A Litter pick along the Emm Brook is undertaken on the first Saturday of every month.
The next litter pick will be on Saturday 6th April at 10.00. Meet at Dragonfly Bridge to the rear of Morrisons Supermarket, Woosehill RG41 3SN at 10:00.
Please wear suitable clothing, footwear and gloves.Litter pickers and bags provided. Parking is available at Morrisons.
AGM 2023
This years AGM was held on Monday 15th May at the Woosehill Community Centre (Upper Room)
from 19:00-21:30.
05/11/ 22
BARBARA STAGLES TREE PLANTING
In recognition of the role that Barbara Stagles played during the formation of FOTEB and her works with Wokingham District Veteran Tree Association (WDVTA) an English Oak (Quercus robur) was planted in Woosehill Meadows between the Community Orchard and
the Wild Flower area.
WOKINGHAM DISTRICT VETERAN TREE ASSOCIATION (WDVTA) AGM
Wokingham District Veteran Tree Association (WDVTA)will be holding their AGM on Monday 27th March at Wokingham Town Hall starting at
19.30.
Click on the link for more details WDVTA AGM
21/10/ 22
AN UPDATE ON TW PLANS TO IMPROVE THE WATER QUALITY OF HEATH LAKE
The latest update from Thames Water can be found by clicking on the above link
BALSAM BASHING
Balsam Bashing is being undertaken on the Emm Brook a little later this year. Due to some of the team being on holiday.
The Three Amigos will walk the Emm Brook from Area 2 to Area 8 removing Himalayan Balsam as they go.
18/03/ 22
COMMUNITY ORCHARD PLANTING
FOTEB working with the charity Freely Fruity planted 82 fruit trees (Apple,Plum and Cherry) in a community orchard in Area 5 between Dragonfly and Ripplestream Bridge.
Assisted by the children from the Windmill School, Laura Buck from WBC, , Kathryn from
My Journey Wokingham(WBC) and other volunteers. Good to see it happen.
The Team from FOTEB keen to get started.Photos courtesy of Freely Fruity and WBC.
AGM
This years AGM was held on Monday 9th May 2022 at the Rose Room, Bradbury Centre, Rose Street, Wokingham RG40 1XS
from 19:30-21:30.
02/04 /22
April's litter pick in Area's 4 & 5 to the rear of Morrisons , was completed on Saturday 2nd April . Apprxiamately 12 people helped and in 2 hours 15 bags of litter were removed from along the Brook(mostly bottles) including a safe and a couple of old road cones. Thanks to all that attended.
05/03/ 22
A litter pick in Area's 4 & 5 , was completed on Saturday 5th March . Apprxiamately 15 people helped and in 2 hours 18 bags of litter were removed from along the Brook. Thanks to all that attended.
23/12 /23
BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH 2024
Big Garden Birdwatch is fun, free and for everyone. And you don’t need a garden to take part! Counting birds from your balcony, or your local park will play a vital role in helping us understand how UK birds are doing.
Sign up for your free guide and let’s look out for birds together on 26-28 January 2024.
Click on the link for more details Big Garden Birdwatch
25/12 /21
WOOSEHILL COMMUNITY ORCHARD
FOTEB in conjunction with Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) , South East Rivers Trust (SERT) and Freely Fruity are constructing a Community Orchard in Area 5.
It would be located in the area behind Morrison’s supermarket, adjacent to where the original wildflower meadow was on the east side of the Brook
running parallel to Arthur Road.
Its location is shown here.
To contact us with any comments please click on the link
info@foteb.org.uk
MONTHLY BIRD WALKS AROUND DINTON PASTURES 2024
RSPB
A Date With Nature Monthly Saturday morning walk 1st Saturday of each month
Location: Meet in the Dinton Pastures main car park in Wokingham RG10 0TH at 09:00.
As the parking fee in the Dinton Pastures car park is £6 for 4 hours, the Local RSPB Group have arranged for participants to park for free in the car park of the Wheelwright Arms, which is close to the entrance to Dinton pastures but on the opposite side of the road. (Obviously, it would be appreciated if we give our custom to the pub RG10 0TR.)
A three and a half hour walk around Dinton Pastures and Lavell's Lake (Area 10 of the Emm Brook) , suitable for everyone of all ages and we usually see/hear between 40 and 50 species of birds. Good cafe and toilets by the car park.
Time: 9 am
Price: £2 donation to the RSPB.
