Reports of WOFC meetings
This was a joint walk for the Club and the local branch of the Green Party on the evening of 10 June 2022. It was led by Catriona Bass, the owner of Long Mead, who gave a very informative talk about her meadow and the Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project that she has set up with the Floodplain Meadow Partnership (based at the Open University) and BBOWT.
This was advertised as ‘a quiet walk to enjoy and identify the songs of common birds and summer migrants’ and to some extent the birds took us at our word! However, we did hear a some star performers without too much background ‘clutter’ from other species, and saw several other interesting things during the mile or two circular walk from Rushy Common to Hardwick.
Without wishing to tempt providence, our walks this spring have all been in sunshine and our visit to Southill Solar Farm on Saturday 14 May was similarly glorious.
Nineteen people gathered to meet ecologist Dr Anne Miller who talked about the history of the biodiversity project, before walking around the 16-hectare area.
Five brave individuals turned up at 4 am on the first of May for the club’s annual dawn chorus walk – a rather low turnout – but some people may have been deterred by the forecast of rain later in the morning. As it turned out though, the weather held and we had a good, albeit chilly walk. [But not as cold as it can be!]
On the sunny Sunday morning of 10 April, fourteen of us met Neil Clennell, Chief Executive of the Wychwood Forest Trust and herpetologist, near Greenham Common to look for reptiles. Neil was absolutely confident – and rightly so – that we would easily find adders.
On the dry, early spring morning of 27 March, nineteen members gathered by the entrance to Whitehill Wood, near Stonesfield, to hear Peter Creed’s introduction to mosses and liverworts.
John C writes:
This evening (14 Jan 2022) we had a truly fascinating and information-packed Zoom talk, The Trouble Without Wasps, by Dr Ian Bedford, a retired entomologist from the John Innes Centre in Norwich: all you ever need to know about wasps – and much more!
On Monday 6 December, fourteen Field Club members enjoyed a fascinating tour of the Entomology Department of the Museum of Natural History in Oxford.
Jonathan Noel writes:
Sunday 31 October started with heavy rain and strong winds and the outlook for a successful walk looked bleak. However, by the time I had reached our meeting point at Boars Hill the weather had turned into a beautiful autumn day. Sixteen brave souls also ventured out and we met our leader for the foray Peter Creed.
On the sunny but chilly morning of Sunday 7 November 2021, eighteen Field Club members gathered for a tour of Gibbets Close Farm, led by Neil Clennell from the Wychwood Forest Trust.
WEST OXFORDSHIRE FIELD CLUB