Bin collection

Village information

Orchard Surgery & Dispensary

Monday to Friday 8:30–1pm and 3pm–6pm Phone 01763 260220 Repeat prescriptions can be made either, in person or by registering to use the online NHS service. www.orchardsurgerymelbourn.co.uk Prescriptions can still be collected from: Surgery Co-op Tesco in Royston Prescription Home Delivery The surgery offers home delivery service for prescriptions, on a Tuesday & Thursday. For more information on any of the above, please see their website or contact the surgery.

BIN COLLECTION

MELBOURN

Bin collection day – TUESDAY

Bins must be out by 6am at the latest on collection day 2 June Blue & Green 9 June Black 16 June Blue & Green 23 June Black 30 June Blue & Green 7 July Black 14 July Blue & Green 21 July Black 28 July Blue & Green 4 August Black 11 August Blue & Green 18 August Black 25 August Blue & Green 2 September Black WEDNESDAY 8 September Blue & Green 15 September Black 22 September Blue & Green 29 September Black

Due to the uncertainty of the duration of the government’s CoVid-19 measures, SCDC guarantee to empty your green bin every four weeks, but put it out every fortnight and they’ll empty it if they can. For an update on collections visit: www.scambs.gov.uk/bins/find-your-householdbin-collection-day/

Melbourn Health Visiting Team

Drop in clinics for parents and babies are held as follows: Melbourn clinic every Wednesday between 9.30am and 11.00am at: 35 Orchard Road, Melbourn. Telephone 01763 262861

Cambridgeshire Hearing Help is a charity for people with hearing loss. Our mission is to reduce the impact of hearing loss on daily lives. We hold a drop-in Hearing Help session in MELBOURN on the fourth Thursday of every month, from 2.00pm to 4.00pm, for maintenance of NHS hearing aids, including cleaning and re-tubing of hearing aids, supplying free replacement batteries and free advice on using a hearing aid. No appointment is necessary. Find us at Vicarage Close Community Room, Melbourn, SG8 6DY For more information: www.cambridgeshirehearinghelp.org.uk 01223 416141 Text: 07852 699196 enquiries@cambridgeshirehearinghelp.org.uk

Cam Sight’s Rural Support Group meet in Melbourn to provide help, friendship and ongoing support to local people with sight loss. The group enjoys speakers, music, information, advice and a chance to try out low vision equipment. They meet on the 1st Wednesday of each month, 2 – 4pm at Vicarage Close. For further information please call 01223 420033 or info@camsight.org.uk

30 High Street Melbourn SG8 6DZ Telephone: 01763 263303 ext. 3 Parish Office opening hours Monday and Tuesday : 09:00 – 13:00 (except when a meeting is scheduled for a Monday evening) Wednesday to Friday : 09:00 – 16:00 (closed 13:00 – 14:00) www.melbournpc.co.uk

Melbourn Parish Clerk Simon Crocker parishclerk@melbournpc.co.uk Assistant Parish Clerk Claire Littlewood assistantclerk@melbournpc.co.uk Responsible Financial Officer Gabrielle van Poortvliet rfo@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Chair Graham Clark cllr.clark@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Vice Chair Ian Cowley cllr.cowley@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Councillors Rebecca Barnes cllr.barnes@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Richenda Buxton cllr.buxton@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Graham Clark cllr.clark@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Ian Cowley cllr.cowley@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Sally Ann Hart cllr.hart@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Claire Kent cllr.kent@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Steve Kilmurray cllr.kilmurray@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk John Travis cllr.travis@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Richard Wilson cllr.wilson@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk Timebank Coordinator Catherine Sharman timebank@melbournparishcouncil.co.uk

Village Wardens Keith Rudge Dennis Bartle County Councillor Susan van de Ven, 95 North End, Meldreth – 01763 261833 susanvandeven5@gmail.com District Councillors Jose Hales, 23 Elm Way, SG8 6UH 01763 221058 jose@josehales.me.uk Phillipa Hart, 24 Fenny Lane, Meldreth, SG8 6NN – 01763 261255 cllr.hart@scambs.gov.uk South Cambs M.P. Anthony Browne – 01954 211444 anthony.browne.mp@parliament.uk

Orchard Surgery

Appointments & Dispensary

260220

Hospitals Addenbrooke’s Royston

01223 245151 01763 242134

NHS111 – Urgent Care

111

24hr helpline

Medical help when not a 999 emergency Police Non Emergency number 101 Help when not a 999 emergency Fire & Rescue Service 01223 376201

