Annual Report 1998
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HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB ~AKER TILLY NNUAL BIRD REPORT 1998 Volume 5 Number 8 £5.00 HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 1998 Founded 1950 Volume 5 Number 8 Edited by Paul Downes Published October 1999 by Herefordshire Ornithological Club Price £5.00 Illustrations by Paul Downes Copyright - HOC 1999 HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 1998 Volume 5 Number 8 CONTENTS Officers and Committee 1998 .492 Editor's Report 1998 .493 Club Meetings Held in 1998 .495 Weather Report 1998 - Bob Bishop .497 Bird Calendar 1998 - Paul Downes 500 Ringing Report 1998 - Paul Scriuen 503 Herefordshire Nature Trust Nestbox Scheme 1998 - C. W Sheldrake 506 County Surveys 507 The HOC and Titley Court Farm - Peter Eldridge 509 The Herefordshire Garden Birdwatch - Ray Mellish 510 Tars Coppice 1998 -Anne Russell 511 Systematic List 1998 513 Escapes 558 List of Contributors to Systematic List 1998 559 County Locations 560 Earliest and Latest Dates for Summer Migrants 1998 562 Latest and Earliest Dates for Winter Migrants 1998 562 White Stork at Bridge Sollars - Paul Downes 563 Red-necked Phalarope at Wellington Gravel Pits - Paul Downes 565 County Bird List for Herefordshire 567 Herefordshire County Rarities 570 Report Exchanges 571 Affiliated Associaions 571 Income and Expenditure Account 572 "All maps based upon the Ordnance Survey Map with the permission of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. © Crown Copyright. C4/85-88" HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB Founded 1950 OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE 1998 President Vice-President J. Vickerman Mrs J. M. Bromley Chairman Vice-Chairman J. R. Pullen G. R. Parker Hon. Secretary I. B. Evans 12, Brockington Drive, Tupsley, Hereford, HR1 1TA Tel: 01432 265509 Hon. Treasurer and Membership Secretary R. E. Mellish 6 Acacia Close, Putson, Hereford, HR2 6BP Tel: 01432 359924 Hon. Recorder and Report Editor P. H. Downes 450 Buckfield Road, Leominster, HR6 8SD Tel: 01568 611624 Hon. Bulletin Editor P. Gardner Holly Bank, Dilwyn, Herefordshire, HR4 8JG Tel: 01544 388216 Hon. Field Secretary KA. Mason Treetops, The Leeway, 14c Tillington Road, Hereford, HR4 9QJ Tel: 01432 273167 Committee S. P. Coney (YOC Leader) Miss J. Parry C. E. Lankester (co-opted) J. L. Russell D. Lovelace K P. Tillett BTO Representative: S. P. Coney (Tel: 01981 500236) 492 EDITOR'S REPORT 1998 his is the 48th Annual Report of the Herefordshire Ornithological T Club and the last to be produced this millenium. My team of helpers who put together the systematic list was as follows: Paul Downes Little Grebe to Ruddy Duck Gerald Parker Red Kite to Coot Steve Coney Oystercatcher to Black Tern Ifor Evans Feral Pigeon to Wren Kevin Tillett Dunnock to Pied Flycatcher Peter Eldridge Long-tailed Tit to Corn Bunting. After the stepping stones laid in 1997 the club began its county wide survey of sites from July 1998. Nearly 40 sites were selected and volunteers set about the task of counting the birds present and recording breeding activities, with the data being collated by our survey committee chairman, Steve Coney. The survey has an initial run of 18 months with the hope that volunteers will continue to visit the locations so long term population trends can be studied for our most important bird sites. A report of the first few months is included later on. The survey work at Titley Court continued through 1998 and under the leadership of Peter Eldridge, more positive results have emerged of how farming can be managed with the benefit of wildlife. This year's annual report includes results from the winter survey. The year 2000 is significant for the club in not only being a new millenium but also the 50th anniversary since our establishment in 1950. Few current members will remember those early days but even so it is an achievement to be celebrated and several events are planned to record this landmark. Details will appear in forthcoming club bulletins. It is encouraging to report membership is on the increase and approaching 400. You, the membership, are critical to the continued success of the club. If anyone can help with any club activities, whether its leading a bird walk, helping at indoor meetings or conducting a survey for the club, contact one of the club's committee and they will be happy to point you in the right direction. I would like to say thank-you to everyone who has contributed articles, sketches and photographs for this report. I am always grateful for any material that can be used to enhance the appearance of the annual report. 