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MONTHLY LITTER PICK A Litter pick along the Emm Brook is undertaken on the first Saturday of every month of the year. The next litter pick will be on Saturday 6th December 2025 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. WOOSEHILL MEADOWS & EMM BROOK WORK PARTY CALENDAR– Autumn & Winter 2025/26
2025
SEPTEMBER
Sat 6th - FOTEB Litter Pick
Sat 20th - Work Party
OCTOBER
Fri 12th 16:00- Survey, Walk & Talk
We also enjoyed our first Wild Woosehill Walk, exploring the central woodlands around the balancing pond with members and new faces alike. Together we discussed the benefits of diverse woodlands, local ecological challenges, and how we can keep improving our space for both nature and community.
We plan to adjust the timing of future WWWs so even more people can join—details coming soon!
Sat 18th - Work Party
NOVEMBER
Sat 1st - FOTEB Litter Pick
Sat 15th - Work Party
DECEMBER
Sat 6th - FOTEB Litter Pick
Sat 13th - Work Party
Fri 19th - Survey, Walk & Talk
2026
JANUARY
Sat 3rd FOTEB Litter Pick
Fri 09th - Survey, Walk & Talk
Sat 24th - Work Party
FEBRUARY
7th - FOTEB Litter Pick
Sat 14th - Work Party
Fri 20th - Survey, Walk & Talk
MARCH
Sat 7th - FOTEB Litter Pick
Sat 14th - Work Party
Fri 20th - Survey, Walk & Talk
AGM 2025
This years AGM was held on Monday 12th May, 2025 at the Woosehill Community Centre, Emmview Cl, Wokingham RG41 3DA .
BALSAM BASHING 2025
The annual Balsam Bashing will be undertaken on the Emm Brook later in the year. Once the Balsam has come into flower.
The Balsam pulling season is over and a total of 75 hours have been put in to remove Balsam over a total distance of approximately 3.53 km or for those of us of a certain age 2.19 Miles.
MONTHLY BIRD WALKS AROUND DINTON PASTURES 2025
RSPB
The RSPB group runs “A Date With Nature” walk at Dinton Pastures
Country Park on the first Saturday morning of every month of
the year. These start at 9:00 am in the main car park (postcode
RG10 0TH), and finish by 12:30 pm. A donation of £2 per adult
(children free) is requested.
Car park charges at weekends are currently £2.30/hr
up to a maximum of £9.20 (for 4 hours or over).
Autumn is well and truly with us and it's a fantastic time to get out and about and experience the "season of change".
Hard frosts may have started and early mornings are often misty, as the dew from the ground condenses during the night.
This month sees the last of the leaves on the deciduous trees falling to the ground.
The Robin, so often associated with the festive season, can be particularly tame during the colder months.
Robins are one of the few birds that can be heard singing during winter, as both the males and females
maintain territories for feeding during this period, which may be their breeding territories later.
Around Christmas-time Robins begin exploring other Robins' territories looking for a mate. They then pair up by mid-January and females stop singing.
Flocks of Fieldfare arrive in Britain to spend the winter months as our climate is warmer than northern and eastern Europe where they spend the summer.
These thrushes have grey heads and can appear quite ‘upright’ on the ground. Look out for large flocks feeding on grassland, including playing fields, and in hedgerows nearby.
Listen out for a high-pitched ‘tseep, tseep’ at night. Many insects overwinter in forms other than the adult, such as the pupa (moths and some butterflies) or the larva (Caddis flies).
Some remain as adults such as Wasps. Adult Ladybirds and Peacock butterflies seek out warm nooks in sheds and attics to hide. Here the air is moist but not so cold.
Keep an eye out for Harlequin Ladybirds. Harmonia axyridis It takes its common name from the fact that over 100 different colour patterns have been recorded. Some specimens are reddish-orange with black dots, while others are black with red patches. This of course makes it difficult to identify.
Harlequin Ladybirds spend the winter in buildings – often in large numbers.
Hedgehogs are hibernating at this time of year but urban Foxes can still be seen and heard.
At this time Bats enter a state of torpor in their hibernacula. This is not a full hibernation as Bats will emerge on warm days, but is a state of reduced metabolism and body temperature.
In this state less energy is required.
Toads are now in hibernation, finding logs or stones to hide beneath until Spring arrives once more.
Frogs are also hibernating at the bottom of ponds, or some other sheltered place, ready to emerge again in the following January.
The Oak waits until November to put on its best Autumn show of colour, having only made a tentative start in October.
There are two main types of British Oak; the Sessile and the Pedunculate Oak.
In the former, the acorns are borne in cups, with almost no stalk attaching them to the stem.
In the later, however, the acorn cups are attached with shared long stalks.
On chilly mornings, plants and seed heads such as teasel can take on artistic frosty forms. It’s worth keeping seed heads standing in your garden through the winter, not only for their attractiveness for us on cold winter mornings, but for birds looking for food and insects that hide inside through the winter.
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