It’s been a wet and rainy autumn and you may have noticed that this has been fantastic for fungi! Here’s a gallery of recent fungi sightings from Portway Hill, with a couple of photos from the more recent cold snap too.
We hope you are keeping safe and well. The current lockdown feels like the hardest yet, with the short days and wintery weather to contend with – however the hills are always open for your daily exercise and even in winter nature provides ever-changing interest, as these photos taken recently by Mike Poulton illustrate. With spring on the way, there will be even more to see so keep your eyes open when you’re out and about on the hills!
The Wildlife Trust have now restarted volunteer days on the Rowley Hills, taking all relevant precautions in light of the coronavirus pandemic. If you would like to attend a volunteer day below, you must contact Natalie Norton at the Wildlife Trust on natalie.n@bbcwildlife.org.uk to book onto the volunteer day prior to the day as volunteer numbers are currently limited to a group of 6. You can find out more about the procedures the Trust have put in place to keep everyone safe in the information on our Events page.
We’ve added the first Wildlife Trust volunteer days of 2020 to our Events page – see also below. Hope to see you at one soon!
During January and February FORH have carried out litter-picks along both sides of Portway Hill. The accumulation of dumped rubbish and thrown-out cans and plastic bottles from passing motorists in this area has been of great concern to the Friends of Rowley Hills for some time now and over the past few years the problem with littering has steadily increased.
Portway Hill regularly attracts fly-tipping and from this area alone over 50 bags of rubbish have been removed along with carpets and hazardous waste such as old tyres etc. Litter that had accumulated along the hedgerow in Oakham Road bordering the Dudley Golf Club land between the Wheatsheaf and Warrens Hall Care Home has also been removed. We are grateful to Serco and Sandwell Council for their prompt response in organising the collection of the litter-filled bags and other rubbish from the roadside.
We would also like to thank Mark Smith and staff at Edwin Richards Quarry who have carried out litter-picks from their side of the fence on the bank overlooking Portway Hill.
We’ve added the first batch of events for 2019 to our Events page – see also below:
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!
Here are a few photos taken by Mike Poulton last weekend of the snow-covered Rowley Hills!
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!
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!
Friends of Rowley Hills 