Category: News

The meeting is on Wed 11th October at 7.15pm, held at the Methodist Church Hall. There will be a short AGM followed by a talk on the AONB’s Ancient Woodland Restoration Project. Rachel Glover, Natural Environment Officer for the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership, will be telling us about the Ancient Semi-Natural woodland sites in the Shropshire Hills. They are hoping to help woodland owners with advice and guidance for the long term management of these valuable wildlife rich sites. Please join us!

Lizzie Hulton-Harrap farms with her Mum in the Gatten Valley near Ratlinghope. They have been running a nest box scheme for Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts on the farm for a few years now and are hosting a workshop on Wednesday 27th September on their findings from a nest box study they undertook this year.

If you would be interested in learning more about this project, please access this link:

It is free to attend but booking is essential.

Book Here

Do you enjoy watching birds?  Would you like to expand your expertise by building on your current knowledge of common birds?  Do you know which birds to expect in different habitats in Shropshire?  Would you like to be able to identify the characteristic birds of the county in different seasons?

The course will meet sixteen times from September 2023 until June 2024, on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings.  In each month, a classroom session will introduce the birds expected in different environments and/or seasons.  This is followed by an outdoor trip on a following Sunday morning (not necessarily the next Sunday), during which you will put into practice the identification tips learned previously.  You will accumulate expertise each month by building on the principles covered in previous sessions.

Locations & Times.  Tuesday indoor sessions will meet in the National Trust’s Chalet Pavilion in the Cardingmill Valley, Church Stretton, at 7:30 p.m. on designated dates.  Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.  For field trips, we will meet at 9:30 a.m. on specified Sunday mornings at the field excursion destination.

Joining the Course.  Contact John Arnfield by email at arnfield.2@osu.edu or visit our website at https://introbirdcourse.wordpress.com/ where meeting dates and topics are listed and a downloadable form to sign-up to the course is available.

This course is sponsored by the Church Stretton branch of the Shropshire Ornithological Society and the National Trust (Cardingmill Valley & Shropshire Hills).

Mayor of Church Stretton Town Council, Cllr Andy Munroe and Cllr Sheila Davies planting an oak tree to commemorate the Coronation of King Charles 111. The tree is on the corner of Sandford Avenue and Hazler Road and was planted on 9th May 2023.