There’s a report on this trip in the monthly Newsletter
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Our first coach trip of the year will be to Conwy RSPB reserve, on the Conwy estuary in North Wales, led by John and Shirley Hall.
The reserve covers 47 hectares of varied habitat, grassland, scrubland, reedbeds, salt marsh and mudflats, such that over 220 species of birds have been recorded on the site, along with stoats, otters and weasels and probably other mammals. There are more than 270 species of plant, supporting a variety of invertebrates.
The paths are all level and surfaced although in some places wet, so easy walking but boots required! The long track walk is about 2.5 miles. It is possible to walk into Conwy from the reserve along the estuary and takes about 30 minutes at a good pace.
There is a café and hot food is available until 2.30, sandwiches and snacks until 4.00, however on the recce there was no evidence of cakes or scones and service was slow!
Meet at Manchester Road Cul-de-Sac. The coach leaves Rochdale at 9.00 am prompt, and leaves Conwy at 4.00 pm to arrive back about 6.00pm.
The journey takes about 2 hours and with a 30 min stop at Chester services on the M56 we should arrive about 11.45. On arrival we will be given a short talk about the site before getting off the bus, where we can then do our own thing.
For non-RSPB Members the entrance is £6 but free if you were to join there and then.
Alternatively, many of us have guest RSPB passes that we can let non – members use so they too get in for free.
Please note that Wales is under a different set of Covid rules than England.
At the time of writing, masks are still expected, there is a one-way system, hides have social distancing screens in them, and social distancing is still required in the café and the toilets.
The cost of the trip will be £15 (but please bring change for the driver’s tip).
Whilst advance booking is not essential it helps tremendously if you pay your £15 beforehand by bank transfer:
Sort Code 05-07-67, Account Number 60931963. Please make sure to use your name as a reference.
If paying on the day we prefer by cheque made payable to “Rochdale Field Naturalists’ Society”, as this means the treasurer isn’t carrying large sums of cash.
Please come along, bring your friends and family, and let’s make this a good start with many more to follow!
If you have any suggestions of places you think we can visit either by coach or car, please email Jan Kidd as soon as possible.
Please say why you think it would be a good place for a visit. We will be putting together our forthcoming programme in March and are looking for as many suggestions as possible.
If you are willing to lead or help with a trip even better, but you can still suggest places anyway.