Tag Archives: volunteering

Round-up of recent news from the hills!

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Tom Hartland Smith, Senior Conservation Officer at the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country, recently wrote us this summary of the past few months’ events on the Rowley Hills:

If you have not managed to come along to any of the events and volunteer days over the last few months you will have missed out on an exciting look into what moth species we have on the hillside, of which the Chinese Character Cilix glaucata was a first spot for me, but all the moths on the hillside were new records for the site – how exciting! The glorious early morning bird walk for International Dawn Chorus day was a great success and we were rewarded with a lovely sunrise with spectacular views and delightful birdsong throughout. We also had another successful and delightful butterfly walk where we were greeted with a kaleidoscope of butterflies on a hot summer day. On one of the volunteer days we popped out some new reptile mats which we have positioned to gauge if there is a population of reptiles on the hillside (no joy yet but still checking).

During the regular volunteer days we have worked on opening up some of the public rights of way, re-installing PRoW way markers and tidying up the site when we can. We’ve also been monitoring the meadow in which we found Common Spotted Orchid, which is a first for the hillside, and spreading Harebell and Yellow Rattle seeds as well as introducing Alder and Purging Buckthorn to try and increase these food plants for the Brimstone butterfly.

A new replacement interpretation panel has been purchased and is ready to be installed on the cairn on one of the upcoming volunteer days. Myself and Mike Poulton are going to be meeting to sort out doing some small mammal trapping; information about this will be posted on the Friends of Rowley Hills website in due course. If you are interested in getting involved in the surveying of small mammals on the hillside, please email info@bbcwildlife.org.uk.

I hope you are all well and thank you all for making such a massive impact on a cracking site. I always look forward to the volunteer days and events on Portway Hill, as the hillside and people have so much to offer.

Butterfly walk (image © Tom Hartland Smith)
Chinese Character moth (image © Tom Hartland Smith)
Dawn chorus walk (image © Tom Hartland Smith)
Moth Night (image © Tom Hartland Smith)
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Join us for some volunteering next weekend!

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We’ve got a big task to achieve on our next volunteering date, Saturday 20th October – why not come and join in? We need to clear all the mown grass off the wildflower meadow on Portway Hill – this will prevent it from rotting back into the meadow over the winter, helping to keep soil nutrient levels low to encourage a greater diversity of wildflowers. Meet on St Brades Close; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!

Here are a few photos from one of our recent volunteer days where we restored a public right of way marker that had been vandalised.

The last harebell of the year on Bury Hill (image © Andrew Cook)
Way Marker returned (image © Andrew Cook)
Way Marker returned (image © Andrew Cook)

Autumn/winter 2018 events

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We’ve added a whole host of new events for autumn/winter 2018 to our website, including lots of conservation volunteer days with the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country and a fascinating guided walk focusing on the history of the local area. All the details are below and also on our Events page!

  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Friday 7th September 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Looking Back: A guided walk-and-talk over the Rowley Hills with archive photographs, Saturday 15th September, 10:30am – 1:00pm. Led by Mike Poulton and Jim Rippin, cost: £6 (all proceeds go to the Friends of Rowley Hills. This specially designed guided walk-and-talk is based around a series of remarkable photographs taken by Jim Rippin over the last seventy years. The walk will invite us to see the area in new and fascinating ways, helping us to reflect on the many changes that have taken place within living memory. Booking is essential; for more information and to book your place, go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/looking-back-a-guided-walk-over-the-rowley-hills-with-archive-photographs-tickets-49033218677.
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Friday 5th October 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Geoconservation day, Portway Hill, Saturday 6th October 2018, 10:30am – 2:30pm. Join the Black Country Geological Society to help excavate and expose more of the dolerite at Blue Rock Quarry. Meet on St Brades Close; wear old clothes, waterproofs and stout footwear. Please bring gloves and tools: spades, brushes, trowels, loppers, saws etc. and a packed lunch. For more info please visit the BCGS website.
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Saturday 20th October 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Friday 2nd November 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Saturday 17th November 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!

Forthcoming events and volunteering dates

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We’ve recently added a new batch of volunteer days and exciting events happening over the forthcoming months, hope to see you at a few!

