RSPB Fen Drayton regular (Oct): social stroll / share identification skills

This will be our October social stroll.

There's two options I'm considering:

1. Our normal stroll around RSPB Fen Drayton. Paths are still pretty clear, and the winter migrant waterfowl should be starting to arrive, so there should be plenty to see - and the reserve is always good to explore!
2. Meeting at RSPB Fen Drayton to sort out car share for a trip to https://www.greatfen.org.uk/holme-fen. Holme Fen is particularly nice in autumn, and there should be plenty of fungi to find.

Let me know what you'd prefer in the comments below!

Holme Fen will be ~40mins drive from Fen Drayton, so if we want to do the second option, we'll need to start a bit earlier - I'll update the event accordingly.

Otherwise, we'll do our normal stroll around Fen Drayton Lakes. I'll scout the reserve beforehand and try to lead us to anything interesting that is going on.

The focus will be waterfowl and winter migrants: we'll be looking for Fieldfare and Redwing on the fields, and Widgeon, Teal, Shoveler, and Pochard on the lakes - maybe even Pintail and Goldeneye if we get lucky!

I aim to be out for about 2 hours, but you are welcome to leave earlier: the paths all loop back to the busway, so it's never too hard to find the way back to the car park. Unless heavy rain comes in, the paths should be pretty open, so we should have plenty of options for our routes.

I know the reserve very well, and can ID some of the things we stand a chance of seeing, but I'm a long way from an expert. I'd really love everyone to be pitching in what they know: the world is full of things to understand and explore, and the more you look, the more you see!

Binoculars strongly recommended, if you have any: I don't have spares to share, but it will still be a nice nature stroll without. I will try to stick to the firmer paths, but with the rain we've had, some of the paths may be a bit muddy, so please wear suitable footwear, and - as always! - come prepared for British Weather. I will keep an eye on the forecast, and cancel or move the event it looks like it will be very heavy rain.

This event is appropriate for children. Rules for dogs can be found on the RSPB site below: please do follow them, to help preserve the nature we are here to enjoy!

Directions here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/fen-drayton-lakes/location
NOTE THAT the lane to the car park is quite rough, and if coming from Fen Drayton has quite deep potholes, so if you are coming by car please do take care.

The reserve is easily reached from the guided busway. If you are coming on the bus, you will find us at the car park about 100m North from the busway stop.

During the event I will take a voluntary subscription (£2 / attendee suggested): the running costs for the Meetup group have been shooting up, so it's unlikely there will be anything left over, but if there is I'll put it into a pot for a special event with a real (paid) expert to talk us through something interesting.