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Next Event 

Wildlife

Open Gardens

Sun 19 Jul, 1-5pm

Watlington residents are opening their garden gates to show their nature-friendly gardens, with features such as:

  • cottage gardens

  • wild flowers, native plants

  • ponds, marshy areas

  • woodland areas

  • a stumpery, log piles

  • a five-star luxury bee hotel

  • pollinator-friendly plants

 

Please car share if possible.

Wildlife Open Gardens 

📅 Programme 2026

Sun 19 Jul - Wildlife Open Gardens

Watlington, 1-5pm

Watlington residents are opening their garden gates to show their nature-friendly gardens. Please car share if you can. Watlington Wildlife Open Gardens 

Thu 13 AugSocial with the committee

At the Home Sweet Home in Roke at 7:30

Social get together with the committee to share ideas and feedback on the year so far.

​​

Tue 1 Sep – Otters

7:30pm, at Warborough Greet Hall 

A talk from Gavin McGlaughlin, following the success of his  talk in Benson in February. 

Fri 4 Sep - Bird-watching walk

Meet in Warborough churchyard. Time TBD

Led by Steve Ash. 

September - Riverfly Training

Ewelme Cress Beds

Training on kick sampling and riverfly identification. Riverflies are a good indicator of the health of watercourses.

Sep and Oct - Scything

Scythe and rake Millbrook Mead and Warwick Spinney

Tue 13 Oct - Talk on Otmoor RSPB Reserve 

​Details to be confirmed

Talk from Gordon Hurst, keen birder and volunteer at Otmoor. He will cover Otmoor’s background and give a photographic “walk” around the reserve, focusing mainly on birds and where and when to find them.​

​December - AGM and social

Past Events 2026

Thu 29 Jan "A River Sings" film

A film on the Evenlode catchment and the issues of surface water flood and wetland management.

Tue 24 Feb - Otter talk

Otter talk from Gavin McLauchlan in Benson.

Sat 7 Mar - Warborough Freshers Fair

The Freshers Fair hosts a stall introducing BANG.

​Sun 22 Mar - "Six Inches of Soil" Film

A film on regenerative farming from three young famers, followed by a panel discussion.​

Fri 23 Apr - Night-time Safari - postponed.

Sat 2 May - Dawn Chorus Walk

Our dawn chorus walk in Ewelme, with breakfast at the Cress Beds centre.

Sat 9 May - Family Nature Event

This included kick sampling in the stream, owl pellet dissection, identifying moths and so on. 

Sat 16 May - Benson Community Celebration

As part of the nation-wide "Million Acts of Hope", BANG and other local groups show-cased their activities.

Sat 13 Jun - Great Big Green Week

An ECO Fair, with family activities and nature surveys,  displays on sustainable living and local food producers. 

​​Sat 13 Jun - Tour Broad Arboretum

A walk and talk around Broad Arboretum at the Earth Trust with John Brannan.

​​​​Mon 15 Jun – People’s Emergency Briefing

A 45 minute film on climate and biodiversity, showing the impact that science is predicting on our economy, health, food security, national security and so on. Then discussion of the actions we can take.

Sat 20 Jun - Moths and Farm Walk

Moth discovery and tour at Hale Farm with the farmer Rupert Belcher to see regenerative farming.

Tue 30 Jun - Butterfly Introduction 

Butterfly ID training with Richard Soulsby.

Sun 5 Jul - Butterfly Field Session 

With Richard and Tom Stevenson at Warwick Spinney.

Regular Activities

Bird Watching Walks

1st Friday of the month

From Warborough, led by Steve Ash 

 

Ewelme Watercress Beds Conservation work

1st Sat and 3rd Weds each month

9:30-12:30

 

Mid-week Conservation

In Benson or Ewelme, together with the Green Gym

2nd Tuesday each month

10:00-1:00

 

Sunday Conservation 

Somewhere in our villages

1st Sunday each month

10:00-12:00

 

Path mowing

Warwick Spinney, Millbrook Mead

May to October

Interested in joining in? 

Contact us at:

BensonAreaNature@yahoo.com

 

📊 Citizen Science

 

Water quality monitoring 

 

Water vole surveys

 

Riverfly monitoring

Butterfly surveys

 

Bird surveys along a set of 11 routes around our parishes

Mud spotting -  Identifying locations along Benson Brook where excess water enters from roads, paths, or gardens after heavy rainfall. 

Want to know ​more?

Contact us at:

BensonAreaNature@yahoo.com

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