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England Bedfordshire

Lady Amhurst Pheasant Chrysolophus amherstiae ŠSteve Blain http://www.steveblain.co.uk/

At some 123,000 hectares Bedfordshire is one of the smallest counties in England, though it can boast of being the home of both the RSPB and for many years of British Birds. Its geology, with four main strata of chalk, gault clay, lower greensand and Oxford clay traversing the county roughly from south-west to north-east ensures that it supports a diverse range of habitats even in a predominantly agricultural context, though some, such as heath-land, now occur only in small, isolated fragments. A total county list of some 280 species includes between 110 and 120 regularly breeding species: on average around 200 species are recorded in all each year.

Bedfordshire`s speciality bird must be Lady Amherst`s Pheasant, which occurs on the greensand having spread from its original introduction at Woburn (also occurring just into Bucks). Sadly, the population of this extremely secretive and more often heard than seen bird has declined rapidly and the number of calling males may now be down to single figures.

Some popular sites for birdwatching - not implying any order of preference - are given below.

top sites

Blow`s Downs

(TL033215)famous for its migrant Ring Ousels in spring, as well as several other scarce migrant species, the details of which can be found regularly updated on the site`s own website.

Dunstable Sewage Treatment Works

(TL003244)Dunstable Sewage Treatment Works are open to all on the first Sunday of the Month only, from 08:00 to 12:00. Paul Trodd of the Bedfordshire Bird Club is the honorary warden. The site has four settlement lagoons and a wader scrape overlooked by a hide. There are plenty of bushes and scrub to attract a variety of birds. During migration the level of one of the large lagoons is lowered to attract any over flying waders.

Harrold/Odell Country Park

(SP960570)for a variety of water birds and migrants.

Priory Country Park

(TL076493)where sightings in recent years include Ferruginous Duck, Radde`s Warbler and Yellow-browed Warbler.

The Marston Vale brick pits

(from Brogborough to Elstow) which hold large numbers of roosting gulls, often including several white-winged gulls, in winter.

contributor

Additional Material
Philip Tyler
pipit@globalnet.co.uk

Andy Banthorpe
Webmaster - Beds Bird Club
bedsbirdclub@picus.co.uk

county recorder

Dave Odell
136,Bedford Rd. Wootton, Bedford, MK43 9JD
01234 857161
Please Submit records through the Beds Bird Club website
records@bedsbirdclub.org.uk

numbers

Number of bird species:287
County Bird - Hobby Falco subbuteo

useful reading

An Atlas of The Breeding Birds of Bedfordshire

R A Dazley & P Trodd, The Bedfordshire natural History Society 1994
ISBN: 0950652148
Buy this book from NHBS.com

The Bedfordshire Bird Report

Published by The Bedfordshire Natural History Society, the annual bird report forms part 2 of The Bedfordshire Naturalist which has documented the wildlife of Bedfordshire annually since 1946. Copies of the bird report are distributed free to members of the Society and the Bedfordshire Bird Club and may be purchased from:- Mrs Mary Sheridan, 28, Chestnut Hill, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, LU7 7TR. Full details of cost and postage at http://www.bedsbirdclub.org.uk

The Hobby

The Bedfordshire Bird Club, the ornithological section of the Bedfordshire Natural History Society, publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, The Hobby, as well as an annual report. Past issues can be viewed on the Beds Bird Club website

Your Guide to Nature Reserves in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire

Edited by Sarah Wroot, 165 pages, col photos, illus, maps. Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Wildlife Trust 1993
ISBN: 0952078805
Buy this book from NHBS.com

useful information

Proact

Coordinator: Darren Oakley-Martin (Beds, Bucks. & Herts.)
Members: 3
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team
Contact your coordinator via mailto:info@proact-campaigns.net

clubs

BCNP Wildlife Trust

http://www.wildlifebcnp.org/
We are the largest charity working for the conservation of wildlife and wild spaces within the three counties (including Beds). Based in five offices, the Trust campaigns for the sensitive and sustainable management of wildlife in the countryside and the urban landscape, manages thousands of hectares of land for wildlife and people, and carries out extensive educational work.

Bedfordshire Bird Club

http://www.bedsbirdclub.org.uk/
For membership or subscription information about the Bedfordshire Bird Club, which has an active year round programme of indoor and outdoor meetings: Miss Sheila Alliez, Flat 67 Adamson Court, Hillgrounds Road, Kempston, Bedford MK42 8QT.
Welcome to the website of the Bedfordshire Bird Club. The Bedfordshire Bird Club was set up in 1992 by birdwatchers, from both inside and outside The Bedfordshire Natural History Society, to cater for their specialist needs...

reserves

Bird and Nature Reserves in Bedfordshire

http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/reserves/beds.htm
Location and access details etc.

