General News

Tuesday 10th of December 2024 – An Introduction To The BTO Bird Ringing Scheme with Jess Stuart Smith

The Hartlebury Common Local Group’s next indoor meeting is on Tuesday 10th December 2024 when licensed bird ringer Jess Stuart-Smith will give a talk entitled “An Introduction to the BTO Bird Ringing Scheme”. The talk starts at 7:45 pm and admission is £3.00 (cash only). All are welcome. The talk will be preceded by the […]

Hartleburt Common Local Group Public Meeting

The next public meeting organised by Hartlebury Common Local group will a talk by Heather Flack on “Walking Local History” on Tuesday 12th November. Please note this is a change from the previously published programme. Heather is a local historian and writer, using the pen names Fenella Flack and Fen Flack. She lives in Bewdley, […]

Tuesday 8th October 2024 – Rich Fen, Poor Fen, Tall Fen, Bogs with Roger Meade

The Hartlebury Common Local Group’s next indoor meeting is on Tuesday 8th October 2024 when Roger Meade will give a talk entitled Rich Fen, Poor Fen, Tall Fen, Bogs. The talk will highlight rare wetland habitats including Bogs, which we are lucky to have on Hartlebury Common. The meeting is being held at the Elizabeth […]

Tuesday 10th September 2024 – Owls, Hawks and Other Birds of Prey with Steve Woodison

Our next indoor meeting is on Tuesday 10th September 2024 when local falconer and bird of prey expert Steve Woodison will talking to us about Owls, Hawks and other Birds of Prey. Steve will also be bringing with him some of his birds for the group to meet. The meeting is being held at the […]

Bug Hunt Walk followed by Annual Picnic

Tommorow (Sunday 28th July) sees the Hartlebury Common Local Group’s Annual Picnic which will be preceeded by a Bug Hunt walk on the Common. The event starts at 11 am with a bug hunt led by Jane Scott where we will look for various insects that inhabit the Common. Any insects caught will be named, […]

Tuesday 14th May – Bugs, Drones and Habitat Change with Aaron Bhambra

Aaron is a PhD student at Birmingham University and his talk will discuss the value of lowland heath and explore how unmanned aerial vehicles can be used to help manage and protect sites. As part of his research Aaron visited Hartlebury Common to obtain drone footage and to survey the various pollinators within the site’s […]

Sunday 5th May 2024 – Green Hairstreak & Emperor Moth Hunt

On Sunday 5th May the group is leading a spring walk on Hartlebury Common in search of two of it’s speciality species, Green Hairstreak butterfly and Emperor moth. Meet 2pm at the Wilden Top car park. All are welcome

Tuesday 9th April – The Birds of North Worcestershire with Craig Reed

The Hartlebury Common Local Group’s next indoor meeting is on Tuesday 9th April 2024 when Craig Reed will give a talk about “The Birds of North Worcestershire”. Craig is the Worcestershire County Recorder for the West Midlands Bird Club and has many years experience monitoring and recording the county’s birdlife. The meeting is being held […]

Tuesday 12th March 2024 – Wild About Worcester Way with Paul Snookes

Our next indoor meeting is on Tuesday 12th March 2024 when Paul Snookes (the chair of the Worcester Environmental Group) will give a talk about “The Wild About Worcester Way”, a new 12-mile-long network of footpaths that now encircle the city of Worcester and join up a number of its important green spaces. The meeting […]

Tuesday 13th February 2024 – The Geopark Way with Georgia Jacobs

The Hartlebury Common Local Group’s next indoor meeting is on Tuesday 13th February 2024 when Georgia Jacobs will talk about “The Geopark Way: a 190 mile walking trail of Rocks, Landscape and Heritage, from Bridgnorth to Gloucester”. The meeting is being held at the Elizabeth Mills Centre, Sion Gardens, Stourport-on-Severn DY13 8BH. The talk starts […]

Tuesday 12th December 2023 – AGM followed by My Hartlebury Common

The group’s AGM will start at 7:15 pm and is open to members only. This will be followed at 7:45 pm by “My Hartlebury Common”. Where members of the group will tell/show us what is important to them about Hartlebury Common. All are welcome to this part of the evening. Light refreshments will be available […]

