On Saturday 7th December the Annual Christmas End-of-Year walk was held at Springside Nature Reserve in Hillcrest.

There was a good turnout, possibly lured by the prospect of festivities to follow.  In truth people were there for the birding.  People were put into groups by Terry and led by experienced birders.

Springside is a generous reserve surrounded by built-up residential areas. Yet it regularly returns good bird counts from well-maintained paths and this day was no exception. Once the walkers all returned to base all gathered in the shade of the trees and enjoyed sharing stories of the day.  Terry tallied the bird count which was 60 species for the day.

As has become a tradition, freshly cooked toasted cheese sandwiches were served and enjoyed by all.  Thanks go to Cheryl, John, Virginia, Frankie and Peter for the hard work they put into the day, preparing and making the toasted sandwiches.

Merry Christmas everyone !

Report by Peter Farrington

Photos supplied by Nicolette Forbes from a recent visit to Springside.