Indoor meetings are held on the first Friday of each month from October to May in the Methodist Church, Witney. Please use the rear entrance from Woolgate (Waitrose) car park in Witan Way.
A printable version of the programme can be downloaded here. Please note that there are occasional ‘pop-up’ walks in the list below which are not in the printed programme.
Talks and outdoor meetings are free to members and £3 for visitors. Please note that booking is required for some events where numbers are limited.
For more information on outdoor meetings, to indicate that you will be coming, or to book if required, please email julia_d_reid@yahoo.com or use the form on the Contact Us page.
| Friday 7 October 2022 7:15 for 7:30 pm |
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| INDOOR MEETING |
| Timothy Walker former director Oxford Botanic Gardens |
| ‘Sex, Lies and Putrefaction‘ |
| Guaranteed to be an entertaining and informative talk! |
| Sunday 16 October 11:00 am |
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| Fungus Foray Snelsmore Common BBWOT reserve |
| Leader: Peter Creed |
| Walk of about two hours to look for fungi including heathland species. |
| The site is about thirty miles from Witney so car share if possible. The ground is rough but mostly flat; suitable footwear advised. |
| Meet at the reserve carpark off the B4494 Wantage to Newbury road. |
| Map Ref: SU463710 / RG14 3BQ /someone.connector.sang |
| Friday 21 October 2 – 5:30pm |
| Open afternoon at THENFORD ARBORETUM near Banbury |
| Over forty years, Lord and Lady Heseltine have created an arboretum of seventy acres with a collection of more than 3,000 different trees and shrubs. |
| Cost of entry £16.00 each. Refreshments available. |
| Members wishing to visit should book individually via the arboretum’s website, which also gives directions. |
| Sunday 30 October 10:30am |
| Fungi at Foxholes BBOWT reserve |
| There should be a good selection of fungi after the recent rain. Since this is a ‘pop-up’ event there is no official leader so bring a field guide to fungi if you have one. |
| The most straightforward route is to go to Milton-under-Wychwood and turn right onto the Bruern road which you follow for about a mile. There is a layby on the left with room for 4-5 cars (so sharing advised). |
| Map Ref: SP259201 tomorrow.grove.usual |
| Please let Julia Reid know if you need a lift. |
| Friday 4 November 7:15 for 7:30 pm |
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| INDOOR MEETING |
| Fergus Mosey Warden at RSPB Otmoor |
| ‘Otmoor RSPB reserve through the seasons, with updates’ |
| Sunday 20 November 11am |
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| GRAVEYARD GEOLOGY St Sepulchre’s cemetery, Oxford Described by Jan Morris as the ‘gloomiest and most enthralling of the Oxford burial places’ |
| Leaders: Nina Morgan and Philip Powell Authors of ‘The Geology of Oxford Gravestones‘ available to buy on the day for £15.00 (cash only) |
| St Sepulchre’s Cemetery is in the Jericho area of Oxford, on the west side of Walton Street (between its junctions with Juxon Street and Walton Well Road). Entry is through a pair of open iron gates on Walton Street, between Walton Street Cycles and Londis. There is no parking at the cemetery: the nearest car park is Walton Well Road (Port Meadow South) but public transport advised. |
| Meet at the entrance to the cemetery, 80 Walton Street,Oxford OX1 2HD. Don’t even think of parking nearby! Use Pear Tree Park and Ride and get off the bus at Canterbury Road. The cemetery is about ten minutes walk from there. |
| Friday 2 December 7:15 for 7:30 pm |
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| INDOOR MEETING |
| Mike Wallen Bucks County Bird Recorder who has volunteered on Skomer for the last 36 years. |
| ‘Skomer Island‘ |
| Saturday 10 December 12:30 for 1pm |
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| Christmas Lunch at Shilton Village Hall |
| £15 per person. Soft drinks supplied. Please bring your own wine. |
| Bookings and enquiries re dietary requirements to David Roberts 01993 841194; early booking essential. |
| Please pay the Treasurer by Friday 18 November |
| Sunday 11 December 2022 11am |
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| Birdwatching at Standlake Common |
| ‘Pit 60’ is an old gravel pit managed as a reserve by LWVP. Good for wintering wildfowl viewable from two small hides. |
| Meet near the Black Horse pub in High Street, Standlake. Last turning on the left off the A415 when leaving the village in the Abingdon direction. 1km (20 minute) walk to the reserve. Can be very muddy. Alternatively meet at Langley’s Lane Hide about 11:30. |
| Map Ref: SP394028 OX29 7RR |
| 1 Jan 2023 |
| Subscriptions for 2023 due by 31 January |
| Bank transfer preferred; the Treasurer will provide bank details, or a form if paying by cheque. |
| Sunday 8 January 11am |
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| VISIT TO WWT SLIMBRIDGE |
| Self-guided visit to this large wetland reserve. (The In-Focus shop has now closed.) |
| Meet in car park at 11am; if arriving later meet in cafe around 1pm |
| Free to WWT members with card £15 (including gift aid) for non-members; concessions £12.75. It may be possible to hire binoculars for the day. |
| More information on WWT website |
| Postcode GL2 7BT |
| Friday 13 January 7:15 for 7:30 pm |
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| INDOOR MEETING |
| Members’ night Non-members equally welcome |
| A chance for members to show photos, have specimens identified and talk about their interests. |
