‘Swifts are Making a Comeback’ Talk at The Hall Wednesday June 11th at 8pm
Jacey Jackson, lifelong enthusiast and founder of Shipston Action for Swifts, will be sharing her passion for these birds in an illustrated talk at The Hall on June 11th.
Doors open at 7:30pm – to start at 8pm.
Refreshments will be available and donations towards the cost of the talk would be much appreciated.
For more information, please contact Sue Williams on 01608 686414.
Newsletter from Jacey re Swift News for 2025 can be seen here.
The local Big Frog March is expected to be taking place from Wednesday February 19th on the road by the Little Butts turning on the Burmington/Cherington Road.
Members of the Feldons Wildlife Group will be patrolling the area wearing high viz, with torches and buckets, in order to assist the migration.
Motorists are asked to drive with caution in this area at this time while their march takes place.
See message below from Sue Williams of the Feldons Wildlife Group:
‘Every year in the UK as soon as the temperature rises above 5 degrees centigrade, thousands of our native population of frogs, toads and newts start to move from their over wintering places back to the waters of their birth.
The females will be overloaded with bellies full of eggs ready to mate and spawn and the males are obviously just as anxious to reach the breeding grounds and do their duty!
Often this march involves crossing busy roads, and all over the country at this time, hundreds of volunteers soak themselves to the skin on early spring nights to save these creatures from being squashed under the tyres of cars, by waving down cars with torches, wearing high viz jackets, and collecting the frogs in buckets to give them a lift across the road.
You may think “ how can it be that hard to avoid running them over?” It is not that simple for starters, because they can gather in such numbers that swerving to avoid one puts your tyres on another and small frogs and newts can look just like leaves and twigs on the dark tarmac through a rain splattered windscreen.
Last year England’s 203 registered amphibian rescue groups saved at least 115,000 animals from the roads.
Unfortunately last year the Feldons Wildlife Group heard about our local frog crossing too late to save many of these creatures – but this year we aim to be prepared
The weather forecast is expected to change this week and so from WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 19TH ONWARDS we shall be out with our torches, buckets and high viz jackets ON THE ROAD BY THE LITTLE BUTTS TURNING.
If frogs are on the road we shall hope to flag down motorists and clear a way for cars to drive on, without killing these creatures, whilst collecting them in our buckets and giving them a lift across the road to the pond.
We hope that anyone reading this will spread the news to friends and neighbours to drive with caution on this part of the road for the next few weeks. There will be signs on the side of the road to warn motoristsof the area we are patrolling.
Finally if anyone in the village would like to volunteer to assist us with these patrols we would be very grateful. Please phone Sue Williams 01608 686414 for further information.’
A message from Nick Homes on behalf of the Feldons Wildlife Club concerning the World’s Largest Garden Wildlife Survey this weekend 24 – 26 January:
‘Make a cup of tea, pull up a chair, enjoy one hour gazing into the garden this weekend, and help science at the same time by participating in the world’s largest citizen science project.
This weekend is the annual Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Big Garden Birdwatch. Last year, over 600,000 people made a list of all the birds they saw in their garden, for just one hour over the last weekend in January.
All you need to take part is the ability to tell a great tit from a blackbird, and a bluetit from a robin. Easy! Write down the maximum number of each type of bird that you see at any one time during the hour, then submit your results:
2. Please also send your bird count by email to nickpholmes7@gmail.com. We will compile the results into the 2nd Annual Feldon’s Bird Survey.
For more information, check the RSPB website, which has handy bird-identifying and counting guides that you can download and print or view online. If you’re an experienced Watcher, you’ll just need a pen and paper.’
Proposed Riverside Picnic on Sunday September 8th 2024 from 12.00 – 15.00
A fun and informative event for families with children aged 12 and under, on the banks of the river Stour at Tachbrook House. There will be a quiz and a wildlife talk from Michael Dean, who is an ecologist, specialist in water voles and otters and director of MD Ecology.
Please register your interest as per message below if you would like to come along:
Message from Susan Williams:
We do hope this will be well supported by families from Cherington, Stourton, and Sutton under Brailes, but we need to have names and phone numbers of those who would like to attend.
So with this in mind, please contact Sue Williams 01608 686414 or Sue Rodger 07796 036813 to register your interest as soon as possible.
Coffee Shop and a Visiting Oxford Professor of Ecology at The Hall on Saturday June 8th from 10.30 – 12.00
Running alongside this month’s coffee shop on Saturday June 8th from 10.30 – 12 at The Hall, The Feldons Wildlife Group are welcoming special guest Professor Owen Lewis, Professor of Ecology at Oxford University.
He is coming to open up the 4 harmless moth traps which will be set on Friday 7th, and talk about & record moth species found.
Learn about our local moth population whilst enjoying delicious coffee and cake!
Visit by Professor Owen Lewis on Friday 7th June / Saturday 8th
On the evening of Friday 7 June, Owen Lewis, Professor of Ecology at Oxford University, is coming to the village to set up moth traps in 4 chosen gardens belonging to members of the Wildlife Group.
Then on the morning of Saturday 8th June he will return to The Hall between 10.30 and 11.00 am. and proceed to open the traps and talk about what is found.
This event coincides with the village Coffee Shop so a great opportunity to find out about how our local moth population is faring over cake and coffee!
The village Wildlife Group, The Feldons, are holding a hedgerow survey at The Hall on Sunday April 7th at 10.30.
The survey, which will take about an hour, follows on from one first conducted last June in the hedgerows around The Hall, observing plants, insects, animals, birds etc. found there.
Everyone with an interest in the wildlife of the village is welcome, especially children who will be the wildlife ambassadors of the future.
17 yr old Milly Blake will be leading the event and making delicious cookies to share – so please come along and enjoy!
Cherington and Stourton Village 