Tuesday 14th November 2023 – Hartlebury and The Civil War with Tim Cornah

The Hartlebury Common Local Group’s next indoor meeting is on Tuesday 14th November 2023 when Worcestershire archeologist Tim Cornah will give a talk on “Hartlebury and the Civil War”. The meeting is being held at the Elizabeth Mills Centre, Sion Gardens, Stourport-on-Severn DY13 8BH. The talk starts at 7:45 pm and admission is £3.00 (cash […]

Tuesday 10th October – Grazing English Longhorn Cattle on Hartlebury Common with James Parslow

Tuesday 10th October 2023 is the date of the next indoor meeting of the group when livestock owner James Parslow will talk to the group about Grazing English Longhorn Cattle on Hartlebury Common. The meeting is being held at the Elizabeth Mills Centre, Sion Gardens, Stourport-on-Severn DY13 8BH. The talk starts at 7:45 pm and […]

Tuesday 12th September 2023 – Flower Power with Rosemary Winnall

Tuesday 12th Spetember 2023 is the date of the next indoor meeting of the Hartlebury Common Local Group when well known local naturalist Rosemary Winnall returns to give an illustrated talk entitled Flower Power. The meeting is being held at the Elizabeth Mills Centre, Sion Gardens, Stourport-on-Severn DY13 8BH. The talk starts at 7:45 pm […]

Saturday 13th May 2023: Dawn Chorus Walk led by Craig Reed

This Saturday the Hartlebury Common Local Group is undertaking a Dawn Chorus Walk on Hartlebury Common led by Craig Reed. Craig is the current Worcestershire County Bird Recorder and has a great knowledge of all things ornithilogical. The walk starts at 5:30am from the Wilden Top car park. This is a free event and all […]

Monday 8th May 2023 – Reptiles & Amphibians with Phillip Playford

Monday 8th May 2023 is the date of the next indoor meeting of the Hartlebury Common Local Group when local ecologist Phillip Playford returns to give an illustrated talk on Reptiles & Amphibians. The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts at 7:45 pm and admission is […]

Monday 3rd April 2023 – A Fascination With Clearwings with Jason Kernohan

The next indoor meeting of the Hartlebury Common Local Group is on Monday 3rd April 2023 when Jason Kernohan will be give a brand new talk on clearwing moths called A Fascination With Clearwings. This talk ties in nicely with Hartlebury Common as Jason’s interest in these scarce and seldom seen day flying moths began […]

Monday 6th March 2023 – The Malvern Hills Lost Fritillary Project with Mel Mason

The next indoor meeting of the Hartlebury Common Local Group is on Monday 6th March 2023 when Mel Mason of Butterfly Conservation will speak to the group on the ‘Malvern Hills Lost Fritillaries Project’. He will talk about the reintroduction of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary onto the Malvern Hills following its local extinction at the […]

Monday 6th February 2023 – Fantastic Fungi talk with Kate Aubrey

Monday 6th February 2023 is the date of our 1st indoor meeting of the year where Kate Aubrey of the Kemerton Conservation Trust will be giving the group a talk on Fascinating Fungi: The Hidden Kingdom Beneath Our Feet The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts […]

Monday 5th December 2022 – AGM followed by Wildlife Question Time

Monday 5th December at 7:45pm sees our final indoor meeting of the 2022 and is a Wildlife Question Time. The panel will attempt to answer all manor of wildlife related questions that the audience may have. The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts at 8 pm […]

Monday 7th November 2022 – Artefacts from a lifetime in farming with Mike Southall

Monday 7th November 2022 is the date our next indoor meeting when group member Mike Southall will be sharing with us some of his archeological finds found during a lifetime in farming. The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts at 7:45 pm and admission is £3.00 […]

Monday 3rd October 2022 – Breeding Culews of the Severn & Avon Vales with Mike Smart

Tomorrow evening (Monday 3rd October) sees the next indoor meeting of the Hartlebury Common Local Group with a talk on the Breeding Curlews in the Severn & Avon Vales by Mike Smart. The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts at 7:45 pm and admission is £3.00 […]

