putting glos on the map (1 Viewer)

[tonyh]

cant belive i am the only gloucestershire birder on this forum !
anyway just like to start by saying glouucestershire is a top county for birding with lots of great habitat
the forest of dean
cotswold water park
the cotswold scarp
various resevoirs
if anybody wants info birding sites etc i will endeavour to help

p.s
i think glos should be put in the south west group not the midlands IMHO

 

[Reader]

Your missing a few there Tony

Ashleworth Ham, Frampton, Severn Beach, Sharpness to name but a few. Yes Gloucestershire does have some good places as do all areas. Colin is from your area as is Vicky and possibly one or two others. It is up to the people who live in those areas to start putting there sites on the birding map. So, come on, lets see what reports you can start to sell your area. Not that it needs much selling to me as i go down there quite fequently myself.

 

[vicky@glos]

reply to Tony H.....!!

TonyH
I'm shocked you did not remember to say I was in glos too!
I'm live near Westonbirt Arboretum.
Colin visits Slimbridge regular.
And of course your in Cheltenham.

So don't feel alone.
Anyway let your off.

vicky :t:

 

[peter hayes]

Tony

Such is the importance of your county that we are having the second official BF trip there - SlimBash! At least now you're not working at the fair, so you can have a bit of fun at Slimbridge like the rest of us. We could have a chat about one or two unofficial trrips to Gloucestershire one day.

Peter

ps and don't be surprised if you get a slap on the wrist from Vicky when she sees you!

 

[tonyh]

oooops !
sorry guys and vicky ! just dont slap me too hard ! lol
looking forward to chatting and letting my hair down !
i will put up trip reports and stuff as and when

slinks off into the corner to hide his face !

 

[Colin]

Yep, I've been here all along.

Colin

 

[vicky@glos]

Hi guys,
Any chance of adding a few photo's here for people to see of where to go birdwatching in glos.

And maybe a list of what to see e.g. types of birds.

Just a thought.

P.s. Tonyh I forgot to slap your wrists at Slimbash. Get you next time! lol

Vicky@glos

 

[peachfront]

If any of you could point a totally clueless person toward good birding information, especially online, for birding in the Cotswalds, I would be most grateful. We will be there late May/early June. You can assume I am completely unfamiliar with the area. I once visited London and Exeter in 1982, and that's it -- so even very basic information could be helpful. Thanks.

 

[AnnieW]

If any of you could point a totally clueless person toward good birding information, especially online, for birding in the Cotswalds, I would be most grateful. We will be there late May/early June. You can assume I am completely unfamiliar with the area. I once visited London and Exeter in 1982, and that's it -- so even very basic information could be helpful. Thanks.

Not being sure where in the Cotswolds you are going to be based, or if you will have transport ... the following links off the fatbirder site may be of use to you :

http://www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/europe/england_gloucestershire.html
http://www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/europe/england_oxfordshire.html

If you want to know where these locations are relative to where you may be, PM me and I'll try to help.

 

[Colin]

Peachfront,
As AnnieW has mentioned, let us know where in the Cotwolds you may be visiting. The hills run quite a long way. The Cotswold Water Park, both the east and west sections are worth a visit. They are separated by a number of miles so it is not just one location. Let us know when you have some more precise dates and I may be able to show you round part of the area for a day. However, I am in the middle of buying another house and could well be moving around that time in which case I may be rather busy. Try The Gloster Birders website at
http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
He has plenty of useful info on birding locations. For reference, 'Gloster' is an alternate spelling used by some to refer to Gloucester, the city in the Severn Valley here in the west of England.

 

[peachfront]

Thanks, folks. I will print out this thread and check out the links you all so kindly provided.

We will have a cottage in a town called Stow-on-the-Wold. I don't know what the transportation system is like in that area. I would like to avoid driving because I'm not familiar with driving on the British side of the road, but if necessary, we may rent a car. We were kind of hoping to get by with public transportation, bike rental, etc. Not sure how realistic that will be.

Our dates will be roughly May 29-June 5.

