Peterborough Bird Club Events Diary Last updated 18 March 2008 by Brian Stone Indoor and outdoor events up to June 2008. All are welcome. Click on the links for maps and more information.
	Indoor Meeting: Tuesday 25th March 2008 ‘British Dragonflies’ by Steve Dudley Having one of Britain's leading experts on dragonflies living on our doorstep is a great boon for the club and we are sure there will be a great deal of interest from members when Steve talks about identification and behaviour of some of the 46 species that can be seen in Britain. Steve's long-awaited book Watching British Dragonflies breaks new ground by combining ID plates and species accounts with a detailed guide to 94 top dragonfly sites in the UK, plus brief details on many more (including 15 in Cambridgeshire). Doors open at 7pm and the talk starts at 7.30pm at the Post Office Social Club, Bourges Boulevard, Peterborough.							Red-veined Darter – a recent colonist to the area
	Surveying common birds		Midweek walk, Friday, 11 April, 2008 Landy Green Way, Castor Join Mac Bell at 10am in Landy Green Way, which is off Mill Road in Castor village, as he carries out a two-hour walk across the scenically varied tetrad he watches for BTO surveys. This is a great opportunity for less experienced members to learn how to carry out a survey - and who knows, you may soon be doing a square for yourself?
	Outdoor Meeting: Sunday 20 April 2008 Hidden Norfolk Former chairman Trevor Williams will ensure that the group visits some of the less well-known sites in Britain's best birding county. At a time when spring migrants are pouring into the country, who know what might be found? Full details to follow soon.						Black Redstart – a spring migrant
	Indoor Meeting: Tuesday 29th April 2008 AGM (short and sweet, as usual) plus a talk by former chairman Trevor Williams on his recent birding holidays. Doors open at 7pm and proceedings start at 7.30pm at the Post Office Social Club, Bourges Boulevard, Peterborough.
	Midweek walk: Friday, 2nd May, 2008 Burghley Park Roger Teasdale invites you to join him when he carries out his tetrad survey for the BTO in the grounds of Burghley Park, Stamford. This is a great opportunity for beginners to get to grips with bird song recognition as well as learning survey skills. Assemble at 9.30am in the car park by the tree near to Burghley House.				Burghley is excellent for Nuthatch
	Wheatears should still be passing through	Outdoor Meeting: Sunday 18th May 2008 Weeting Heath, Lakenheath Washes & Great Ryburgh It's back to Norfolk to catch up with the Stone Curlews of Weeting Heath, the Golden Orioles of Lakenheath and the Honey Buzzards of Great Ryburgh (if they have taken up residence). Of course the Brecklands area that bridges the Norfolk-Suffolk border is alive with birds at this time of year so a great day is assured. Full details to follow soon.
	Midweek walk: Wednesday,  21st May, 2008 Old Sulehay Another two-hour gently paced walk to enjoy spring migrants at the Wildlife Trust reserve of Old Sulehay, that lies lies to the west of Wansford. Drive to Yarwell and at the crossroads on the edge of the village, turn right and follow a straight road until a right hand bend, where there is off-road parking. This is a noted site for warblers, Bullfinches and Green Woodpeckers and last year walk leader David Cromack heard Nightingale singing in the quarry area.					Bullfinch – abundant at Old Sulehay
	Midweek walk: Thursday, 29th May, 2008 Paxton Pits Nightingale evening Join chairman David Cromack at Little Paxton gravel pits, the region's top site for singing Nightingales, plus a wide range of other species, including Hobbies and Kingfishers. It is near St Neots (just off the A1) and the group will be escorted by a local volunteer on this two-hour evening walk, so this is a great opportunity to learn more about the exciting plans they have for extending the reserve. There will be a £2 per person charge to include a hot drink and packet of biscuits. Meet in the car park by the visitor centre at 7pm.
	Gannets –a Bempton speciality			Outdoor Meeting: Sunday 8th June 2008 Bempton Cliffs RSPB The club breaks new ground by organising a coach outing to the RSPB's famous seabird colony on the Yorkshire coast - and even better, the cost will be subsidised from PBC funds, so a ticket will cost just £5. If there’s time we will continue onto Flamborough Head, which is only a few kilometres east of Bempton cliffs. Here the Flamborough Cliffs reserve forms part of the Flamborough Headland Heritage Coast. The site's international importance is underlined by its designation as a candidate Special Area for Conservation and as a Special Protection Area for birds. Large numbers of seabirds nest here in the spring and summer, with fantastic views of Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots, Kittiwakes and Fulmars from the cliff top path. The reserve forms a transition from the sea caves, providing a unique habitat for specialised algae and rare lichens, to the coastal grasslands on the cliff tops. Erosion by the sea has formed impressive bays, headlands, arches and caves in the chalk cliffs. We should also find small tortoiseshell, meadow brown and painted lady butterflies as well as several species of bumblebee in the sheltered areas. Please make an effort to come on this trip which should prove to be interesting and rewarding with the chance to see birds that you normally wouldn’t around our coasts. Demand for places will be high, so make sure you book at the March indoor meeting. Events organiser Brian Lawrence needs to have definite numbers by the end of March. If you are not going to the March meeting but still want to come to Bempton Cliff, e-mail him on brianlawrence519@btinternet.com or call on 01778 348 336.
	Please note that the dates, times and places on this page were correct at the time of writing, but unforeseen events sometimes do cause alterations, so please check regularly for any changes, or alternatively contact one of the following:- For more information on PBC Indoor Events please contact Bob Titman. For more information on PBC Outdoor Events please contact Brian Lawrence. For more information on PBC Mid-week Walks please contact David Cromack. For more information on PBC Special Events please contact Jane Williams. Photos © Mike Weedon & Brian Stone
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