News
The latest news from the group.
August 2010
13 August: Learn all about the food, medicinal and folklore value of the trees and plants of Belsize Wood Local Nature Reserve on Sunday 15 August, from 12.00 to 14.00. Tommy Root will lead a talk and walk on the value of plants and trees in this peaceful woodland reserve in Belsize Park. The address is: Woodland Walk, Russell Nurseries Estate, off Haverstock Hill, London NW3.
12 August: Camden Nature Reserves Forum are hosting a free public meeting on Wednesday 18 August, from 19.00 to 21.00. The subject is 'Climate Change – Is it real? How will it affect our Wildlife?'. Speakers are from the London Wildlife Trust and the London Borough of Camden. The address is: Committee Room 2, Camden Town Hall, Judd Street, London WC1.
1 August: the 2010-2011 programmes have been sent to the printers.
May 2010
30 May: Two nature strolls along the Regent's canal in Camden have been organised. The walk on Tuesday 1 June will look at wild plants; on Thursday 10 June the focus is on birds. Both walks start at 18.00 at Baynes Street Canalside Garden. This nature area is on the canal at the junctions of Baynes Street and Royal College Street, NW1.
30 May: There is a Wild About Plants event at Hampstead Parish Churchyard on Saturday 5 June, from 14.00 to 16.00. Led by Tommy Root, learn how to identify wildflowers. The event is free and booking is not required.
30 May: The committee have met to discuss next year's programme. It will be published on this website as soon as it is ready.
April 2010
28 April: Many more trip lists have been added to our website.
1 April: The BTCV have published their Camden Green Gym programme for April to June 2010. The Gym is on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Visit their website for more information.
March 2010
18 March: On Easter Sunday (4 April 2010) John Hunt of the Marylebone Birdwatching Society is leading a walk called 'Birds of the Heath in Spring'. Meet at Burgh House on Hampstead Heath at 10.30.
17 March: Advance notice of a Dawn Chorus Walk on Hampstead Heath on Sunday 2 May 2010, from 05.00 to 07.00. Leaving from the Parliament Hill Staff Yard. To book call 020 7482 7073 or email Samantha.Crosby@cityoflondon.gov.uk
February 2010
24 February: Camden Wildlife Forum invite you to celebrate the launch of their Biodiversity Action Plan at a meeting on Wednesday 17 March. There will be talks on green roofs, green gyms and nature conservation on Hampstead Heath. To book email richard.harris@camden.gov.uk or telephone 020 7974 8816. Doors open at 18.30. Refreshments provided.
13 February: Camden have organised a Tree Walk in Regent's Park for Saturday 6 March. You will be taken around Regent's Park by a volunteer tree expert and qualified arborist, as they point out the variety of unusual specimens and rare breeds, some of which there are only a handful of in the UK. Meet at Chalk Farm Tube Station at 11am. The walk lasts until 1pm.
13 February: There is a Moss ID workshop at Hampstead Parish Churchyard on Saturday 27 February. Mosses are ancient land plants that play a crucial role in our environment. To learn more join this outdoor workshop led by Peter Howarth from Islington Ecology Centre. The event is free but booking is essential. Visit the website for more information.
13 February: Camden Nature Reserves Forum are holding a meeting on Tuesday 16 February at Camley Street Natural Park, starting at 6pm. The topic is volunteering in Camden’s green spaces, and anybody interested in volunteering is encouraged to attend.
1 February: Fairtrade Fortnight takes place at the end of February, during our coach outing to Rye Harbour in East Sussex. To promote the fairtrade message we plan to take a group photograph of MBS members holding geobars. If you want to be on this outing visit the booking page.
January 2010
20 January: The first edition of the Hampstead Heath e-newsletter, called 'Turn on the HEATh', is available now from the City of London website. There are snippets of information on dragonflies and harebells.
19 January: There is a meeting of Camden Wildlife Forum on Tuesday 26 January. There will be talks on GIGL, Housing Sustainability Wildlife Projects and nature conservation work in Camden. For further information visit the Camden website.
