In nature with the Feminist Bird Club!
What’s better than a weekend spent in nature with friends & good food? When we had the opportunity to help support the Feminist Bird Club’s birds & bogs weekend away, we were so excited!
Luci was even more delighted when she had the chance to join in on the fun to explore RSPB’s Forsinard Flows Field Centre - the ideal spot for some birdwatching. Read on to see her reflections & highlights!
The Birds & the Bogs
An afternoon of spending time in nature, planting native trees and meeting new people! Oh and most importantly, bird watching!
The afternoon started at the Forsinard Flows Field Center where we had a talk from Milly Revill Hayward, engagement and communications officer at RSPB Forsinard Flows. Milly told us about the nature reserve and about the all important carbon sink that peatland provides. We learnt more about the various species of birds that are found across the reserve and which we would be most likely to see throughout the afternoon.
After the talk we set off down the road armed with shovels and saplings to be planted in an area of the reserve that had been fenced off from deer to allow the native trees to thrive. We spent our time choosing the best places to plant the new saplings along-side some established ones, while maintaining the areas to protect them from hungry voles.
Milly explained that if the area around the saplings were free from grass the voles wouldn’t be as likely to nibble away at the base in case they were spotted by a bird of prey. Just to show that they were lurking around, a buzzard flew over us and landed on a nearby hill, which was a great opportunity to get the binoculars out for a close up look.
The members of the Feminist Bird Club has plenty of chances to see various species of birds, plants and amphibians and hear some very enthusiastic skylark. Some of the group spent the afternoon out on a raptor watch from the farm on the reserve with lots to look at, all around a very successful afternoon.
In the evening there was a talk from Rob Hughes on Bird assemblage in the Flow Country, this gave a great insight to the various species on the flow country, how they have been recorded and how non native tree plantations have affected various species. Rob also went into detail about the migration of birds and how more birds are migrating through the night in complete darkness that we first realised. Forsinard have been experimenting with using recording devices on the reserve to look at the flight paths of birds, this will surveying will hopefully be used for planning when building to ensure it doesn’t disturb the migration of birds.
About the Feminist Bird Club Inverness
The Feminist Bird Club are on a mission to combine their passion for social justice & passion for birds. For the FBC, it’s about making the outdoors accessible for all, and creating lasting social change. First begun in 2016 in NYC, the Club has expanded into Chapters across North America & Europe. We are lucky to have their Inverness Chapter as one of our inspirational members!
Their birds & bogs weekend away was all about community connections & enjoying nature - they spent the weekend exploring Forsinard Flows, and giving back by volunteering at the reserve. Everyone deserves the chance to appreciate nature, so we were happy that our Climate Action Fund went towards travel costs to ensure inclusion!
What’s next?
Do you fancy a trip to the birds & bogs? Keep up to date with the Feminist Bird Club Inverness’ fun by following their Instagram!
Spring being in the air is so exciting for us as communities come together to enjoy good weather & collaborate on events. If you want to get involved, stay tuned for the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival 2024 coming this September! Follow our Festival Facebook, Instagram & Twitter to get excited.