Crimestoppers Neighbourhood Watch 0800 555111

debbieclapham@icloud.com

Telephone Preference Service www.tsponline.org.uk 0345 070 0707

EDUCATION

Melbourn Playgroup 223459 or 07842 151512 Library LAP Jane Stevens johnjane.stevens@tiscali.co.uk Little Hands Nursery School 260964 Out of school times01223 503972 Notre Ecole Janet Whitton 261231 Primary School Headteacher Stephanie Wilcox 223457 U3A (Univ. of Third Age)

Chairman Tony Garrick 01223 510201

Hon Sec Hilary Docwra 222486

Mem Sec Chris Davison 264189 Village College Principal Simon Holmes 223400

HEALTH

Age UK Cambridgeshire Blood Donors 01223 221921

0300 123 23 23

Chiropodist 263260

Dentist 262034 District Nurses (Primary Care Trust) 01223 846122 Home-Start 262262 S. Cambs PCT 35 Orchard Road

Child & Family Nurses 262861 Car Scheme 245228

LOCAL CLUBS

Air Cadets 2484 (Bassingbourn) Squadron 249156

Tony Kelly Mon & Wed evenings 7 – 9.30 p.m. Bellringers Barbara Mitchell 261518 Bridge Club Howard Waller 261693 1st Melbourn Rainbows Abigail Roberts 261505 Brownies 1st Melbourn Stephanie Clifford 220272 Guides 1st Melbourn Hilary Marsh 261443 Luncheon Club at Melbourn Hub (Wednesdays) 263303 op1 MADS (Melbourn Amateur Dramatics Society) Donna Sleight 232622 Melbourn History Group Ann Dekkers 261144 Melbourn Mushroom Club John Holden email: frog.end@virgin.net

Melbourn Pottery Club Maggie 01223 207307 Royston and Saffron Walden Nation Trust Association

Avril Mellor 220463 avril.mellor@ntlworld.com Photographic Club melbournphotoclub@hotmail.com Ramblers Dave Allard 242677 Royal British Legion Women Elizabeth Murphy 220841 Royal National Lifeboat Institution Jean Emes 245958 Royston and District Local History Society

David Allard 242677 Royston Family History Society Pam Wright frierley@ntlworld.com Royston Lions Chris Cawdell 448236 SOAS (Supporters of All Saints’) Colin Limming 260072 Women’s Group Pat Smith 260103

PLACES OF WORSHIP

All Saints’ Church Revd. Elizabeth Shipp 220626 vicar.melbournmeldreth@gmail.com

Churchwardens Roger Mellor 220463 David Farr 221022 Baptist Church Rev. Stuart Clarke 261650

Secretary Brian Orrell 07568 376027 United Reformed Church

Secretary Rosaline Van de Weyer 01223 870869

Hall booking Beryl and Barry Monk 246458

SPORT

Badminton Steve Jackson Bowls Arthur Andrews 248774

261990

Croquet Janet Pope

248239 Jazzercise Maxine Rustem 07963 161246 Judo Iain Reid (Chief Instructor) or Lesley Reid 241830 email melbournjudoclub@gmail.com 07974 445710 Melbourn Dynamos FC Gordon Atalker 07770533249 Blake Carrington 07730488743 Melbourn Football Club Simon Gascoyne 261703 Melbourn Sports Centre Graham Johnson-Mack 263313 Meldreth Tennis Club Tracy Aggett 243376 Swimming Club Jenny Brackley 244593

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Community Hall bookings@communityhallmelbourn.com 07821 656033 Dial-A-Ride 01223 506335 Home Start Tracy Aggett 262262 Melbourn Community Hub 263303 Melbourn Springs Care Home 01763 722734 Mobile Warden Scheme Jeannie Seers 07808 735066 Moorlands Denise Taylor 260564 Southwell Court Telephone 750006 Vicarage Close Warden Eileen Allan 263389

Lead Sheltered Housing Officer – Monday to Friday 9–1.30 Vicarage Close, John Impey Way & Elin Way

Eileen Allan Mobile 07876 791419 / 245402

Every other week. 9–5 Monday to Friday

Barn Owl struggling in the wind

The Coots had increased to possibly 8: a definite 3 pairs, with one pair from the Drewer’s hide seen mating and nest building. A third Little Grebe had arrived on the mere and the male Gadwall was still there.

The Barn Owl was out in the daytime hunting over the reeds, and there were 70+ Fieldfares and 4 Redwings around the site. Flyovers included Red Kites, Little Egrets and Golden Plovers. The highlight of the weekend was a male Merlin that briefly flew around the reserve at dusk on the 29th.

