foteb.org.uk | Friends of the Emm Brook

2024 NEWS

Events 2024

MONTHLY LITTER PICK

A Litter pick along the Emm Brook is undertaken on the first Saturday of every month. The next litter pick will be on Saturday 3rd August at 10.00 . Meet at Dragonfly Bridge to the rear of Morrisons Supermarket, Woosehill RG41 3SN at 10:00. Please wear suitable clothing, footwear and gloves.Litter pickers and bags provided. Parking is available at Morrisons.

AGM 2024

This years AGM was held on Monday 13th May at the Rose Room, Bradbury Centre, Rose Street Wokingham RG40 1XS .

05/11/ 22

BARBARA STAGLES TREE PLANTING

In recognition of the role that Barbara Stagles played during the formation of FOTEB and her works with Wokingham District Veteran Tree Association (WDVTA) an English Oak (Quercus robur) was planted in Woosehill Meadows between the Community Orchard and the Wild Flower area.

WOKINGHAM DISTRICT VETERAN TREE ASSOCIATION (WDVTA) AGM

Wokingham District Veteran Tree Association (WDVTA)will be holding their AGM on Monday 27th March at Wokingham Town Hall starting at 19.30. Click on the link for more details WDVTA AGM

21/10/ 22

AN UPDATE ON TW PLANS TO IMPROVE THE WATER QUALITY OF HEATH LAKE

TW Update Heath Lake

The latest update from Thames Water can be found by clicking on the above link

BALSAM BASHING

Balsam Bashing is being undertaken on the Emm Brook a little later this year. Due to some of the team being on holiday. The Three Amigos will walk the Emm Brook from Area 2 to Area 8 removing Himalayan Balsam as they go.

18/03/ 22

COMMUNITY ORCHARD PLANTING

FOTEB working with the charity Freely Fruity planted 82 fruit trees (Apple,Plum and Cherry) in a community orchard in Area 5 between Dragonfly and Ripplestream Bridge. Assisted by the children from the Windmill School, Laura Buck from WBC, , Kathryn from My Journey Wokingham(WBC) and other volunteers. Good to see it happen. The Team from FOTEB keen to get started.Photos courtesy of Freely Fruity and WBC.

AGM

This years AGM was held on Monday 9th May 2022 at the Rose Room, Bradbury Centre, Rose Street, Wokingham RG40 1XS

02/04 /22

April's litter pick in Area's 4 & 5 to the rear of Morrisons , was completed on Saturday 2nd April . Apprxiamately 12 people helped and in 2 hours 15 bags of litter were removed from along the Brook(mostly bottles) including a safe and a couple of old road cones. Thanks to all that attended.

05/03/ 22

A litter pick in Area's 4 & 5 , was completed on Saturday 5th March . Apprxiamately 15 people helped and in 2 hours 18 bags of litter were removed from along the Brook. Thanks to all that attended.

23/12 /23

BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH 2024

Big Garden Birdwatch is fun, free and for everyone. And you don’t need a garden to take part! Counting birds from your balcony, or your local park will play a vital role in helping us understand how UK birds are doing. Sign up for your free guide and let’s look out for birds together on 26-28 January 2024. Click on the link for more details Big Garden Birdwatch

25/12 /21

WOOSEHILL COMMUNITY ORCHARD

FOTEB in conjunction with Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) , South East Rivers Trust (SERT) and Freely Fruity are constructing a Community Orchard in Area 5. It would be located in the area behind Morrison’s supermarket, adjacent to where the original wildflower meadow was on the east side of the Brook running parallel to Arthur Road. Its location is shown here.

To contact us with any comments please click on the link info@foteb.org.uk

MONTHLY BIRD WALKS AROUND DINTON PASTURES 2024

RSPB

A Date With Nature Monthly Saturday morning walk 1st Saturday of each month Location: Meet in the Dinton Pastures main car park in Wokingham RG10 0TH at 09:00. As the parking fee in the Dinton Pastures car park is Ł6 for 4 hours, the Local RSPB Group have arranged for participants to park for free in the car park of the Wheelwright Arms, which is close to the entrance to Dinton pastures but on the opposite side of the road. (Obviously, it would be appreciated if we give our custom to the pub RG10 0TR.) A three and a half hour walk around Dinton Pastures and Lavell's Lake (Area 10 of the Emm Brook) , suitable for everyone of all ages and we usually see/hear between 40 and 50 species of birds. Good cafe and toilets by the car park. Time: 9 am Price: Ł2 donation to the RSPB.

