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Monday 7th September 2020 - Bat walk
The Friends of Therfield Heath organised a 'bat walk' with Chantal Helm from the Herts and Middlesex Bat Group and 15 attendees and it was a great success, we raised £40 for the Bat group and another £40 for FOTH. Chantal had previously done some bat surveying around Royston before but not on the heath itself so we all had our fingers crossed to be able to find some bats and they didn't let us down. |
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We started with a fascinating talk from Chantal, where we discovered that there are over 1,400 species of bat worldwide, with around 18 species that can be found in the UK. We discovered how all of the UK bat species are insect eaters and it's very rare for them to get caught in people's hair due to their amazing echolocation skills.
After a 20 minute talk jam packed with interesting information, Chantal handed out bat detectors (one to each household group) and taught us how to use them. We practised by using them to locate Chantal's electronic bat sound machine. We learned how to change the frequency depending on which species we were trying to locate.
We then set off to find some bats. The first patch of woodland had the very occasional sound and a glimpse of a bat, but then we rounded the corner and were treated to a 10 minute arial display by at least two bats. We saw them flying along the tree line and listened to them using the detectors. Chantal explained how we could tell when they were catching flies based on the sound they made and we were amazed to hear them catching flies sometimes every second or two. It's no wonder an individual bat can eat up to 3,000 insects per night.
We eventually moved on and found two other species of bat along our travels, eventually heading back to the car park when it was getting too dark to see any more. In total we found both Common and Soprano Pipistrelles and also Noctule bats.
We all stayed very 'covid safe' with our initial talk outside, wiping down the bat detectors before and after use and staying 2m apart from other households.
We very much hope Chantal will be happy to join us again for another talk next year, when we can hopefully allow full numbers of attendees again.
After a 20 minute talk jam packed with interesting information, Chantal handed out bat detectors (one to each household group) and taught us how to use them. We practised by using them to locate Chantal's electronic bat sound machine. We learned how to change the frequency depending on which species we were trying to locate.
We then set off to find some bats. The first patch of woodland had the very occasional sound and a glimpse of a bat, but then we rounded the corner and were treated to a 10 minute arial display by at least two bats. We saw them flying along the tree line and listened to them using the detectors. Chantal explained how we could tell when they were catching flies based on the sound they made and we were amazed to hear them catching flies sometimes every second or two. It's no wonder an individual bat can eat up to 3,000 insects per night.
We eventually moved on and found two other species of bat along our travels, eventually heading back to the car park when it was getting too dark to see any more. In total we found both Common and Soprano Pipistrelles and also Noctule bats.
We all stayed very 'covid safe' with our initial talk outside, wiping down the bat detectors before and after use and staying 2m apart from other households.
We very much hope Chantal will be happy to join us again for another talk next year, when we can hopefully allow full numbers of attendees again.
Saturday 11th April 2020 - Virtual Easter Egg hunt
Due to Coronavirus we were unable to run our Easter Egg hunt on the heath. So instead we created a virtual easter egg hunt. The question was - how many of each colour eggs can you find, and how many animals? We had over 2,500 views on the video, so we hope many children enjoyed watching and finding!
Due to Coronavirus we were unable to run our Easter Egg hunt on the heath. So instead we created a virtual easter egg hunt. The question was - how many of each colour eggs can you find, and how many animals? We had over 2,500 views on the video, so we hope many children enjoyed watching and finding!
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Results:
The animals were: 1. Ray 2. Frog 3. Killer whale 4. Otter 5. Hedgehog 6. Zebra 7. Fox 8. Gorilla |
9. Dog 10. Pig 11. Panda 12. Tiger 13. Elephant 14. Whale 15. Polar bear 16. Shark 17. Rhino |
The eggs were: 4 yellow 4 green 4 red Total = 12 eggs |
Friday 24 January 2020 at The Heath Cafe - Quiz
We had an amazing response to our quiz - we were full to capacity!
The winners were the team called “Follow the Leader”, the final scores being very close together. Well done to all the teams and many thanks for supporting us, so helping make it such a successful evening.
We raised over £600, which will go towards future projects, such as a new sign for Church Hill.
We have had a lot of very positive comments, saying how much everyone enjoyed the evening, particularly the local knowledge, flora and fauna rounds. The Committee members who helped organise the evening had an enjoyable time, we hope you did too.
A big thank you to Toby and the Heath Cafe team for great nibbles, bar service, and providing the PA system, also to all those who provided such great raffle prizes.
Thanks again for your support, and the committee thank Janet for all of her hard work getting it together and running it on the night.
We had an amazing response to our quiz - we were full to capacity!
The winners were the team called “Follow the Leader”, the final scores being very close together. Well done to all the teams and many thanks for supporting us, so helping make it such a successful evening.
We raised over £600, which will go towards future projects, such as a new sign for Church Hill.
We have had a lot of very positive comments, saying how much everyone enjoyed the evening, particularly the local knowledge, flora and fauna rounds. The Committee members who helped organise the evening had an enjoyable time, we hope you did too.
A big thank you to Toby and the Heath Cafe team for great nibbles, bar service, and providing the PA system, also to all those who provided such great raffle prizes.
Thanks again for your support, and the committee thank Janet for all of her hard work getting it together and running it on the night.