 

[Colin]

Peachfront,
Stow is a very beautiful town where all of the buildings are made out of stone (as opposed to red brick) but the public transport situation is not too good and almost non existant for getting to the better birding spots so a car is the answer and you will find fairly light traffic in the general area (absolutely nothing like that in London whatsoever). Stow is central for the two areas of the Cotwold Water Park which are quite large areas of lakes by British standards. You could try putting a message on the message board of the Gloster Birders website that I mentioned above. Mike King, the Gloster Birder is very helpful as are his friends so you may get some more useful information from there. My website (button below in this post) does not yet include a description of areas near Stow but you may want to take a look at parts of the Diary section and other places to visit in Gloucestershire. PM or email me nearer the time and I will know if I am going to be moving house around that time. If not, I could meet you for a few hours.

BTW - are there any particular species that you may want to find?

 

[AnnieW]

Pechfront,

As Colin said, Stow is a beautiful little town on the North East edge of the Cotswold Hills – in fact I was there yesterday. We’d grabbed a day off work and had a general wander around that area of the Cotswolds finishing off at Stow in one of my favourite second hand bookshops. It’s a good spot to hit most of the popular tourist attractions.

I can confirm what Colin said about Public Transport – it’s not good. For example if you want to go from Stow to Cheltenham (which is the `capital’ of the Cotswolds – about 25 minutes from Stow by car), you have to make the journey on a Thursday or a Saturday – and there is only one bus on those days. And the more obscure places listed from the birding link I gave you – NOT A HOPE !! However, if you’re set on the Public Transport, the following link shows you all the destinations you can get to by bus from Stow and the associated timetable (you’ll be able to get an up to date one from the Tourist Information Office in Stow when you arrive). If you’re not just coming on a birding holiday, this covers the majority of the `Cotswold Tourist Attractions’ – although it doesn’t cover a cover a couple of my personal favourites, Snowshill Manor & Chedworth Roman Villa (which has some wonderful woods around it – great for walking and birding).

http://www.carlberry.co.uk/rfnlistl.asp?L1=STO007&L2=S

If you’re fit, walking & biking are great ways to get around. Provided you stay off the main roads, the back lanes are generally very quiet and peaceful – we used to do a lot of cycling around that area, but not in recent years as I’ve been ill and can’t manage the hills !! You can hire bikes & accessories from Stow Cycle Hire - (although I have no personal experience of them – if you’re interested I can ask around. My boss is a very keen cyclist who knows everything there is to know about cycling in the Costswolds).

Although Stow is generally busy, May/June is just outside of the main tourist season, so shouldn’t be too hectic. If you’d been there a week earlier you’d have coincided with the Stow Horse Fair – this event dates back to 1476 & takes place twice a year. Hundreds of visitors & gipsies from all over England come to Stow to trade horses – can get a bit mad around then !! The main problem you’ll have driving is not volume or speed of traffic around this area – it’ll be the winding roads. I don’t know what Louisiana is like, but we were in Florida last year and had got used to driving down wide almost perfectly straight roads – in fact our last drive was across the Tamiami Trail back to Miami. We arrived back and then drove home to Cheltenham across the Wolds – and found it most disconcerting. There’s a poem by GK Chesterton that includes the line “The rolling English Drunkard made the rolling English Road” – it’s very apt for this area of the country.

Anyway, like Colin said – if you want to know any specifics post or PM and I’ll see what I can do to help.

Annie

 

[mcdowella]

While I prefer Cheltenham to Cirencester, I believe that it is Cirencester that proclaims itself the Capital of the Cotswolds: http://www.cirencester.co.uk/tour/marketplace1.htm. Cheltenham is relatively recent, having grown up round a spring that was recognised as a spa in Regency times - which explains why you have two towns of similar size so close together in Cheltenham and Gloucester. Go far enough back for the idea of the captial of the Cotswolds to have any meaning and Cheltenham won't be there.

 

[AnnieW]

While I prefer Cheltenham to Cirencester, I believe that it is Cirencester that proclaims itself the Capital of the Cotswolds: http://www.cirencester.co.uk/tour/marketplace1.htm. Cheltenham is relatively recent, having grown up round a spring that was recognised as a spa in Regency times - which explains why you have two towns of similar size so close together in Cheltenham and Gloucester. Go far enough back for the idea of the captial of the Cotswolds to have any meaning and Cheltenham won't be there.

You’re absolutely right - I meant to say Cheltenham is `centre' for the Cotswolds as in :

<A href="http://www.visitcheltenham.com/">http://www.visitcheltenham.com/

Not that this is of any real significance ... other than for use on the welcome to Cheltenham signs !!!

The 1st Anglo-Saxon settlement in Cheltenham dates from around 800AD (there was a monastery established here by 803), which is long after the Romans founded Cirencester in AD75.