LAVELL'S WETLAND TRUST
On the second Sunday of every month Lavell's Wetland Trust formally Friends of Lavell Lake (FOLL) run a guided bird walk around the park covering Area 10 of the Emm Brook. Routes will vary depending on the time of year and last up to three hours. Wear suitable clothing as at times paths can be very muddy. We meet at 9am in the car park on Sandford Lane (opposite the Dinton Activity Centre entrance) and ask for a donation of £1 with no charge for children.
For more information visit the FOLL website . Click here
Car park charges apply.
This
Month on the Emmbrook
What to look for if you are out and about in
APRIL
General
April is a fabulous month for wildlife, as the trees and shrubs burst into leaf with fresh, vibrant green foliage.Now that the clocks have sprung forward and the sun has come out, it feels like wildlife is springing into action again. The birds are singing with gusto as they gear up for the breeding season, frogspawn is filling up ponds, hedgehogs are emerging and butterflies and bees are busy filling up on nectar. This is a fantastic time of year to get out and about.Spring is usually said to start at the beginning of March and the 21st of March is the Spring Equinox; the date on which day and night are of equal length.
This season is a time of days getting longer and the spring sunshine bringing growth and greenery everywhere with buds bursting and leaves unfolding. Birdsong reaches a peak and many flowers appear, in turn attracting insect-life, including bees and butterflies. Animals that hibernated over winter appear on the first warm days of spring so keep an eye out in early Spring for hedgehogs, newly emerged queen bees, frogs, toads, grass snakes, lizards and adders.
Other animals such as squirrels become more active and are easier to spot. Millions of migrant birds arrive, with chiffchaffs, sand martins and wheatears amongst the first to appear in March and swallows, swifts, cuckoos, nightingales and many warblers in April and May. Nature is at its most busy in Spring, every day brings changes, the sap is rising, and for many species finding a mate and successfully breeding is top priority.
Birds
The overwintering bird visitors such as Redwings and Fieldfares leave in April. The summer visiting birds that arrive to replace them include House Martins and many warblers such a Whitethroats,
Sedge and Willow Warblers.
The three birds that also return, and perhaps most signify summer, are the Swallow, the Nightingale and the Cuckoo.
Insects
Late in April the large black swarming St Mark's fly makes an appearance.
It is a welcome food source for newly arrived migrant birds as well as residents. It is very noticeable as its longish black legs lazily trail below as it flies around.
Some species of damselflies can also be spotted on warm days near the river.
Butterflies
Peacock, Orange Tip and Speckled Wood butterflies appear in April. Brimstone butterflies will already have been on the wing for several weeks, having over wintered amongst ivy as adults.
As the garden comes alive once more as the soil warms up , Small Tortoiseshell butterflies and Peacocks flit between the flowers. They may also be found basking in the sun to absorb its warmth.
Other Wildlife
Frog's spawn has become tadpoles by April. The adults now leave the ponds to live on land until Autumn.
They feed on slugs, snails and insects so avoid putting down slug pellets .
Plants
& Trees
Ash trees come into flower in April, but its leaves are one of the last to emerge (May). The male parts consist of a bundle purple pollen filled clusters and the females parts are dangle in the air to pick up wind borne pollen.
One of the hardy flowers that is first to bloom and can be seen all year round is the Red Dead-nettle. Also the common annual Shepherds Purse quickly flowers and sets seed.
In the meadows the Cuckoo flower, and Cowslip emerge. One of the great Spring wildlife sights! In late April and early May bluebells are usually at their best so make sure you don’t miss this amazing Spring spectacle. A carpet of bluebells transforms woodlands into a place of magic and wonder.
Emmbrook Weather
Bernard Burton has been recording the weather alongside the Emm Brook since 1976. His weather station originally situated at Emmbrook Secondary School till 1996 and now at Emmbrook Junior School daily monitors the weather. For a more detailed anaylsis of the previous month's weather visit this link.
Emmbrook Weather
For todays Emm Brook sunrise and sunset times
Click here
Newsletters
At their meeting in November 2010 the FOTEB management committee took the decision to discontinue the printed newsletters for members. This decision was not taken lightly since there is of course a tradition of keeping members informed of events and sightings by way of regular printed newsletters. However, knowing that the majority of members have internet access and are regular visitors to our website - and having received an increasing number of representations from members expressing a wish to receive literature in an electronic format - your committee felt that the time had come to cease the time-consuming and costly production of regular printed newsletters and replace them with an online noticeboard on our website.
Click on Archive page at the top of the screen to view one of the previous News letters.
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