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est. 1992

website est. 1996

News Archive

28/12/10 Locations Out list/ details of sites within SK58 has increased by one, thanks to Duncan Bye who has written a page about this site-Roche Abbey.

29/11/10 More Nest Boxes With Barn Owls on the increase locally, the group in the shape of Mick Clay and Alan Bradford have been busily constructing more luxury owl boxes. We've already put up about half a dozen within the square On Sunday we added to our tally and erected another one in large mature tree in Carlton in Lindrick. Footage to follow soon. Thanks to Andy Murray (ladder man!), Andy Hirst, Geoff Facer, John Gallagher (for providing the manual labour) and especially Mick Clay and Alan Bradford for instigating and constructing the impressive boxes.

23/11/10 Feeding Station. Prompted by our recent visit top Carr Vale, we've erected a feeding station at NAPT. This is situated on a post by the hide. Members will keep the bird table topped up with food. We hope in time this will entice a few birds to the hide, which should provide close views of familiar birds, enable good photographic opportunities, as well as doing our bit to see the birds through the winter.

Feeding Station-pictured are Brian Chambers & Alan Bradford (Mick Clay is taking the picture) @ NAPT © Alan Bradford

23/11/10 AGM The January meeting is traditionally our AGM, where we quickly run through the procedure of electing an organising committee for coming year. All nominations for any of the posts (see contacts page Contacts ) to the Chairman, Mick Clay, before the January meeting. Currently all current incumbents are willing to stand for reelection, although we do have a couple of vacancies for Publicity and Fund Raising Officers. We've suffered a slight fall in membership so these two vacant posts are crucial to the future development and success of the group, with the increase in costs to the group such as speakers fees-which is paid for by subscriptions to the group.

23/11/10 Calendar 2011 Once again the group have published the winning entries from this years photographic competition into a desktop calendar. We've only had a limited run of 50 so get them while you can. £2.75 or 2 for £5.00 from Andy Hirst-they'll be available at the next two meetings. They make ideal stocking fillers.

01/11/10 Christmas/ New Year Quiz 2010-11 Brian has been out in the square with his camera and for our Christmas/ New Year quiz you have to identify the water sites on the quiz sheets. Quiz sheets can be downloaded from Christmas/ New Year Quiz or from Brian Chambers Please return your answers to Brian, plus £1 entry fee before the January meeting.

22/10/10 Photo Competition 2010 Allan and Susan Parker along with Andy Hirst had the difficult job of judging this years photo competition."The standard was higher than ever" said Andy, but following much deliberation the winners were chosen-click Photo Competition 2010 Results to see the winners and runners up!

11/10/10 Spurn Weekend We have a spare place if anyone wants to go on the Spurn weekend this coming weekend 16th-17th October. The rooms are booked but we've had a cancellation so x1 spare place-30 b+b for the one night. Let Andy Hirst know ASAP if you want to go.

18/09/10 Photo Request-We are currently producing our video site guide to the top 14 sites in within SK58. We aim to illustrate with video of species noted at the these sites. Our footage has gaps so to fill these in we are looking for quality JPG images to insert. Do you have and would you be willing to let the group have images of any of the following species:

Ruddy Duck, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Dotterel, Woodcock, Snipe, Jack Snipe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Short-eared Owl, Kingfisher, Grey Partridge, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Turtle Dove, Sand Martin, Cuckoo, Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear, Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Grasshopper Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Nuthatch, Siskin, Goldcrest, Corn Bunting and Water Vole.

Full credit will be given. If you have any of the images and prepared to to allow the group to use them, can you let Andy Hirst have them by email/ disk or memory stick. Email Recorder

14/09/10 Work was started yesterday on removing the red shale from around the islands on the wader scrape at NAPT. The red shale was acting as a soak away for any standing water. Work should be now complete, all we need now is a slightly above average winter to fill up the wader scrape for next year.

Also today Mick Clay was by the overflow field at NAPT when he saw a man and a women with two Spaniels. The man was just about to take out a rifle from a bag when he saw Mick. He watched him for about 10 minutes. If anybody does see him again do not approach him but ring the police on Sheffield 0114 2202020 or if on your own ring another member.

07/09/10 A reminder the groups annual photo competition is drawing to a close. The deadline for submission of entries is the 29th September (a month earlier than last year to enable more time to generate the calendars for Christmas) Click here Photo Competition 2010

25/08/10 Some of you may have been alarmed to see warnings from your browser/ Virus protection-that the SK58 Website contained Malware-it didn't, but the server that's hosts the SK58 website, along with hundreds of others was attacked by hackers. This was flagged by Google. Despite there being no threat from the SK58 website we've uploaded a clean back up.

28/07/10 Just a reminder the Tetrad Atlas Survey visits should be completed by now. Can the completed forms be returned to Andy Hirst as soon as possible.