LAVELL'S WETLAND TRUST

On the second Sunday of every month Lavell's Wetland Trust formally Friends of Lavell Lake (FOLL) run a guided bird walk around the park covering Area 10 of the Emm Brook. Routes will vary depending on the time of year and last up to three hours. Wear suitable clothing as at times paths can be very muddy. We meet at 9am in the car park on Sandford Lane (opposite the Dinton Activity Centre entrance) and ask for a donation of Ł1 with no charge for children. For more information visit the FOLL website . Click here

Car park charges apply.

This Month on the Emmbrook
What to look for if you are out and about in

JULY

General

The arrival of summer is a fantastic time for viewing wildlife along the Emm. The skies are filled with birds many of them Swifts and Swallows which we only really get to see at the height of summer. Butterflies herald the start of warmer, longer days and, if you’re a butterfly enthusiast, it’s fun to see how many different species you can identify. Insects of all types will be more active and, if you’re lucky, you may even get to spot a few bats which will have a great interest in the increase in insects.

Birds

The first of the summer migrants to depart are the Cuckoos. The adults leave in July to be followed by the offspring from this year later. Somehow they find their way to Africa independently. Woodlands are largely quiet by July as the main bird breeding period is drawing to a close and territories do not need to be advertised.

Insects

The moths are now plentiful and can be attracted with lights at night. The large and magnificent Broad-bodied Chaser dragonflies can be easy spotted as they aggressively tussle with competitors over a patch of river, pond or wet ditch. They clash in mid air and with surprising loud impacts. Damselflies are common where there is any standing water. Hummingbird Hawkmoths look like tiny Hummingbirds - hovering in front of flowers and feeding on nectar with their long proboscis. Most years, between June and August these moths can be seen in Berkshire. They are day flying and often seen in gardens. They dart from one flower to the next and are expert at hovering, beating their wings so rapidly you can hear them hum. They are resident in the Mediterranean and migrate northwards through Europe in the spring. Hummingbird Hawkmoths breed in the UK but unless it's very mild are unlikely to survive our winters.

Butterflies

Butterflies are one of our most enduring symbols of summer. The UK is home to over 50 species of butterfly. Marbled Whites,Common Blues are in flight alongside the Emm in July.

Other Wildlife

In July many young mammals born earlier in the season are now out of the nest and visible You may spot baby Fox cubs. The evening is the best time to spot many species.

This is peak bat-watching season. British bat species are garden friendly, eating midges and tiny insects that cause annoyance on summer evenings. The Pipistrelle bat is the smallest and most widespread, favouring buildings where they congregate in large colonies. They enjoy a modern house and will hide behind tile-hung walls or weather-boarding. Young are born in June and will fly in July. They feed on tiny Caddis Fly gnats and tiny moths and will continue the rest of the summer preparing for winter hibernation between November and March. A pond in the garden will ensure they have good food supplies available.There are 16 native British bat species, all are protected by law.

Young litters of Hedgehogs are now learning their survival skills. You may see or hear them foraging for food at night.

Plants & Trees

At this time of the year the showy rosebay willow herb can be found along the banks of the brook, Greater Bindweed can be seen climbing though the hedgerows. Its big white trumpet flowers open during the day then twist closed as night falls. Along the river banks the creamy white Meadowsweet flowers put out a heady summer scent and are accompanied by many other waterside species.

Emmbrook Weather

Bernard Burton has been recording the weather alongside the Emm Brook since 1976. His weather station originally situated at Emmbrook Secondary School till 1996 and now at Emmbrook Junior School daily monitors the weather. For a more detailed anaylsis of the previous month's weather visit this link. Emmbrook Weather

For todays Emm Brook weather Todays Weather

For todays Emm Brook sunrise and sunset times Click here

Newsletters

At their meeting in November 2010 the FOTEB management committee took the decision to discontinue the printed newsletters for members. This decision was not taken lightly since there is of course a tradition of keeping members informed of events and sightings by way of regular printed newsletters. However, knowing that the majority of members have internet access and are regular visitors to our website - and having received an increasing number of representations from members expressing a wish to receive literature in an electronic format - your committee felt that the time had come to cease the time-consuming and costly production of regular printed newsletters and replace them with an online noticeboard on our website.

Click on Archive page at the top of the screen to view one of the previous News letters.

Emm Brook River levels now on line

The Environment Agency Website now has a daily update on river levels of the Emm near Tesco's in Area 2