19th September Indoor Meeting Cancelled

INDOOR MEETING CANCELLED: As a mark of respect for our late Queen Elizabeth, the Hartlebury Common Local Group committee has decided to postpone Mel Mason’s talk on the Lost Fritillaries Project. Mel will now give his talk on 6th March, 2023. The group’s next meeting is on Monday 3rd October, 7.45 p.m. at Stourport Sports […]

Monday 19th September 2022 – The Malvern Hills Lost Fritillary Project with Mel Mason

At our next indoor meeting on Monday 19th September 2022, Mel Mason of Butterfly Conservation will speak to the group on the ‘Malvern Hills Lost Fritillaries Project’. He will talk about the reintroduction of the Pearl- bordered Fritillary onto the Malvern Hills following its local extinction at the end of last century. The talk will […]

Saturday 13th August 2022 – A Guided Bee & Wasp Walk with Kevin McGee followed by Annual Picnic

This Saturday sees another of the Hartlebury Common Local Group’s outdoor events with local bee and wasp expert Kevin McGee leading a guided walk on the Common looking at these species. Hartlebury Common is an important site for pollinators and this should be an interesting walk. The walk starts at 11 am from Lower Poolands […]

Saturday 7th May 2022 – Green Hairstreak Butterfly & Emperor Moth Hunt with Mike Williams & Jason Kernohan

This Saturday (7th May 2022) the Hartlebury Common Local Group is putting on a free walk on Hartlebury Common looking for two of it’s star speciality species: the Green Hairstreak butterfly and the Emperor moth. The walk begins at 11 am from Wilden Top car park and is being led by Mike Williams and Jason […]

Monday 9th May 2022 – Swifts with Carol Wood

Monday 9th May 2022 is the next indoor meeting of the Hartlebury Common Local Group with a talk by Carol Wood on Swifts. The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts at 7:45 pm and admission is £3.00 (cash only). All are welcome.

Monday 4th April 2022 – The Bees & Wasps of Hartlebury Common with Kevin McGee

Monday 4th April 2022 sees the next indoor meeting of the group with a talk by local naturalist Kevin McGee on the Bees & Wasps of Hartlebury Common. The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts at 7:45 pm and admission is £3.00 (cash only). All are […]

Monday 7th March 2022 – Urban Nature Reserves of the Wyre Forest District with Adam Wright

Monday 7th March 2022 sees the next indoor meeting of the group with a talk by Wyre Forest District Ranger Adam Wright entitled The Urban Nature Reserves around the Wyre District (Even the small things matter) The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts at 7:45 pm […]

Monday 7th February 2022 – Badgers: It’s not all Black & White with Phillip Playford

Monday 7th February 2022 sees the next indoor meeting of the group with a talk by Phillip Playford entitled Badgers: It’s not all Black & White The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts at 7:45 pm and admission is £3.00 (cash only). All are welcome. Please […]

Monday 6th December 2021 – Wildlife Question Time

Monday 6th December sees our final indoor meeting of the 2021 and is a Wildlife Question Time. The panel consists of Mike Averill (Worcestershire County Dragonfly Recorder), Mike Williams (Founder Member of West Midlands Butterfly Conservation) and Jason Kernohan (Local Naturalist and Wildlife Blogger) who will attempt to answer all manor of wildlife related questions […]

Monday 1st November: My Life on Hartlebury Common (part 2) with Paul Cook

Monday 1st November 2021 sees the next indoor meeting of the group with a talk by Paul Cook of Cook’s Garden Centre about his life living on Hartlebury Common. The meeting is being held at Stourport Sports’ Club, Kingsway, Stourport, DY13 8BQ. The talk starts at 8 pm and admission is £3.00. All are welcome.