Blows Down Nature Reserve

http://www.fly.to/blows.downs
Blow`s Downs is now a well-known birdwatching site, particularly renowned for the regular appearance of Ring Ouzel on spring passage. Despite this species traditional use of the site many people visit Blow`s but go away having not seen this elusive thrush. These notes aim to pass on some of the expertise that the locals have gained in locating them.

Bramingham Wood

http://www.braminghamwoodvolunteers.co.uk/
Bramingham Wood is an area of natural woodland, located immediately to the north of the town of Luton in the County of Bedfordshire. In 1985, the Woodland Trust, a nation-wide charity now with in excess of 100,000 members, took over the management and subsequently the ownership of Bramingham Wood from the then private owners. Consisting of approximately 45 acres, the wood is classified as an ancient woodland in that it has known to have been in existence for at least 400 years and has probably been a woodland for much longer.

RSPB Reserves - The Lodge

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/t/thelodge/index.asp
This reserve is a mixture of woodland, heathland and includes the formal gardens of the RSPB`s UK headquarters...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you cant find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page give them a try!

local guides

Birding Pal

http://birdingpal.org/Unitedkingdom.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

places to stay

Highfield Farm

http://www.a1tourism.com/uk/highfieldfarm.html
Tranquil and welcoming house with warm and friendly atmosphere. Set in own grounds on attractive arable farm. Set well back off the A1 giving peaceful seclusion, yet easily accessible.

Orchard Cottage - Sandy

http://www.hotelsandguesthouses.net/158
Joan and Owen Strong welcome you to Orchard Cottage. A charming 16th Century thatched cottage with modern extension. Formerly the village bakery. Offering comfortable accommodation with pleasant rooms overlooking countryside or the large secluded garden.

mailing lists

bedsbirds

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bedsbirds
To post to list:bedsbirds@yahoogroups.com
List contact:bedsbirds-owner@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to list:bedsbirds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
A groups that brings together all Bedfordshire birders and sightings from around the county.

Bedfordshire - Birding Sites

http://www.steveblain.co.uk/
e.g. Priory Country Park - A very accessible country park on the outskirts of Bedford which attracts unusual birds with surprisingly regularity. Some of the best include Yellow-browed Warbler, Penduline Tit, Bee-eater and the first inland record of Radde`s Warbler!

Birdline East Anglia

http://www.birdnews.co.uk
Birdline East Anglia - We provide the latest bird news for East Anglia and also a UK rare bird summary...

BLOG - Back in Birdland

http://backinbirdland.blogspot.com
Mike Lawrence's birding Diary

BLOG - Dave's Birding Diary

http://davidsbirdingdiary.blogspot.com
BLOG from a Bedford birder...

BLOG - Nigel Blakes Bird BLOG

http://ngbdigital.blogspot.com
A bird photographers diary blog page

Naturenet - Bedfordshire

http://www.naturenet.net/england/beds.html
Articles on reserves etc.

Opticron

http://www.opticron.co.uk
OPTICRON - P.O Box 370, Unit 21, Titan Court, Laporte Way, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 8YR, UK Telephone 01582 726522 Fax : 01582 723559 Email: info@opticron.co.uk

artists

Photographer - Jason Gallier - Wildlight Photography

http://www.wildlightphotography.co.uk
Online portfolio of stunning wildlife, nature and landscape photographs from around the world by Jason Gallier

Photographer - Nigel Blake

http://www.nigelblake.co.uk/
Welcome to my website! I have been photographing wildlife for about 25 years. I have traveled extensively throughout Europe and Africa in search of subjects to photograph. Whilst birds are my preferred quarry I am attracted to anything that catches my eye, be that people, landscapes or anything with exceptional aesthetic appeal.

Photographer - Steve Blain

http://www.steveblain.co.uk/
Welcome to my images section of my web site. Here you will find pictures I`ve have taken myself (mostly) using my Canon EOS 500 and 75-300mm IS lens. I have also just purchased a digital video camera and an EOS 30. I have had the camcorder around four months not and the EOS 30 around a month but have already got some great stuff. Please check out my video section, all problems should now be fixed but please send me an e-mail if you come across any more.

Photographer Chris Gomersall

http://www.chrisgomersall.co.uk
Chriss photography is probably best known to the one million members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds where he had the enviable job of staff photographer for some fourteen years, before leaving to pursue a solo career in November 1998...

Photographer Simon Knight

http://simonknightphotography.co.uk/
Welcome to my web site, hopefully you will find something of interest, whether it be rare birds, butterflies, dragonflies, moths or landscapes

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