As you’ve seen on the home page the friends of Straw’s Bridge (who include a few EVW’ers) held a day of birdwatching and walks at Straw’s Bridge today. Undeterred by yesterdays snow we set up our trusty gazebo on what turned out to be a glorious winters day.

We had spotting scopes, binoculars, guide books and a camera set up for people to try and had a big bag of corn kindly donated by Taylors Corn Stores of Ilkeston for people to feed the birds with. One of our aims was to educate folks on the perils of feeding birds bread, especially at this time of year. The corn went down well with both visitors and residents!!

The scopes were set up so people could check out the different birds on the lake. We focused (no pun intended!!) on the different gulls and the difference between Mallard and Shovelars. It was nice to see so many people so enthusiastic about the different species of birds on the lake. Here’s a typical view from the day.

I think some of the volunteers enjoyed it as much as the visitors. Here’s Rod taking in the scene, and taking a snap or two.

The highlight of the day for most was a bird walk, led expertly by our very own Jim. Despite problems with his feet Jim took a group of around 15 around the site and by all accounts it was a resounding success. Many thanks Jim!

Jim and wildlife cameraman John Keeling discussing the day. No good hiding the tea Jim, we’ve spotted it!!

I took along my hide and camera and let the kids that came along have a go. One young chap produced this outstanding image of a male Mallard. Well done that man!!

It was nice to meet Mel Johnson at Straw’s today and a good few people who had been on the site as visitors.

The main aim of the day was to raise awareness of our group and our aims for the site. We’re shortly going to be doing some major conservation work. A new beach area will be created to control the erosion near the car park, reed beds will be created, some of the old vegetation removed and footpaths improved. This should make the site better for both wildlife and visitors. If anyone’s interested in getting involved in any of this just drop me a line. We meet as a group every couple of months to organise forthcoming events and to sort out practical work that needs doing.

All in all a very successful day and one enjoyed by all. I even managed time to get a few shots of my own!

Cheers

Paul