12/07/10 We've heard that Firbeck Hall has been sold, at the behest of the liquidators. We understaffed the complete site was sold as a single lot to a local person from Doncaster (item care of Friends of Firbeck Hall).We hope that access will be reinstated to locals and the group, as the area offers a good mixture of habitats.

05/06/10 We had an alarming phone call this afternoon of a father and son shooting birds at NAPT at lunchtime, with high powered air rifles. This was reported to us by a family out enjoying the site. They'd tried to contact the Forestry Commission without success, so contacted us. Mick Clay, Andy Hirst and John Gallagher were on scene within 10 mins, but despite searching the entire site nobody was found. If you witness anything like this then please contact the Police AND Mick or Andy straight away so we can take action. There are two laws being broken, firstly a having/ using a firearm in public place and shooting wild birds.

11/05/10 Another reminder that you should be contemplating/ undertaking your first Tetrad Atlas survey visit(s) within the next week. For details/ reminder on how to carry out the survey click Tetrad Atlas Survey 2010. Also a reminder that we currently have 2 positions that are currently vacant on the Organisers Committee. They are Publicity and Fund Raising. As a direct result of the efforts of our previous Publicity Officers, Tony & Jenny Drew we have directly recruited quite a few new members. If you think you can contribute please see Mick Clay or Andy Hirst Contacts

21/04/10 A reminder that annual subs are due in April. I'm sure Lyn Facer would be happy to see you clutching money. For our current subscription rates click

03/04/10 We are currently looking for a person/ couple to replace Jenny & Tony Drew who have done a sterling job with Publicity. Contacting the local press and radio informing them of SK58 events and happenings, as well as producing notices of events for local notice boards. Please see Mick or Andy if you think you can help. Their work has directly lead to an increase in membership, so it's vitally important we find replacements. I'd like to thank Tony & Jenny for their outstanding contribution over the past 18 months.

19/03/10 Following a description and on photographic evidence, we have added Red-necked Grebe to the Official SK58 list.

11/03/10 We've added Little Egret to the SK58 species list. At NAPT the warden Dougie, has done a sterling job and erected a screen at the side of the hide, with viewing slots. This to prevent people clambering over make shift fencing, and disturbing the birds on the scrape.

09/03/10 A new location site guide has been added to the website, thanks to Rotherham & District Ornithological Society (RDOS).Click on the locations button (left) and choose Anston Stones Wood.

08/03/10 A new feature added to the website is a table of the 'Earliest and Latest Migrants' recorded within SK58. This can be accessed from the 'Latest' page or from the 'Species' page.

10/02/10 The group enjoyed a great weekend in Dumfries between 22-24/01/10. We spent Friday at Caelaverock, home to 1000's of geese, swans & other wildfowl. Saturday was spent along the coast between Carsethorn Point & Mersehead. On Sunday we went around Loch Ken and the Red Kite Trail-a great weekend was had by all.

Group Carsethorn © Allan Parker 2010

01/02/10 Following on from our AGM at the January meeting, all the current post holders were reelected to their respective posts. The prizes were awarded for the Christmas Quiz and for the prestigious Photo Competition 2009. Just a note-our 2010 Calendars (see below) have been slashed-until the end if February they are £1.50 only, they were £3.95-from Andy Hirst. After this date, the cases will be used next year and the paper parts recycled-get them before they are gone.

18/01/10 It's our AGM next Wednesday (30th). It will be a busy meeting-As well as our AGM, we will present prizes & certificates from the 2009 Photo and SK58 Yearlist competitions. After which Andy Hirst will give a shortened presentation on North Ronaldsay Birding. Please get all nominations for Organisers positions to Mick Clay before the AGM. A reminder that there are a few of the groups 2010 calendars available-the Jan/Feb meetings will be the last times you get these.

02/01/10 HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!! Here's to a good year in SK58.

23/11/09 In January it's the group's AGM. As ever if you wish to be more involved, your help would be greatly appreciated. There is a nucleus band of people who do an enormous amount of work, much behind the scenes that most members wouldn't know about. If you wish to help, or maybe even stand at the AGM for one the posts or know someone who you think would do a great job in one of the posts then please let the Chairman (Mick Clay) have your nomination before the January meeting (27/01/10). One post which remains vacant is that of Fund Raising Officer. We are convinced there are pots of money available to the group from a vast array of sources, we just need someone who can spare a few hours a week to search out and apply for such funding. See Andy Hirst for details.

Calendar 2010

To celebrate the success of the groups annual photographic competition we decided to make calendars of the best images from each category. The 2010 desktop (cd style) calendars make ideal stocking fillers for Christmas and great value for money. The calendars are £3.95 each (plus postage at cost) or am amazing 3 for £10-why not solve your gift problems, help promote and fund SK58 Birders and save yourself money!

Below a sample from the 2010 calendar (actual size):

They are available from any committee member-but hurry, we've only had 100 made and they are sure to go quickly.