A very full room
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The winning team
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Saturday 10th October 2019 - Litter pick
Despite the rain, some of us got together on this dreary day to rid the heath of some of the litter that the less considerate users of the heath leave behind. We collected a few good bags full, and the little ones enjoyed using the litter picking sticks!
Despite the rain, some of us got together on this dreary day to rid the heath of some of the litter that the less considerate users of the heath leave behind. We collected a few good bags full, and the little ones enjoyed using the litter picking sticks!
Wednesday 12th June 2019 - Photography
Our photography workshop on the heath on Wednesday night was a big success, unfortunately the weather put some people off, but those who did come along wrapped up warm and we all had a fantastic time, despite a little bit of drizzle.
Keith and Peter from Melbourn & District Photographic Club (http://melbournphotoclub.com/) split us into 2 groups, one group learning about iPhone photography (rule of thirds, photo editing within the camera app, micro photography, panorama tricks, finding good subjects, ‘human interest’ etc) and the other learning about general photography (getting off auto, exposure – aperture / shutter speed / ISO and the when / where and how to use these settings). Both groups said they learned a lot and really enjoyed the session.
Thank you so much Keith and Peter for your time and expertise :)
Below are some of the photos from the iPhone group, I hope to add some from the other group
Our photography workshop on the heath on Wednesday night was a big success, unfortunately the weather put some people off, but those who did come along wrapped up warm and we all had a fantastic time, despite a little bit of drizzle.
Keith and Peter from Melbourn & District Photographic Club (http://melbournphotoclub.com/) split us into 2 groups, one group learning about iPhone photography (rule of thirds, photo editing within the camera app, micro photography, panorama tricks, finding good subjects, ‘human interest’ etc) and the other learning about general photography (getting off auto, exposure – aperture / shutter speed / ISO and the when / where and how to use these settings). Both groups said they learned a lot and really enjoyed the session.
Thank you so much Keith and Peter for your time and expertise :)
Below are some of the photos from the iPhone group, I hope to add some from the other group
Sunday 12th May 2019 - Bird ringing demonstration
8am on this fine Sunday morning we gathered at a farm near to Therfield Heath to find out all about the whys, wheres and hows of bird ringing. The team showed us how they put up the nets with a demonstration (most of us didn't visit the actual nets so that we didn't cause extra stress to the birds) and they brought back a number of blackbirds, whitethroats and other species too, to show us how they health check and put rings on their legs so that the birds can be tracked each time they are caught, or if they are found deceased. The information they are gathering is invaluable to furthering our knowledge of the lives of these birds.
8am on this fine Sunday morning we gathered at a farm near to Therfield Heath to find out all about the whys, wheres and hows of bird ringing. The team showed us how they put up the nets with a demonstration (most of us didn't visit the actual nets so that we didn't cause extra stress to the birds) and they brought back a number of blackbirds, whitethroats and other species too, to show us how they health check and put rings on their legs so that the birds can be tracked each time they are caught, or if they are found deceased. The information they are gathering is invaluable to furthering our knowledge of the lives of these birds.
Wednesday 8th May 2019 - Guided Walk
On a fairly gloomy May evening 16 walkers, comprising Friends of Therfield Heath and Royston Ramblers, met at the Heath Café to partake in a walk of around 3 miles under the guidance of expert trekker David Allard. We set off up to one of the highest points on the Heath with its wonderful views over Royston and as far as Ely on a clear day. Today the view included our poor Parish Church which, covered in all its bandages, was standing out more than ever.
We carried on around the Heath and David pointed out various barrows, burial mounds possibly from around 4500 years ago. Mind you, when you consider that the Great Pyramids were built around the same time our efforts do look a bit puny. But then we invented the industrial revolution so maybe it’s a 1 all draw.
On a fairly gloomy May evening 16 walkers, comprising Friends of Therfield Heath and Royston Ramblers, met at the Heath Café to partake in a walk of around 3 miles under the guidance of expert trekker David Allard. We set off up to one of the highest points on the Heath with its wonderful views over Royston and as far as Ely on a clear day. Today the view included our poor Parish Church which, covered in all its bandages, was standing out more than ever.
We carried on around the Heath and David pointed out various barrows, burial mounds possibly from around 4500 years ago. Mind you, when you consider that the Great Pyramids were built around the same time our efforts do look a bit puny. But then we invented the industrial revolution so maybe it’s a 1 all draw.
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We carried on to Church Hill, where the remains of what had been a really good show of Pasque flowers were evident, before walking through the woods and then back across to the Heath Café This had unfortunately closed for the night, thereby disappointing those who were looking forward to some coffee, or maybe something stronger.
There will be another, longer walk later this year so keep any eye on the What's On page. |
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Sunday 14th April 2019
We had a great afternoon searching for Easter rocks which could be swapped for an egg prize. We ended up having a massive 130 kids attending, which was a wonderful surprise, and certainly kept us worrying about whether or not we had enough chocolate! A huge thank you to Montessori Sun Hill nursery for painting our egg rocks so beautifully, Tesco and Bury Lane farm for their chocolate donations, and finally to Lily at Suppawt Dog Training for helping us with the poo and litter pick prior to the event. |
Sat 16th March 2019 - Bird and bat box building
A number of members attended to help put together 20 bird and bat boxes for putting up around the heath. It was a really enjoyable event, learning why the different boxes are built in the different ways.
A number of members attended to help put together 20 bird and bat boxes for putting up around the heath. It was a really enjoyable event, learning why the different boxes are built in the different ways.
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