Monday 4th October : The History of Camp Bewdley by Geoff Shaw

Monday 4th October 2021 sees the next indoor meeting of the group with a talk by Geoff Shaw on The History of Bewdley Camp. Geoff is from the Areley Kings History Group and will be talking to us about the history of the camp and the American Army in this area during World War 2. […]

Monday 6th September 2021: The Orchids of Worcestershire by Sean Cole

Monday 6th September 2021 sees the return of our indoor meetings with a talk by national orchid expert Sean Cole. Sean co- wrote the recently published Wild Guides: Britain’s Orchids – A Field Guide to the Orchids of Great Britain and Ireland and for this talk he will be focussing on Worcestershire’s orchids. This is […]

Discovering Reptiles – An Online Talk by Ben Harris

Monday 24th May 2021 at 8PM sees the fourth in the Hartlebury Common Local Group’s series of Zoom talks: Discovering Reptiles by Ben Harris Ben works for the charity Froglife as the Project Officer for Discovering Reptiles. He recently liaised with Worcestershire County Council to visit a number of sites within the county (including Hartlebury […]

An Introduction to British Bats – An Online Talk by Matthew Terry

Monday 12th April 2021 at 8PM sees the third of the Hartlebury Common Local Group’s series of Zoom talks: An Introduction to British Bats by Matthew Terry. Matthew is a member and former Chair of Worcestershire Bat Group and has a wealth of knowledge about these fascinating flying mammals. Admission to the talk […]

The Butterflies & Moths of Bolivia – An Online Talk by Mike Southall

Monday 1st March 2021 at 8PM sees the second of the Hartlebury Common Local Group’s Zoom talks: The Butterflies & Moths of Bolivia by Mike Southall. Hartlebury Common Local Group member Mike Southall is also the current chairmen of West Midlands Butterfly Conservation and for this talk he will show us some of the fabulous […]

A Garden For Wildlife – An online talk by Rosemary Winnall

Monday 1st February 2021 at 8PM sees the first of the Hartlebury Common Local Group’s talks. A Garden For Wildlife by Rosemary Winnall. Due to the current pandemic situation the group’s indoor meetings are being replaced with a series of online Zoom talks with this being the first. Rosemary is a well known (and very […]

January Work Parties cancelled

Because of the present Covid lockdown we have cancelled our Conservation Work Parties on the 14th and 28th January.

Butterflies on Hartlebury Common 2020

Was 2020 a good year for Butterlies on Hartlebury Common? To find out read the report on the results of the HC Butterfly transects. Hartlebury Common Butterfly Transect Report 2020

Conservation Work Parties on Hartlebury Common

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Work parties will resumed in the new year on the first Sunday (not January) and second and fourth Thursdays of the month. The next one is on Thursday 14th January. If you would like to join us, please email Mike lomax info@hartleburycommon.org.uk for details of time place etc. The dates of the Work […]

Hartlebury Parish Magazine

For the past year one of our committee members, Michael Howard, has been writing articles for the Harlebury Parish Magazine. These are excellent and deserve to be read by a wider audience. They can be read by clicking on the links below. 1, 2019 dec from parish mag 2. 2020 mar from parish mag 3. […]

AGM Cancelled

Unfortunately, due to the continued Covid safety measures, we have canceled our AGM and meeting, Tony Simpson “The Moths of Worcestershire” on the 7th December. We hope to hold the AGM and meeting at the earliest opportunity, hopefully in the spring or early summer.

September Indoor Meeting Cancelled

I am sorry to inform you all that the Hartlebury Common Local Group’s indoor meeting on Monday 7th September 2020 has been cancelled. This was to be a talk by Phillip Playford on the Reptiles of Shropshire and Staffordshire. With the current situation regarding Coronavirus and current Social Distancing measures we feel that it is right […]

The latest news from Hartlebury Common Local Group

A butterfly expedition to Bolivia by some of our group members last autumn sounded exciting and exotic. I was quite eager to learn of its success – especially as, after they had arrived, the television news showed widespread political protests in Bolivia’s major cities. The country’s President Morales needed to seek refuge in Mexico! This […]

Litter Pick Monday 24th February CANCELLED

The Litter pick on Lower Heath on Monday 24th Feb has been cancelled due to the recent weather and predicted weather conditions on 24th Feb.

Litter Pick on Lower Heath

There will be a litter pick on Lower Heath on Monday 25th November at 10.30am. Meet in Sandy Lane, parking at Brian Norton Autos. We will be continuing with clearing the fly tipped areas of Lower Heath with the Pickup Artists and Worcestershire County Council. Please come along and help.

