March 2024

12 Buckden Roundabout March 2024 Village News Looking forward to Spring With the first snowdrops and daffodils showing spring feels to be just around the corner. Birds are already starting to sing and prospecting for suitable nest sites. The nestboxes which were erected around the village have all been cleaned out and are ready for a new set of occupants. Of the 80 nestboxes, 50 were used last year, the same number as in 2022. Sadly we have not been able to check the owl boxes yet but these appear to have been used, although probably not by owls. One unexpected resident, or rather set of residents, in 2023 were in box VF10 alongside the lake in the Valley. The box was taken over by hornets whose nest eventually outgrew the box forcing them build a roof terrace and a cellar. Hornets are large relatives of wasps and despite the rather fearsome appearance tend to be much less aggressive. They predate all manner of other insects and if left alone tend not to be a problem. At the end of the season, like wasps, the new queen hornets move out and find a place to hiber- nate. The nest then dies so the op- portunity was taken to remove the box as it could not be used in future. The structure of the nest was fascinating revealing that the insects had constructed sev- eral “ floors ” with airspaces in between for ventilation and col- umns to support them. Finally swifts. 2023 produced very few records of swifts nesting in the village. The new set of 10 boxes were not used so hopefully they will be colonised in 2024. Volunteering on the river Ouse can make you happier Would you like to spend your spring and summer weekends helping boaters to safely use the locks on the River Great Ouse? Anglian Waterways Volunteers do just this at the locks in St Ives, Houghton and Godmanchester. From April to Sep- tember the volunteers work in pairs to assist boaters through the locks. They can choose how often they go locking and no previous experience of boating or locks is needed as training and safety equipment are all provided by the Environment Agency. A recent survey asked the volunteers what they enjoyed most about their role and the top answers were: being outside in beautiful settings, getting gentle exercise, meeting new people and time spent in the company of their fellow volunteers. To find out more about how to become an Anglian Waterways Volunteer, contact Rachael Brown (scheme co - ordinator) at: rachael.brown@cambsacre.org.uk or 01353 865037. Notes The Anglian Waterways Volunteer (AWV) scheme is a collabo- ration between the Environment Agency (EA) and Cambridge- shire ACRE; the EA train the volunteers and supply their uni- form and safety equipment. Cambridgeshire ACRE manages the volunteers on their behalf. https://www.cambsacre.org.uk/projects/anglian - waterways - volunteers/ https://www.visitanglianwaterways.org/volunteer Application form: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/RO427/ Buckden Learning Group Update In December we held our AGM. After some discussion it was agreed to increase the numbers we allow on our courses, pro- vided we remain within the legal limits for the capacity of the room. Hopefully this will reduce the need for waiting lists; our courses have been filling up very quickly, usually in less than a week. We always hate to turn people away. The AGM was followed by an end of term jacket potato lunch at The Vine. In January 43 members started a 10 week course entitled ‘ From Mud to Cement – An Outline History of British Architec- ture ’. This is at Buckden Towers with a local tutor. The course focuses on the history of domestic dwellings and associated patterns of living – churches and cathedrals are hardly getting a look in. At the time of writing (February 2) we have pro- gressed from pre - historic times through to the medieval peri- od via the Romans, Saxons and Normans. We have seen how in the uncertain times of pre - history the security and strength of a dwelling was far more important than comfort. As we move further forward in time the focus is changing. Various factors influence the choice of design, shape and size of dwell- ings: location, available construction materials and climate to name but a few. Wooden structures cannot be built where there are no trees. Circular buildings are difficult to extend. In the remaining weeks of the course we will progress towards present times, seeing how dwellings continue to evolve into what we recognise today. We will soon commence enrolment for our next course which starts in April. This is a 10 week course on Zoom entitled ‘ The European Reformation ’ (see advert on page 16 for details). This examines one of the most important movements in Euro- pean history, from its first medieval rumblings to the ‘ Counter - Reformation ’, including discussion of its towering figures. The tutor for this course will join us in our homes from Wales. This will be followed by further courses. These are generally face - to - face from September to Easter; Zoom courses, with remote tutors, are run in the summer and as occasional ‘ gap fillers ’. A full programme has been planned through to July 2025. As usual, our courses have been interspersed with some guest lectures with new tutors together with individual discussion sessions on Zoom; this is expected to continue. Note that pre - registration for our courses is essential to avoid disappointment.