December 2009
18 December: MBS has links with the RSPB Central London Local Group. This Local Group is organising a coach outing to Marquenterre in France on Saturday 15 May 2010. To find out more visit the Group's website.
17 December: visit Camley Street Natural Park this Saturday (19 December) for a Winter Wonderland event. Come and make a Santa Claus, a snowman and stained glass pictures to put on your windows and much more. Also take part in games such as pin the nose on the Rudolf and a quiz. The event is free but children must be accompanied by an event. Starts at 14.00; ends at 16.00.
8 December: we are looking forward to our Regent's Park Pre-Christmas Bird Walk on 12 December. This is a good outing for beginners as well as those who want close views of waterfowl that are often difficult to see and there’s usually the chance of spotting some good woodland birds. See the Local Outings page for more information.
7 December: the November coach outing was to Pulborough Brooks RSPB reserve. We were lucky as the worst of the rain waited until we were back in the coach on the way home. The afternoon shower gave us a good excuse to return to the excellent visitor centre to indulge in their famous cakes before setting off again for a wander round the heathland or simply to get a good look at the birds on the feeders. Despite an outcry on the coach home, the bullfinch didn’t get a mention in the highlights on the official trip list that can be downloaded from the website. The main group went clockwise and it seems it was only those who went anti-clockwise who were delighted to see that a “red leaf” was indeed the bullfinch we’d all been hoping for.
November 2009
5 November: another event at the Hampstead Parish Churchyard. On Saturday 21 November, from 11.00 to 13.00, you can put your carpentry skills to the test and learn how to build bird and bat boxes. No booking required. Meet at the Churchyard.
October 2009
28 October: October's indoor meeting was a great success, with a large number of non-members attending to hear the speaker, Dr Algirdas Knystautas, tell the group about the birds of Indonesia. Don't forget the annual Spingett Memorial Lecture, which takes place on 29 October, when Colin Tudge tells us why we should consider the birds.
8 October: the project at Hampstead Parish Churchyard continues with a free Nature Detectives event on Saturday 17 October, from 13.00 to 15.00. Scavenger hunts, nature trails and bird feeder construction promise to keep everyone entertained. No booking required. Meet at the Churchyard.
September 2009
29 September: many more trip lists have been added to the Reports section, including coach outings going back to 1998.
14 September: the project at Hampstead Parish Churchyard continues with a Tree Walk on Thursday 17 September, from 17.00 to 18.00. This evening stroll will identify some common trees and explore tree folklore. No booking required. Meet at the Churchyard.
7 September: Camden Biodiversity Partnership are holding a meeting called 'Working for Wildlife and People' on Thursday 10 September. The purpose is to review Camden's Biodiversity Action Plan. The meeting is at Camley Street Natural Park and starts at 19.00.
August 2009
27 August: Camley Street Festival takes place on Sunday 6 September from 10.00 to 19.00. This free event is organised by London Wildlife Trust.
26 August: The Heath and Hampstead Society's 'Birds of the Heath in Autumn' walk takes place on Sunday 6 September at 10.30am. Meet at Burgh House. John Hunt will lead the walk. On last year's marvellous autumn walk the group saw a redstart, wheatear and winchat within 15 minutes of arriving on the Heath.
18 August: A new project focusing on Hampstead Parish Churchyard has been set up by Camden Council with Heritage Lottery Funding. The project aims to promote interest and activity in the management of the churchyards including practical habitat work, wildlife surveys (botanical, butterflies, birds etc), guided walks and various events. Additionally some historical research will be carried out to find out more about people buried on site. Volunteers are sought for a variety of roles. To get involved contact Honia Bor, Project Officer. honorata.bor@camden.gov.uk 020 7974 5178
11 August: members have started to receive their 2009-10 programmes, which feature a dazzling lime-green cover.
4 August: the 2009-2010 programmes have been sent to the printers.
3 August: the new website has been launched.
July 2009
23 July: the committee have finished putting together the 2009-2010 programme.
21 July: some MBS members have tracked down the black redstarts near King's Cross station.