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Dunmow

Wildlife Photography

Status:Active, open to new members
Leader:
When: This group meets on an ad-hoc basis at various times and places
Venue: Outdoors

To make contact via Email, please click or tap on my name. If you would like to chat, please include your phone number.

The purpose of this group is to encourage photographers to get out and about in the wild, enjoying the flora and fauna in our own countryside. Photographers at all levels are welcome but a basic skill of using compact and/or DSLR cameras should be a minimum.

We will visit recognised nature reserves at regular intervals throughout the year. Unless otherwise stated they will be either a Wildlife Trust, RSPB or National Trust. All these locations have surface car parks, well-trodden and maintained pathways with adequate directional signage. It will be the responsibility of individual members to make their own way to the particular reserve where we will meet as a group, either in the car park or in the visitor centre. There will be no membership fee but occasional car parking fees will be requested at certain reserves. At some smaller reserves there may not be toilet facilities but this will be identified by the group leader prior to the visit.

For the future, it may be that we travel further afield, even abroad, but that will be by consensus.

In October 2025 we visited Lackford Lakes Nature Reserve and Visitor Centre near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. This wildlife site is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and comprises a mixture of lakes, reedbed, meadow and woodland.

Here are some photographs from Lackford Lakes:

Our first visit of 2026 was in February to Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve near Colchester. Fingringhoe Wick was Essex Wildlife Trust's first nature reserve (1961), some years later it was where the Trust opened their first visitor centre. There are miles of nature trails and a number of hides. The nature reserve is now a SSSI (Site Special Scientific Interest), a wildlife haven of over 200 acres (80 hectares) hosting up to 200 species of birds, 27 species of dragonflies and damselflies, 24 species of butterfly, 350 species of flowering plants, as well as Adders, Badgers and many other animals.

Here are some photographs from the reserve.

Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park

On October 6th five members of the Group visited Abberton Nature Discovery Park. The park is near Colchester and was built in 2012 beside the vast expanse of Essex & Suffolk Water’s Abberton Reservoir. It is a popular destination for days out in Essex, offering a great opportunity to explore wildlife, enjoy scenic reservoir views, and experience one of Essex’s top nature attractions. There is a very good visitor centre and from there trails take you to the three hides. Whilst the car park and café were quite busy we had the hides to ourselves and only met two people whilst walking along the trails. We spotted ducks, geese, swans, a Lapwing and vast numbers of Cormorants. As you can see from some of the photographs, the water level is quite low but I don't think any of us look forward to weeks and weeks of rain to bring the water level back up!!

Below are some photographs from our visit.

