Upcoming visits 

Monday 26th October (DH), Rye Meads (before it closes on 2nd Nov): this is an RSPB reserve ( and due to close soon) but entry is free (you can make a donation if you are not a member). You can hire binoculars there for a small sum. There are toilets there. At the reserve the terrain is mostly level, the paths may be a little muddy if there's been rain, but ordinary 'sensible' shoes will be fine. Maximum walking distance is about 3 miles in all (depends if we go the full way round). We expect to see and hear a good range of woodland and water birds. Meet by 9:40am in the ticket hall of Tottenham Hale train station – for the 9:55am Hertford East train to Rye House which takes about 25 mins. With a Freedom Pass, ie from Zone 6 (Enfield Lock), you can buy an off-peak day return to Rye House for about £5.80 with a Senior Railcard. We should be finished at the reserve by about 2:00pm so you can depart then or some of us will probably cross the road to the pub at the end for lunch. Trains back are every 30 minutes (20 & 50 past the hour). Email me if you intend attending.            
                         
Mon 2nd November (DH/JD ), Two Tree Island: Meet at Fenchurch Street station (upstairs at the Bank end) by 9:50am for the 10:04 train. (10:18am at Barking). Gets us to Leigh on Sea at 10:51am. There are toilets at Leigh-on-Sea station. It’s a 1 mile (20 minute) walk to the Reserve. The lagoon at the western end of the island normally holds the best selection of bird life. There is a hide overlooking the lagoon. Depending on weather and what we see, expect to stay a couple of hours. Therefore can make the 2:43pm back to Fenchurch Street (arriving 3:29pm). There are no facilities at this reserve (ie cafe or toilets) but there is a café on the way back to the station from the island (& if visiting return times will be later). It’s Zone 6/ Freedom pass to Upminster so buy a cheap day, off peak day return Zone 6 Extension (Upminster) to/from Leigh-on-Sea. With a rail card that should be £11.50. Or ask about a Rover ticket this allows open travel in Essex for the day at £7.00.  

     

Provisional dates for 2026 and provisional locations
Fri 27th November (JD/??), Stokers ???
Mon 7th December (JD/??), ???

Other information

This section provides some learning material in no particular order:

Previous Visits: we maintain a register of all our previous visits and our 'spot' count on each visit: VISIT REGISTER

Bins: To enjoy our bird visits to the maximum you will need decent binoculars (8 × 25 or 8 × 42 or 10 x 42 or 10 x 50 are good). The first number tells you the magnification (ie 8 or 10 times bigger), the second number is the size of the 'objective' (larger) lens which determines the amount of light (sharpness) of the image. Bigger numbers also mean bigger weight. There are also two forms — porro prism (offset lenses) or roof prism (in-line lenses). Porro type are generally cheaper but larger/heavier. Appropriate footwear and rain gear if the weather threatens. Each of our visits will have a maximum of 10 participants (but normally we are a lot less than that).

British Bird List: If you want to print out a list for use during your visits to allow ticking off what you see then the list is here: Bird List
London Bird Club: To help plan your own trips, or to inspire suggestions for our visits, you might want to look at the London Bird Club Wiki here: LBC
Birds on the Edge: see here for information of birds at risk: At Risk
WWT: To read the quarterly magazine from WWT click here: WWT Mag
LWT: To follow what the London Wildlife Trust are up to have a look here: LWT
Bird Sound: If you want to hear some particular bird song or call try using this site: Bird Calls & Songs