Trust Update

There is a lot of activity going on behind the scenes to set up a Community Trust to run Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve.

We have gathered together a group of local people with the necessary skills to set up a Charitable Trust. They are busy preparing an outline proposal to present to the town and parish councils as well as to
North Somerset District Council.

We will keep you updated.

This is a great time to see kingfishers

Keep an eye out for this stunning little bird and that tell tale flash of turquoise, especially along the rhynes and by the outfalls into the estuary, where these colourful birds can often be seen fishing.

The young have fledged and will need to learn to fish quickly before the adults chase them off and they have to find territories of their own.

They do not cope well in cold winters and many will head for coastal areas where it is milder and less chance of the water freezing. So in the coming months you might see a kingfisher by the estuary.

In flight their call is a shrill repeated whistle so you may hear one as it whizzes past you.

Find out more and have a listen to the audio clips on the RSPB website
and the Radio 4 Tweet of the Day

Did you know?

The adults are identical apart from the beak.
The male has an all black beak but the female has
a red base on her lower beak.
Their feathers are actually brown, it is the different wavelengths of light reflected through the layers of iridescent feathers that gives them that shimmering blue or green depending on the light conditions.
There are over 90 species of kingfishers and the one we see here is the Eurasian kingfisher (Alcedo Atthis).

The October newsletter will be a spider special!

Why not visit the nature reserve and take some photographs of spiders to send to us?

We will include our favourites in the October newsletter and add a selection to our Website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Email them to us at friendspwnr@gmail.com with your name and when and where taken.

Please only send photos taken by you which you are happy for us to share with others.

Copyright © 2016 Friends of Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve, All rights reserved.
Photos courtesy of Hilary Kington

Our mailing address is:
friendspwnr@gmail.com

Forward to a friend

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list