Groups listed alphabetically

  • Art (Friday Group)
    Status: Active
    On Friday mornings
    10.00 am to 12.00 noon
  • Art (Thursday Group)
    Status: Waiting list
    On Thursday mornings
    10.00 am to 12.00 noon
  • Book Club
    Status: Full
    On Thursday mornings
    Second Thursday at 10.30 am
  • Bookworms
    Status: Active
    On Thursday afternoons
    Second Thursday at 14:00 Fiona's Home
  • Bridge
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Thursday afternoons
    Weekly at 2.30pm
  • Canasta
    Status: Active
    On Monday mornings
    10.00 am to 12.30 pm except Bank Holidays
  • Carpet Bowls
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Thursday afternoons
    2 pm to 4 pm
  • Creative Writing
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Wednesday afternoons 3:00 pm-5:00 pm
    First Wednesday of the month
  • Cribbage
    Status: Active
    On Tuesday afternoons
    Alternate Tuesdays at 2.00 pm
  • Cycling
    Status: Active
    On Friday mornings 10:00 am
  • Family History
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Monday afternoons
    3.45pm to 5.30pm
  • Flower Arranging
    Status: Waiting list
    On Friday mornings
    Every Third Friday from 10.00 to 12.00
  • French - Bavarder et Boissons
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Wednesday afternoons
    Last Wednesday of the month - 3:30 to 4:30
  • French Beginners
    Status: Waiting list
    Weekly on Thursday afternoons 2:30 pm-4:30 pm
  • Garden
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Thursday afternoons
    At 2.00 pm
  • General Crafts
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Monday afternoons 1:30 pm-3:30 pm
    Third Monday of the month
  • Geology
    Status: Active
    On Thursday mornings
    Third Thursday at various times.
  • Golf
    Status: Full
    Weekly on Tuesday mornings
    10.00am
  • Golf 2
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Wednesday mornings
  • Grow Your Own
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Wednesday afternoons
    First Wednesday of the month at 2:30 pm
  • History & Local Interest
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Thursday afternoons
    Second Thursday of each month
  • Italian (Friday)
    Status: Waiting list
    Weekly on Friday afternoons
    2.00 pm to 4.00 pm
  • Italian (Wednesday)
    Status: Full
    Weekly on Wednesday mornings
    10.00 am to 11.30 am
  • Line Dancing
    Status: Waiting list
    Weekly on Tuesday mornings
    11.15am to 12.45 pm
  • Line Dancing 2
    Status: Waiting list
    Weekly on Wednesday mornings
    11.15 am to 12.15 pm
  • Luncheon Club (First Wednesday)
    Status: Waiting list
    On Wednesday afternoons
    First Wednesday of the month
  • Luncheon Club (Friday)
    Status: Active
    On Friday afternoons
    Last Friday in the month
  • Luncheon Club (Second Wednesday)
    Status: Waiting list
    On Wednesday afternoons
    Second Wednesday of the month at 12.00 for 12.30
  • Luncheon Club (Third Tuesday KR)
    Status: Active
    On Tuesday afternoons
    Third Tuesday of the month
  • Luncheon Club (Third Tuesday LF)
    Status: Active
    On Tuesday afternoons
    Third Tuesday of the month
  • Mah Jong
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Monday afternoons
    4.00 pm to 6.00 pm
  • MOTO (Members On Their Own)
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Friday mornings 11:00 am
    on the second Friday of the month.
  • Music Appreciation
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Wednesdays
    4.00 pm
  • Needles and Pins
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons
    2.00 pm to 4.00 pm
  • Photography
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Wednesday afternoons 2:15 pm-3:15 pm
    The first Wednesday of the month.
  • Pickleball (Friday)
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Friday afternoons
    3.00 pm to 5.00 pm
  • Pickleball (Thursday)
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Thursday afternoons
    5.00 pm to 6.00 pm
  • Rummikub (Friday)
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Friday afternoons 3:00 pm-5:00 pm
  • Rummikub (Tuesday)
    Status: Waiting list
    Fortnightly on Tuesday mornings 9:30 am-12:00 pm
  • Science and Society
    Status: Active
    On Tuesday evenings
    every couple of months
  • Scrabble
    Status: Full
    Weekly on Thursday mornings
    From 10.00 am to 12.30 pm
  • Scrabble 2
    Status: Active
    On Wednesday mornings
    Fortnightly from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm
  • Sequence
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons
    From 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm
  • Table Tennis
    Status: Waiting list
    Weekly on Friday afternoons
    From 12.30 pm or from 2.30 pm
  • The Page Turners
    Status: Active
    On Wednesdays
    At 2.00 pm on the third Wednesday of the month.
  • Walking
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Monday mornings
    10.00 am
  • Walking - 3 Milers
    Status: Active
    Mornings
    10.00 am on Wednesdays or Fridays
  • Whist
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons
    2.00 pm
  • Wildlife Photography
    Status: Active
    This group meets on an ad-hoc basis at various times and places
  • Wine Appreciation Group 1
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Tuesday afternoons
    Last Tuesday of the month
  • Wine Appreciation Group 2
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Tuesday evenings 7:30 pm-9:30 pm
    First Tuesday of the month at 7.30 pm
  • Wool and Waffle
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Tuesday mornings
    9.30 am to 11.30 am