BBOWT

Get involved in nature with BBOWT

This is an excellent month to to visit your local Wildlife Trust reserves and join in one of our friendly conservation work parties, walks or other events.

The marshy fen, extensive reed beds and woodland surrounding Weston Turville Reservoir create a winter wildfowl wonderland with coot, teal, shoveler and tufted duck and even the occasional bittern. Great crested grebes can now be seen doing their remarkable spring courtship display with much posturing and head shaking. As well as the reeds, important plants include hundreds of spring-flowering early marshorchids, followed in summer by lesser reedmace, purple-loosestrife, gipsywort, water mint and yellow iris.

Access is from the Worlds End Lane layby where a footpath takes you across the dam and round the east side of the reserve (the west side path may be temporarily closed for work). Stacey Hewitt organises conservation sessions here on the last Thursday in the month – contact her on staceyhewitt@ bbowt.org.uk.

Bacombe Hill is a precious area of chalk grassland, scrub and woodland leading up towards Coombe Hill from just beyond Wendover station. Whatever the season, you can enjoy superb views over Aylesbury Vale and watch red kites soar above the hillside. Long ago this site held importance for Bronze Age settlers and you can still see the traces of two barrows. In summer Bacombe Hill is noted for its pyramidal, chalk, fragrant and bee orchids and for the chalkhill blue butterfly. Within the open chalk grassland you can also find clustered bellflower and carpets of wild thyme, both indicative of long-established chalk grassland. Steve Keene (steve_ keene@btinternet.com) will be leading a conservation session here at 10am on Thursday 12 March and then on the second Thursday of each month throughout the year.

Other BBOWT events to enjoy at College Lake include ‘Nature Tots’ on 10 and 12 March, craft sessions on 6, 12 and 14 March and an early spring walk with Laurence Kidd on Sunday 15 March. In addition, at Dancersend Reserve Mick Jones will talk on ‘Conservation in Action’ on Thursday 26 March, then lead a walk ‘Looking for Signs of Spring’ on Sunday 29 March. ‘Testing the Water’- how conservationists try to ensure good water quality in local streams - is our talk at Great Missenden Memorial Centre on Tuesday 17 March at 7.45pm, admission £4. Please go online at www.bbowt.org.uk/ whats-on for more details including booking arrangements. We are an active and friendly group and welcome all who would like to join in our activities.

Richard Birch, BBOWT Chilterns Group, richardbirch60@yahoo.com