493 Finally we must all say a big thank-you to our sponsors, Baker Tilly, who have very kindly agreed to meet the cost of production ofthe Annual Bird Report for this year. This saves the charity a considerable sum of money for which we can look to invest in conservation concerns within the county of Herefordshire in the future. Paul Downes 494 CLUB MEETINGS HELD IN 1998 During 1998 the following field meetings were held: Date Venue Leader January 4th Castleton and Glasbury Steve Coney January 20th WWT Slimbridge Keith Mason February 1st Bodenham Lake and Wellington Gravel Pits Paul Downes February 11th Raggedstone Hill and Chase End Peter Garnett February 27th-29th Kent Weekend John Pullen March 7th Ashleworth Ham and Bredon's Hardwick Chas Lankester March 17th Tregaron Bog NNR Ifor Evans March 29th Forest of Dean Tony Eveleigh April 8th Ross-on-Wye and Sellack river walks Keith Mason May 16th-17th Minsmere, Suffolk Weekend Paul Downes May 24th Downton Gorge and Criftin Ford Bridge John Pullen May 27th Ewyas Harold Common Rob Watts June 3rd Shobdon Industrial Estate Paul Downes June 13th Grwyne Fawr Valley John Pullen June 28th Hergest Ridge Gerald Parker July 11th Cotswold Water Park Keith Mason July 15th Mortimer Trail Cherry Greenway July 25th Moccas Deer Park and Merbach Hill John Pullen August 11th Upton Warren Keith Mason August 23rd Hampton Bishop Wye and Lugg Tony Eveleigh September 8th Castleton and Glasbury Steve Coney September 20th Frampton and Slimbridge Paul Downes October 4th Cotswold Water Park Keith Mason October 20th Bodenham Lake and Wellington Gravel Pits Ifor Evans October 30th-November 1st Norfolk Weekend Paul Downes November 18th Midsummer Hill and Raggedstone Hill Bob Bishop November 29th Wapley Hill and Eywood Pool Keith Mason December 14th Talybont Reservoir and Llangorse Lake John Pullen In addition the following indoor meetings were held at Holmer Parish Centre during the winter periods: Date Topic and Speaker January 23rd Club Social Evening and Dutch Supper February 20th Dr Walker Memorial Lecture - "Bewick's Swans" by Dave Paynter March 6th 48th Annual General Meeting March 27th "Birdwatching in Spain" by Brayton Holt September 22nd "Owls" by Dave Cooksey October 13th "Forest Birds" by Chris Ridler November 10th "Arctic Summer, Birds of Finmark" by Roger Beck November 17th "BTO Surveys and Club Partnership" by Derek Toomer December 8th "Kenya" by Ifor Evans 495 Once again thanks go to Chris Mason, J osephine Field and Jenny Hughes for their efforts in supplying the refreshments at the indoor meetings. Anyone interested in leading outdoor meetings, suggesting locations the club can visit or giving a lecture or slide show at an indoor meeting should contact the Meetings Secretary, Keith Mason on 01432 273167. All ideas are welcome. 496 WEATHER REPORT 1998 The following report is based on observations made in my garden in Malvern. Whilst not strictly speaking in the county ofHerefordshire, it is less than 2 miles from the eastern boundary of the county. For the record Malvern enjoys a pleasant micro-climate in the shelter of its range of hills with mean temperatures and duration of sunshine being higher than for most of the Midlands and Northern England. Its annual rainfall is just 750mm (29.6 inches) which again is less than most of the Midlands. A monthly breakdown now follows: JANUARY Rain fell on 18 days during the month and totalled 95.4mm, which was 140% of the long term average. Most of the rain was during the first half of the month although a brief exceptionally mild spell with long sunny periods and no rain from the 9th to 11th was sufficient to bring butterflies out ofhibernation. On the 9th the temperature reached 14.0 degrees Celsius, one of the highest January temperatures in living memory, only exceeded in 1930 when 14.4 was recorded. The normal daily temperature in January is only 6.8. FEBRUARY Rain only fell on 7 days during the month and totalled just ll.4mm, just 17.5% ofthe long term average. The month was exceptionally mild. No frosts were recorded and maximum daytime temperatures were above 10 degrees on 20 days. The 13th saw the highest temperature of 17.5 and during the previous night it did not drop below 10. MARCH Higher than average rainfall of 74.9mm (129% of long term average) put paid to any thoughts of a drought. Most of the rain fell during the first and last weeks of the month and there was a spell of 10 days without rainfall mid-month. Again very mild with only 3 frosts recorded. A very mild spell in the last week saw a maximum temperature of 17.5. APRIL The memory of this month will live long for many people in the country. To say it was an exceptionally wet month with a total rainfall of 139.0mm (278% of the long term average for the month) would only be telling half a story. In fact almost exactly half of this rainfall, 63.7mm (2.74 inches in old money) fell on just 1 day. The month started wet, 497 continuing the pattern for March, with the result that the ground was saturated and river flows were well above normal.