  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Friday 6th April 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Moth trapping event, Portway Hill, Saturday 21st April 2018, 8:30pm – 10:00pm approx. Come along and learn from the experts which moths are found on Rowley Hills at this time of the year. Walking boots are recommended as the paths can be slippery after rain, and don’t forget to bring a torch/head-torch with you. Meet on St Brades Close at the junction with Tower Road at 8:15pm.
  • Dawn Chorus, Portway Hill, Saturday 5th May 2018, 5:30am – 7:00am approx. Join local bird expert Nick Horton for a dawn chorus walk around the Portway Hill site. Last year 38 bird species were seen or heard. Can this be bettered in 2018? One of our target species, Ring Ouzel, is known to use Portway Hill as a migration stopover site. We will also be on the lookout for Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Peregrine, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. Wear sturdy footwear and dress appropriately for the early morning weather conditions.  Meet on St Brades Close at the junction with Tower Road at 5:20am.
  • Netherton Tunnel Pepperpot Walk, Saturday 19th May 2018, 10:00am – 1:00pm approx. This over and under walk takes approximately 3 hours to complete and includes a visit to Bumble Hole Visitor Centre mid-way through the walk. Sturdy footwear, a waterproof coat, and torch/head-torch are essential, as there will be constant drips from the brickwork and parts of the tunnel towpath are flooded. Meet outside the Co-op at the junction of Regent Road/Oakham Road at 9:50am.
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Friday 1st June 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Saturday 16th June 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Portway Hill Butterfly walk, Saturday 30th June 2018, 10:00am -12:00am approx. Join us and the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country for a guided walk around the Rowley Hills. The flowers on the hillside should just about be at their best by this time and if the day is sunny we will see many species of butterflies, including Marbled White; Portway Hill is one of this species’ hotspots in Birmingham and the Black Country. Wear sturdy footwear and ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions. Meet on St Brades Close at the junction with Tower Road at 9:50am.

Conservation volunteer days are run by the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country; for further information please contact The Wildlife Trust, telephone 0121 454 1199 or email info@bbcwildlife.org.uk. Their Portway Hill reserve is located within the dotted black square on the map below.

Rowley Hills map showing paths and access points

2018 volunteer dates for your diary

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We’ve added our volunteer days for the first few months of 2018 to the Events page – they’re also listed here in full!

  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Saturday 20th January 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Friday 2nd February 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Saturday 17th February 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Friday 2nd March 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Saturday 17th March 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Friday 6th April 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!
  • Conservation volunteer day, Portway Hill, Saturday 21st April 2018, 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; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!

Conservation volunteer days are run by the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country; for further information please contact The Wildlife Trust, telephone 0121 454 1199 or email info@bbcwildlife.org.uk. Their Portway Hill reserve is located within the dotted black square on the map below.

Rowley Hills map showing paths and access points

November news

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Removing and burning hawthorn and bramble on the Wildlife Trust owned land continued all through November. The aim is to create wildflower-rich grassland to provide a nectar and pollen source for butterflies, bees and the many other insects that frequent the hillside. This takes time, and requires a great deal of effort, so to discourage nettles, brambles and hawthorn from recolonising, removing or burning the cuttings is vital as most wild flowers thrive in poor, low-fertility soils. James and Luke have recently joined the volunteers group – welcome to them!
Volunteers strimming and removing debris (image © Mike Poulton)
Burning bramble and hawthorn cuttings (image © Mike Poulton)
Burning bramble and hawthorn cuttings (image © Mike Poulton)
The site a few days later (image © Mike Poulton)
The site a few days later (image © Mike Poulton)

October news

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Over the past month we’ve been busy on the Portway Hill site, cutting, clearing and burning hawthorn, bramble and ivy to keep paths open and reduce risks from fires. While we were up there on one of the days, the sky went dark, and the sun became encircled by a red halo. We later discovered that unusual atmospheric conditions had blown up a sandstorm from Africa, and a thin layer of dust from the Sahara Desert had been carried over parts of Britain, depositing a fine film of sand everywhere. Fortunately, one of us had a camera at hand to photograph the strange-looking sun.

If you would like to get fit and active and do something positive for your local environment, then why not come along and join us on one of our conservation days?

Our next volunteer day is this Friday; for more information and to see all of our forthcoming volunteering opportunities please refer to our Events page. We look forward to seeing you there.

Results of our volunteers’ hard work (image © Mike Poulton)
The sun viewed through a haze of Sahara dust (image © Mike Poulton)
Results of our volunteers’ hard work (image © Mike Poulton)

Volunteer day this Saturday

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Don’t forget we have our next conservation volunteer day this Saturday, 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 at 10:00am; ensure you are dressed appropriately for the forecast weather conditions, and wear sturdy footwear. You will need to bring along a packed lunch but tea and coffee will be provided. No need to book, just turn up!

Portway Hill public right of way improvements

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Our marvellous volunteers have once again been busy, this time opening up the old public right of way through the old quarries on Portway Hill. This means that walkers now have a fully functional right of way through a part of the hillside that was so badly overgrown it had become impossible to negotiate. Here are a few photos of the hugely improved right of way!

New volunteer dates

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We’ve just added lots of new volunteering dates to our website – the first one is this Saturday! Have a look at our Events page for all the details. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and see the wildlife that can be found on the reserve. Hope to see you at a volunteer day on the hills soon!