Tag Archives: West Midlands

Warm weather brings out the butterflies!

The unseasonable warm, dry weather we are currently experiencing has really brought out butterflies in good numbers. Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange-tip, Speckled Wood and even a Brimstone have been seen on the hillside over the past week. Hopefully, this spring will be much better than last year, which was wet and cold right up until the end of May, and these last few days are just a taster of more fine weather to come. Please remember, if you have any wildlife sightings from the Rowley Hills that you would like to tell us about, or any interesting photographs you would like to see on the website, then please let us have them – you can comment below, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) (image © Mike Poulton)

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly (Aglais urticae) (image ©Mike Poulton)

Peacock butterfly (Inachis io) (image ©Mike Poulton)

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) (image © Mike Poulton)

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!

The geologists have been hard at work again!

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Once again, geoconservation volunteers from the Black Country Geological Society have been beavering away on Portway Hill to expose more of the dolerite rockface. For more information about the geology of the Rowley Hills, visit our geology page. Here are a few photos of the results of their work!

A look back at our Awards for All events

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Now that our Awards for All funding from the Big Lottery Fund has all been used up, we’ve put together a short summary with lots of photos of all the events and activities we were able to arrange thanks to the funding. Join us for a wander down memory lane – click here to read the Awards for All summary report!

A big thanks to the Big Lottery Fund, and also to the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country who were instrumental in helping to arrange and deliver these events.

We’ve also added this report to our Governance page so it’s easy to find in future.

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A few photos from our Views of the Rowley Hills walk

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Last Saturday we held our final Awards For All Lottery-funded event, a guided walk of the many fantastic views it’s possible to see from the Rowley Hills. Luckily the weather was clear and we were able to enjoy some great vistas! Thanks to everyone who came; here are a few photos. We’ll be posting a summary of all our Awards For All-funded events shortly; we are very grateful to have received this funding from the Big Lottery Fund which has enabled us to spread the word about the Rowley Hills via a varied programme of events and activities.

This weekend – Viewpoints of the Rowley Hills guided walk

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Join us and the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country this Saturday 26th February for our final Awards For All Lottery-funded event, a guided walk taking in some of the Rowley Hills’ great views across the Black Country. The walk will start from St Brades Close at 10:00am (see our Events page for a map) and will begin by heading over to the viewpoint above the Wildlife Trust’s Portway Hill nature reserve. From there we will go on to several other great locations high up in the hills, where you can enjoy fantastic views over the cityscapes of Birmingham & the Black Country. Walking boots or other sturdy footwear are a must for this walk, as the terrain is uneven and may be slippery in places. Wrap up warm and bring a flask with a warm drink if you like – the walk should last just over three hours and covers about 5 miles; we will be stopping at one of the viewpoints for a rest about halfway. This a family friendly event; dogs are allowed, however they must be on a lead at all times. The event is free but donations are always welcome to support the work of the Wildlife Trust. We hope to see you there!

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

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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)