Hartlebury Common 2019 Bioblitz: Species List

The FSC Biolinks project have now released the species lists for the June 2019 Bioblitz and associated Moth Night. In total 370 different species were recorded with 142 of which being moths. Bugs, beetles and bees/wasps were also well recorded. The full list of species recorded during this event is now available in the […]

Upcoming Conservation Voluntary Work

The dates for the Worcestershire County Council led Conservation Voluntary Work Parties on Hartlebury Common for the remainder of 2019 are as follows: Thursday 10th October, Saturday 19th October, Thursday 24th October, Thursday 7th November, Saturday 16th November, Thursday 21st November, Thursday 5th December, Thursday 19th December, Saturday 21st December. Hot and Cold drinks and […]

Monday 14th October 2019: Indoor Meeting

Sadly, Peta Sams has had to withdraw from giving the group a talk about Swifts on Monday 14th October. No need to worry though as she is rescheduling for the Spring 2020 programme of talks. This will also tie in very nicely with the Swifts return to the UK to breed. In the meantime Jason […]

Monday 30th September 2019: Litter Pick

On Monday 30th September between 11:00 am to 1:00 pm the Hartlebury Common Local Group will be litter picking on Lower Heath in support of an event organised by The Pickup Artist and WCC. Those interested are asked to meet in Sandy Lane just before 11 am.

Monday 9th September 2019: Owls with John Robinson

Monday 9th September sees the return of our 2019 indoor meetings with a really interesting season of talks. First talk on the calendar is on Owls with John Robinson. Some of you may know John as he was formerly the Nature Reserve Warden for the Wyre Forest and he is a wildlife photographer with over […]

Conservation Work Party Sunday 4th August CANCELLED

Unfortunately the conservation work party on Sunday’ 4th August has been cancelled. Thursday and Saturday work parties will continue as advertised. See the Work Party page on our website for more information https://www.hartleburycommon.org.uk/about-us/work-parties/. or email info@hartleburycommon.org.uk.

Litter Pick 2nd September

On Monday 2nd September 11.00 to 1.00 Hartlebury Common Local Group will be litter picking on Lower Heath in support of an event organised by The Pickup Artist and WCC. Meet in Sandy Lane.

BioBlitz 2019 Gallery

A gallery of photos from the 2019 Hartlebury Common BioBlitz and Moth Night (28th & 29th June) is now online. Click on the Read More button and then you can access the following link: BioBlitz Gallery 2019

Next work parties

The next conservation work parties are on Thursday 18th July and Saturday 20th July. Meet at 9.30 at Wilden Top car park. For more information contact David Shepard on 01905 766155. Tea and biscuits provided.

Read about our successful Hartlebury Common BioBlitz

Last weekend’s BioBlitz on Hartlebury Common was a great success. Organised by the FSCBiolinks project with assistance from the Hartlebury Common Local Group the event saw a Moth trapping event on the Friday evening followed by a program of guided activities and walks on the Saturday. The weather was good and many species were recorded […]

A New Leaflet on Hartlebury Common

The Hartlebury Common Local Group recently published a brand new leaflet about Hartlebury Common and its flora and fauna. A printed version of this leaflet is available from HCLG events and an electronic version is available to download from the following link: Hartlebury Common Wildlife Leaflet

Hartlebury Common BioBlitz

A public BioBlitz on this fantastic site, it’s free to attend and everyone is welcome! Join us on the 29th of June as we attempt to find and record as many different species of plants and animals as we can! Whether you’re a keen wildlife recorder or a complete beginner with a general interest in […]

Pond Dipping and Bug Hunt

This Sunday (9th June) the Hartlebury Common Local Group is holding a pond dipping and bug hunt event at Hillditch Pool. The event is being led by Mike Averill who is the Worcestershire County Recorder for Dragonflies and weather permitting it should be a great opportunity to see some fascinating species of dragonfly, damselfly and […]

Green Hairstreak Hunt

On Sunday 19th May Mike Lomax and Jason Kernohan will lead a walk on Hartlebury Common to look for Green Hairstreak and some of the other rare butterflies and moths that can be found on the common. Meet at Wilden Top car park at 1.45 for a 2.00 pm start.