Rutland Water, Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre, Egleton Nature Reserve. Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd August.
9.00am – 5.30pm daily. Adults £10 and children FREE. Special price for RSPB and Wildlife Trust members on Sunday only £8.

Lots to see and lots to do. You pay to enter and all the entertainments are free. For more information www.birdfair.org.uk

The RSPB
Did you know that the RSPB has over 150 nature reserves in the UK? These vary from those that offer a great family day to those that offer a quiet site where nature can be enjoyed with minimal facilities. Rather than list them all here’s a couple of links that are useful for finding a Reserve near you or an Event near you.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/thingstodo/ and http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/
Another great day out would be to see Birds of Prey with the RSPB. From Eagles, Ospreys, Red Kites and Peregrines. Here are just a few suggestions from the RSPB:

Top Lodge, Northamptonshire. See Red Kites all year at the Forestry Commision’s Fineshade Wood. www.rspb.org.uk/toplodgekites

The Trust
* Manages 40 nature reserves throughout the county, covering more than 1400 acres/570 hectares of land including woodland, wetland and meadow areas.
* Manages a Register of Local Wildlife Sites in the county.
* Advises local authorities and landowners on conservation issues.
* Runs an extensive environmental education programme for schools.
* Has more than 14,000 members, eight active local groups and seven Wildlife Watch groups (for younger members)
* Produces a range of publications, from fact sheets and leaflets to a book on wildlife gardening and a Wildlife Walks book.

For the electronic events calendar click on the link below:

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Events Calendar

Events information

* For all the family
All the family are welcome on our events. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Dogs, except support dogs are best left at home as they can disturb wildlife.
Our events that are designed with children and families specifically in mind are indicated. They offer a fun hand's-on experience for all the family.
* Booking
Some events require booking in advance as numbers are limited. Please telephone the number given to secure your place. If circumstances change and you can no longer attend, please let us know so that someone else can.
* Accessibility
The Trust makes every effort to ensure that nature reserves are accessible. Far Ings National Nature Reserve, Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve and Whisby Nature Park have toilets and hard surfaced footpaths that are suitable for wheelchairs and those with mobility difficulties. Paths on other reserves may be uneven or muddy in places.
If in doubt about the suitability of a reserve or event please contact Trust headquarters.
* The weather and safety
Please wear suitable clothing for the time of year and remember that conditions can change quickly. Every effort is made to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit but please note that you attend events at your own risk.
* In the event of any changes or cancellation the Trust will do its best to publicise this.


Types of events

* Guided walks:
Explore a nature reserve with an expert - a great introduction to wildlife.
* Reserve open days:
Enjoy our nature reserves. Reserve managers and nature enthusiasts will be on hand to answer your questions.
* Family and children's activities:
Get your kid's back to nature with our special family activities and workshops.
Children must be accompanied by an adult on all events.
* Starnights:
View the night sky from a nature reserve with astronomer Paul Money. These events consist of an indoor illustrated talk and an opportunity to view the nightsky through a powerful telescope. The starnights will still take place if it is cloudy.
* Wildlife Training courses:
Learn more anout wildlife and develop your identification and survey skills so that you can play a positive part in our work on nature reserves and in the wider countryside.
These courses are suitable for beginners and those with some natural history knowledge.
* Wildlife Talks and area group meetings:
The Trust's local groups of members organise a variety of events including indoor illustrated talks on a variety of wildlife and environmental subjects, guided walks and visits to nature reserves. For the wildlife talks there is usually a small entrance fee, refreshments are available and non-members are welcome.

For the full events diary click on the link below:


Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust events diary

Click on the Picture below for a download of the Whats On at the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust:

Bringing people together to take action for wildlife is the Trust’s mission. We manage 129 nature reserves - all of them free to visit – and 95% of the population live within five miles of one of our reserves. We are working to make these wildlife havens bigger, better and more joined-up – vital to help wildlife to adapt to a changing climate. By gathering valuable information about wildlife and working with other landowners the Trust also monitors and safeguards wildlife beyond the boundary of its reserves.

Beds, Cambs, Northants and Peterborough Wildlife Trust Events Diary

Both a National Nature Reserve and a Ramsar Wetland site, Gibraltar Point is a must see.

The most obvious features are the West and East Dunes, which run in parallel for 5 km along the coast between Skegness to the north and the corner of the Wash in the south. These two sandy backbones are separated by a saltmarsh, and to the seaward side by a shingle and muddy beaches.

From the car park head east across the saltmarch towards the East Dunes which are flecked with colour by the salt tolerant buckthorn and sea holly. To the south, the Spit is a haunt of Shore Larks, one of the Gibraltar's rarest birds. To the north, the dunes rise to Mill Hill, which provide a terrific view across to the West Dunes - a good place to spot Brown Hares.

During late Autumn tens of thousands of Knot come from their breeding ground in the arctic for the glorious mud of Gibraltar Point. High tide is the best time to see their swirling aerial displays.

For more information: www.lincstrust.org.uk/reserves/gib