Tag Archives: Black Country

Help survey Birmingham & the Black Country’s canals for Otters and Shrews!

Image © Peter Trimming via Flickr Creative Commons.

Here is a great opportunity to get involved with some hands-on ecology work! The first ever official survey of Otters and Shrews in Birmingham and the Black Country’s canals has just been launched by the Canal & River Trust and the University of Birmingham. They are looking for volunteers to help out with survey work; you will receive full training – click here for details.

Some training sessions have already been arranged; these will consist of a powerpoint presentation of how to survey for Otters, place Shrew traps, take habitat measurements, and anything else you will need to do for the survey. If possible, the nearest canal may be visited to look for Otter and Shrew signs. The dates and times are as follows:

Wednesday, 25/01/17, 10:00-12:00, University of Birmingham

Wednesday, 25/01/17, 13:00-15:00, University of Birmingham

Wednesday, 25/01/17, 18:00-20:00, University of Birmingham

Saturday, 28/01/17, time to be arranged, Wildside Activity Centre, Wolverhampton.

Apologies for the short notice; however there may be further training opportunities available. For the most up-to-date information visit the Otter and Shrew Birmingham Canal Survey Facebook group or email:

Samantha Mason: ssm385@student.bham.ac.uk (Survey coordinator).

Paul Wilkinson: Paul.Wilkinson@canalrivertrust.org.uk (Canal and Rivers Trust Ecologist).

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Photos from Netherton Tunnel, Pepper Pots and Bumble Hole walk

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Our group of fifteen had a fantastic time on last Saturday’s Lottery-funded Awards for All event walking over and under the Netherton Tunnel. Six of the seven remaining pepperpots on the Rowley Hills were visited and when we arrived at Bumble Hole Visitor Centre for tea and coffee, as proof of the achievement of walking through the tunnel, all of the participants received a certificate kindly provided by Bumble Hole Volunteers Group. Here are a few photos from the walk!

This weekend – Netherton Tunnel, Pepper Pots and Bumble Hole Healthy Walk

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This Saturday we have another exciting Lottery-funded event for you – something we’ve been wanting to do for a while, a guided walk through the Netherton Tunnel and Bumble Hole Nature Reserve. It’s the perfect way to make a healthy start to your new year! The walk will start from Regent Road Co-op car park and will take in the Netherton Tunnel, its ventilation system (the pepper pots) and Bumble Hole nature reserve. The tunnel is very dark with wet footpaths so bring a torch and sturdy footwear. The walk should last just over three hours and covers about 5 miles; we will stop at the Bumble Hole visitor centre for a tea or coffee at the halfway point. This a family friendly event; dogs are allowed, however they must be on a lead at all times. This event is free but donations are always welcome. You will also receive a certificate at the end of the walk to prove that you’ve walked through the Netherton Tunnel! For more information, please visit the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country website.

We also have a couple of conservation volunteering days coming up too, on the 6th and 21st January. Check out our Events page for further information.

Netherton Tunnel entrance (image © Brian Clift via Creative Commons)

Happy New Year from the Friends of Rowley Hills

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The Friends of Rowley Hills wish you a Happy New Year! 2016 was a good one for us; thanks to our funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All project we were able to deliver many exciting events for the benefit and enjoyment of the local community and carry out more vital conservation work on the Rowley Hills than ever before. We look forward in 2017 to continuing with our work to conserve and enhance the hills for the benefit of wildlife and the local community.

Here are a few photos from one of our recent Lottery-funded events – the Christmas crafts morning at Oakham Library which was well-attended and enjoyed by all!

More hard work from our excellent volunteers!

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Our hard-working volunteers were out on Portway Hill once again at the weekend. They had a great day in the unseasonably warm sunshine doing further work to expose the Rowley Rag rock face and improve the path. Here are a few photos of them at work!

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The geologists have been hard at work!