To keep this on the topic of Gloucestershire birds, the rise of Cheltenham as a Spa town in Regency times is in fact bird related.

Legend has it, that in 1716 local residents noticed that a flock of pigeons that watered at a spring on the site of what is now the Ladies College, seemed to be particularly healthy and thrived well. The locals tried the waters themselves and found that they eased many of the common disorders of the day. Some savvy folks realised that there was money to be made here and started to develop the town … and the Cheltenham tourist industry was thus born. So there you go – we have a lot of things to be grateful to birds for !!! Personally, I wouldn’t touch the waters with a barge pole, whatever my ailments – foul tasting stuff :-C

 

[Lee Rogers]

tony, peachfront

Gloucestershire does indeed have some fabulous birding areas where "regulars" are guaranteed and "rarities" are not unusual. Being new to both birding as a hobby and Gloucestershire I've recently purchased the book "Where to watch birds - Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire" Hall and Govett, Helm pubs, A&C Black 3rd ed. ISBN 0713666145 The book is available from Amazon in the UK £10.49 + £2.75 p&p, http://www.acblack.co.uk or www.bookspostfree.com/

It lists quite comprehensively all the major birding areas in Gloucestershire and also those areas in the former parts of south glous that were once Avon and are now unitary authorities e.g. City of Bristol.

Also of use as mentioned are the websites of:
Mike King - http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
Colin Butters - http://www.colinbutters.com/
RSPB local group - http://www.gloucestershirerspb.homestead.com/

And a recent edition to my library is the Gloucester Wildlife Trusts handbook available from the head office at Robinswood Park Mon-Fri 9-5 @ £7.50 http://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk this lists all their reserves and though many are not strictly birding sites e.g. Dowdeswell Reservoir, Charlton Kings Railway, there's always the chance of seeing something!

best o'luck

Lee

 

[peachfront]

wow, thanks everybody

You folks are great. I'll be investigating these resources and a bit closer to the time of my visit I'll come back with my ideas for specialties and see if anyone would like to get together. I believe ya'll have about convinced me to rent a car. But we'll no doubt be biking some also. Thanks again for all your help and links.

tony, peachfront

Gloucestershire does indeed have some fabulous birding areas where "regulars" are guaranteed and "rarities" are not unusual. Being new to both birding as a hobby and Gloucestershire I've recently purchased the book "Where to watch birds - Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire" Hall and Govett, Helm pubs, A&C Black 3rd ed. ISBN 0713666145 The book is available from Amazon in the UK £10.49 + £2.75 p&p, http://www.acblack.co.uk or www.bookspostfree.com/

It lists quite comprehensively all the major birding areas in Gloucestershire and also those areas in the former parts of south glous that were once Avon and are now unitary authorities e.g. City of Bristol.

Also of use as mentioned are the websites of:
Mike King - http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
Colin Butters - http://www.colinbutters.com/
RSPB local group - http://www.gloucestershirerspb.homestead.com/

And a recent edition to my library is the Gloucester Wildlife Trusts handbook available from the head office at Robinswood Park Mon-Fri 9-5 @ £7.50 http://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk this lists all their reserves and though many are not strictly birding sites e.g. Dowdeswell Reservoir, Charlton Kings Railway, there's always the chance of seeing something!

best o'luck

Lee

 

[TonyC]

I bought a book at Slimbridge a while ago, called "150 Gloucestershire birds in a year" by David Evans, priced 2 pounds. It gives details of lots of locations and a handy month-by-month 'target' guide to reach 150 species in a year.

 

[peachfront]

another couple stupid ?

No doubt I'm a poor searcher, but now that I've been convinced that a car is the way to go, I am having trouble getting contact information for any rental car agencies in Stow. Does anyone have a URL or even a name? It would be much appreciated.

 

[Colin]

Hi Peachfront,
Not sure about car rental companies based in Stow itself. There are probably none there. However, some of the companies here in England are Avis, Hertz and Europcar. They have websites so you may have some luck there. How are you getting to Stow from the airport? It may be a good idea to hire from the airport and drive to Stow but I don't know if it is more expensive to hire from airports than from other locations. Maybe others can advise on this.

PS I have taken down my website so don't be surprised if you cannot find it. This is partly to do with moving house which is almost geared for the first week in June. I may still be able to give you a mini tour for a few hours if you would like that, depending on an exact date which I should get very soon.