March

130 Reed Buntings were counted coming into roost on March 2nd. An early morning walk around the reserve on the following weekend showed only that Coot numbers were up to 10, but gave some nice photos of a Canada Goose from Drewer’s hide. Another regular visitor had seen and photographed a female Kingfisher that looked grubby around the head; hopefully this was from excavating a nest hole.

The first Chiffchaff was heard singing around the Cress hut area on the 7th, and the following week saw an increase to 4 birds singing around the reserve. Another sign of passage was a group of 50 Redwing that passed straight through on the 12th.

The male Gadwall and 4 Teals were still on the mere. A first winter Cormorant was seen to circle the mere a few times but did not land. One highlight was a Water Rail ‘singing’ on the 13th. This is heard less often than the usual ‘pig squeal’ calls but does sometimes occur in Spring.

As the month progressed, we began to see more signs of the Spring migrations beginning. Chiffchaff numbers continued to increase, with 17 males heard singing on the 17th: there was no place on the reserve where they couldn’t be heard!

Midway through the month, a singing male Blackcap around the loop at the centenary end was the first of the year, but was thought likely to be a British wintering bird passing through rather than a south European migrant: these generally arrive towards the end of March. A few days later, however, there were 3 males singing, adding to what was becoming a glorious dawn chorus.

Reed Buntings Chiffchaff

Blackcap

Goldfinch

A surprising first sight of the year at this time was 3 Siskins, seen with 25 Goldfinches in the alders. This species is usually a regular during the winter, but not seen so far this year. 4 Snipes were put up from the mere edge by a small herd of deer, and the sighting of 2 Barn Owls at the nest box in front of the Reedbed hide confirmed that a pair is still in there. 52 Fieldfares were counted by the Guilden brook.

Notable flyovers were Red Kites, 7 Cormorants, a flock of 40 Redwings heading north and a group of Gulls: 25 Black-Headed, 5 Herring and 8 Lesser Gulls, all heading south.

Some other wildlife was also making itself evident. The first sighting of a Brimstone butterfly was recorded on the 15th, and a pair of mating Toads and the Smooth Newts were seen in the pond dipping pool along the boardwalk.

By the third weekend Spring was well and truly on the way. The first Sand Martins passed through, with 3 birds on the 17th and 2 more on the 18th. Small groups of Redwings were stopping to feed and a flock of 60 Fieldfares was seen flying up from the sheep field by the reserve entrance, to head high north east on the 19th at dusk – next stop the Yorkshire coast?

An extra Little Grebe appeared on the mere, making a total of 5. The new bird was not welcomed by the 2 pairs already present. Also feeling unwelcome was a Barn Owl that thought it would have a look in the nest box in front of the Reedbed hide. The Barn Owl pair in the box were soon out calling aggressively, the single bird quickly got the message and made its exit! This third Barn Owl was a bird that is often seen hunting around the Guilden brook/Golf Course area. The bird’s pale buff, plainly marked flight feathers make it quite recognisable.

Brimstone butterfly A pair of mating Toads

Treecreeper

Peacock butterfly

Comma butterfly

The final records of the month were made over the 22nd – 24th March. On the 22nd a Marsh Harrier was seen flying over and then, very exciting, an otter was seen in the channel in front of the Reedbed hide – the first seen at the reserve for over a year.

A pair of Shovelers arrived on the 23rd and a male Gadwall joined them on the 24th, with 5 Teals also on the mere. A single Cormorant flew over, as did a Red Kite, 3 Grey Herons, 2 Herring Gulls and 1 Siskin. Small groups of migrating Chaffinches were moving Northeast, 31 in total. There were still 60 Fieldfares and 10+ Redwings present.

A new Cettis Warbler had started singing near the west gate (that looks towards the golf course) and the Cettis Warbler by the Reedbed hide had started to show quite well at times, but still too briefly for a photo! The first Long-Tailed Tit nest of the season, almost complete, was found, and many Brimstone butterflies were on the wing, plus one each of Peacock and Comma.

The Coots were being their usual tolerant self. This is what happens when the line is crossed! Not pin sharp photos due to early morning light but enough to get the idea.

Whooper Swans (page 41) were seen at the very end of March, a significant sighting as this was the first reserve record of the species. They were seen using the mere to bathe at the end of March, becoming the 193rd species recorded at the site.

Squabbling Coots

Reserve closed

Following instructions from the Government to help limit the spread of Coronavirus, the RSPB has made the difficult decision to close all their nature reserves until further notice.

This article is a synopsis of the months of January, February, March at Fowlmere Bird Reserve taken from the website produced by Ade Cooper and Caroline Scott. To see the full version and other interesting visits Ade and Caroline have undertaken in the UK and abroad, visit: www.cooperandscott.wordpress.com