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A group of enthusiastic volunteers from the Black Country Geological Society were hard at work on Portway Hill last Saturday. They did a great job clearing vegetation that was obscuring the dolerite rock exposures, and improving the footpath using eroded material from the rockface – it doesn’t get more locally sourced than that! Here are a few photos of their efforts.

Photos from Halloween event

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Our Lottery-funded Halloween event on Saturday was a great success! Surrounded by autumn colour, staff from the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country and volunteers from Friends of Rowley Hills helped kids to make some very spooky Halloween-themed crafts, including creepy clay models and scary skeletons! Below are a few photos from the event. Thanks to everyone who came!

Visitors seeing what’s on offer.

Plenty of info and activities on offer!

Trick or treaters welcome!

How to make your own spooky skeleton!

A very ghoulish clay hand!

A spooky skeleton!

Laura & Jayne embracing the Halloween spirit!

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Upcoming events

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We’ve just added plenty more Lottery-funded new events to our website, including volunteering days for the winter season – we will be continuing to work with the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country on improving Portway Hill’s access, habitats and key features.

The next event in the diary though is this Saturday when there will a free Halloween-themed family fun day at Bury Hill Park, with lots of activities including clay art, creepy crawlies and scary drawings! Come along any time between 11:00am and 3:00pm, and in the meantime check out our Events page to see what else we have planned for the coming months.

Fly tipping incident on Turners Hill

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A huge amount of rubbish has recently been dumped on Turners Hill in what appears to have been a single incident. This article in the Express & Star gives the full details; the photos have to be seen to believe the scale of this disgusting incident. Clearing the rubbish is likely to take some time due to issues around ownership of the land and the sheer scale of the fly tipping.

If you know anything about this incident or saw anything, please report it to the police by dialling 101. Thank you.

Upcoming events

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We have been busy arranging lots more exciting Lottery-funded events for the coming months. See below, and keep checking our Events page as we’ll be adding further details!

Litter pick, Thursday 25th August, midday – 3:00pm. Join the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country at Portway Hill for a fun day out meeting new people, helping the environment and learning new skills. Meet on St Brades Close, opposite to the entrance to Bury Hill Park. No need to book, just turn up!

Hedgerow management day, Wednesday 31st August, 10:00am – 3:00pm. Join the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country at Portway Hill for a fun day out meeting new people, helping the environment and learning new skills. Meet on St Brades Close, opposite to the entrance to Bury Hill Park; be sure to wear sturdy footwear and suitable work clothes. No need to book, just turn up!

Fun Day, Blackheath Library, Wednesday 31st August, 11:00am – 3:00pm. Free family fun for all including storytelling, crafts, games, raffles, stalls and a bread and butter pudding competition. The Friends of Rowley Hills hope to have a stall at this event. Click here for further information.

Bramble management day, Friday 2nd September, 10:00am – 3:00pm. Join the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country at Portway Hill for a fun day out meeting new people, helping the environment and learning new skills. Meet on St Brades Close, opposite to the entrance to Bury Hill Park; be sure to wear sturdy footwear and suitable work clothes. No need to book, just turn up!

Bird walk, Monday 5th September, 10:00am – 1:00pm. At a peak time for bird migration, we will be looking for some of the various species that pass through the Rowley Hills on their journey south. A great way to enjoy a healthy walk and appreciate nature at the same time! Meet at St Brades Close; no need to book.

Portway to Warrens Hall walk, Saturday 1st October, leaving at 10:00 from St Brades Close. Further information to follow.

Family fun day, Saturday 29th October, 11:00am – 3:00pm. Further information to follow.

Black Country Geological Society volunteer day, Portway Hill, Saturday 3rd December 2016, time TBC. The BCGS will be clearing vegetation from the rock face at the Wildlife Trust’s Portway Hill reserve. All welcome, no need to book. Click here for more information about the Black Country Geological Society.

Black Country Geological Society volunteer day, Portway Hill, Saturday 4th March 2017, time TBC. The BCGS will be clearing vegetation from the rock face at the Wildlife Trust’s Portway Hill reserve. All welcome, no need to book. Click here for more information about the Black Country Geological Society.