Upcoming visits

                         
Monday 1st June, Lee Valley with Hackney u3a (DH): an extra to our programme. We'll join the Hackney group in their regular visit from the Waterworks down the Lee Valley. Meet outside Highbury & Islington station by 9:15am or canalside of the Princess of Wales pub, Lea Bridge road at 9:50am. Let me know which way you are coming. We'll then rendevous with the Hackney u3a group. We'll spend some time looking at the river, following its course down to Hackney marshes. There are reed beds on the way which are very busy at the moment. We then will walk around the edge of the marshes, crossing the Lea, and make our way round to the Waterworks Nature reserve, where there is a hide window. Bring a snack or packed lunch for an early break. Then we'll move over to the Lea Bridge riding school, and after scouring the paddock, and using their toilet facilities make our way along the canal, crossing Leyton Marshes at some point, depending on the season. We'll then enter Walthamstow wetlands through the Coppermills entrance. We finish at the cafe for afternoon refreshments. Afterwards we'll make our way to Tottenham Hale and back to Highbury and Islington.

Monday 8th June, Rye Meads (JD): this is an RSPB reserve 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.

Fri 26th June, Wanstead Flats (DH): details to follow

Provisional dates for 2026 and provisional locations

Mon 6th July, Regents Park
Fri 24th July, Rainham                      
Mon 3rd August, Woodberry
Fri 28th August, Walthamstow Wetlands                         
Mon 7th September, Winchmore Hill
Fri 25th September, Thurrock Thameside     
Mon 5th October Connaught Waters, Chingford              
Fri 23rd October, Stokers Lake                                      
Mon 2nd November, Two Tree Island      
Fri 27th November, ???
Mon 7th December, ???

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