3^rd September 2004

Birds, birds, birds…

Want to brush up your bird identification skills? Then join a guided walk around Moor Green Lakes Nature Reserve at Finchampstead on Sunday 12th September and ask the experts about the ‘Birds of Moor Green Lakes in Autumn’. This special guided walk will be led by Colin Wilson of the Moor Green Lakes Group who, with other experts from the Group, will be able to answer questions about the birds found at the site as well as any general questions you may have. The guided walk starts at 9am from the site car park off Lower Sandhurst Road, Finchampstead. Children under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.

Covering 36 hectares (90 acres) the Reserve comprises three lakes with gravel islands, beaches and scrapes, fringed by scrub and grassland with mature trees and hedgerows. Over 200 bird species have been recorded here and, although they are not all there at the same time, you could spot up to 50 species in a single visit. If you are interested in finding out more about the general management of the site and the importance of maintaining the Reserve for both the resident and visiting bird population, come along and talk to or join the conservation volunteers who will be working on the site from 10.30am.

This is part of the ‘Go Wild! – The Countryside in Autumn’ an event co-ordinated by the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership, designed to encourage residents within the Blackwater Valley area to learn more about the countryside on their doorstep and get involved with looking after it.

For more details about this or any other Go Wild! event ring 01252 331353 or visit www.blackwater-valley.org.uk

END

For further information

Contact: Visitor Promotions Officer on 01252 331353 or e-mail blackwater.valley@hants.gov.uk

NOTES

• Membership of the Moor Green Lakes Group offers unlimited access to the two hides on the Reserve, two newsletters a year and an informative annual report. Members are encouraged to help with conservation work during the winter. For more details contact the Chairman, Peter Scott, on 01252 878205

• The Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership (BVCP) is funded by the County, District and Parish Councils along the River Blackwater. It works to promote community action in conservation and recreation and to protect the Valley for the enjoyment and well being of the whole community.