| Members wishing to show photos or give a short presentation should bring them on a memory stick and notify John Cobb (jcobb927 @ gmail.com) by 9 January. |
| Friday 3 February 7:15 for 7:30 pm |
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| INDOOR MEETING |
| Lisa Lane |
| Lisa led a 17 year project to transform farmland at Chimney into a 308 hectare BBOWT Nature Reserve. |
| ‘Wetland restoration at Chimney Meadows NNR‘ |
| Friday 17 February 4pm |
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| Oxford University Herbaria |
| Professor Stephen Harris will lead the tour around his Department with a focus on collecting and understanding Oxfordshire flora since the mid-seventeenth century. This will give the opportunity to show a wide range of material from a diversity of collectors until the present day. He will also discuss how these collections are currently used to investigate the flora of Oxfordshire. |
| Meet at 4pm sharp outside the main entrance to the former Dept of Plant Sciences on South Parks Road. It is the building on the North side of the road, immediately opposite the pedestrian crossing. |
| Park and ride or public transport advised. |
| Numbers limited to 20, so booking essential. |
| Please book with Julia Reid |
| Friday 3 March 7:15 for 7:30 pm |
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| ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING followed by |
| Andy Lewis Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society |
| ‘Down the Windrush Valley – the River Windrush from source to mouth’ |
| Saturday 25 March 2023 10:30am |
| Evenlode Catchment Partnership |
| A 1 to 2 hour interactive walk to the Littlestock Brook Natural Flood Management (NFM) site at Bruern farms to learn about the five-year ‘slow the flow’ flood reduction project. This is combined with delivering multiple ecosystem benefits, including extensive wet woodland creation and wildflower conservation planting. |
| Terrain is easy but may be wet. |
| Meet at Grange Farm, near Milton Under Wychwood Map ref: SP254187 OX7 6HA |
| Car sharing encouraged; shop and toilets available a short car distance away at Bruern farm shop, OX7 6QE |
| Friday 14 April 7:15 for 7:30 pm |
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| INDOOR MEETING |
| Martin Catt All-round naturalist, tour leader and Club member |
| ‘British and European Butterflies’ |
| Sunday 23 April 4pm |
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| Appleton Lower Common SSSI |
| A walk of a couple of mlles to look for Town Hall Clocks and other spring flowers, and to see/hear summer migrants. |
| Leaders: John Cobb and Sue Morton |
| Limited parking in lay-by on north side of minor road between A415 and Appleton. It is very muddy. FULL-LENGTH WELLIES ARE ESSENTIAL because track flooded to 6 inches in places. One tricky (broken) stile to negotiate twice! |
| Map Ref: SP425001 OX13 5QN |
| Thursday 27 April 10am |
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| Otmoor RSPB |
| Meet at 10am sharp in the small car park; car sharing strongly advised. |
| Two Otmoor volunteers will lead a 2 – 3 hour tour of the RSPB Reserve. Hopefully, we will see/hear newly arrived migrant birds and possibly hear bitterns booming. |
| The tour will last until 1pm so a drink/snack might be a good idea. The Abingdon Arms in Beckley is on the way out from Otmoor if anyone wants to stop for lunch; it may be muddy. |
| Map Ref: SP570126 OX3 9TD What3Words dividers.sage.bibs |
| Thursday 4 May 6:30 pm |
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| HOLLY GROVE Near Ramsden ‘Pop-up’ walk to see Bluebells |
| Circular walk of 1 – 1.5 hours, depending on our pace. The Wood Anemones may still be out and we should see a few Early Purple Orchids.There should be plenty of evening birdsong too. The forecast is for cloud and dry, but it will still be very muddy and slippery. |
| Meet at 6.30pm: Take the B4022 from Witney to Charlbury. As you enter Hailey, with the Witney Rugby Club on your left, turn right towards Poffley End and follow the road towards Ramsden for approximately one mile until you reach a minor crossroad (Delly End left/Wilcote right). Turn right towards Wilcote and after approximately half a mile you will see a gateway with parking just before it on the left. There is enough space to park 5-6 cars, but please car share if possible. |
| Map Ref: SP367151 |
| Friday 5 May 7:15 for 7:30 pm |
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| INDOOR MEETING |
| Helen Mugridge ARPS Much-travelled wildlife photographer from the Forest of Dean |
| ‘Ecuador – The Andes to the Amazon’ |
| and ANNUAL PLANT SALE in aid of Club funds |
| Sunday 7 May 4am |
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| DAWN CHORUS |
| Leader: Adrian State |
| Worth the early start to hear the birds wake up! Expect to hear/see 40 to 50 species. |
| Meet at car park at top of lane leading to Minster Lovell ruins. |
| It can be very cold as we won’t be moving fast – wrap up very warm! Terrain can be wet and rough; one steep ascent. Bring a torch. If you let Julia Reid know if you’d like to come we can look out for you. |
| Map reference: SP322113 OX29 0RR |
| Monday 15 May 10am |
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| Chimney Meadows NNR |
| Walk of 2 -3 hours to learn about the recently restored wetlands at Chimney. |
| Leader: Lisa Lane (BBOWT) |
| Park at Chimney Meadows office car park which is about half a mile from the public car park. |
| Map Ref: SP354013 OX18 2EH |
| Numbers limited to 15 and booking essential. |
| Please book with Julia Reid |
We hope that the Summer 2023 programme will be available by the indoor meeting on Friday 5 May.
WEST OXFORDSHIRE FIELD CLUB 