No 490 Autumn 2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
No 490 Autumn 2018 Photograph - Sparrowhawk at our Belvide Reserve Photographer Kevin Wardlaw This front page is sponsored by The Birder’s Store, Worcester WMBC News Is published in March, June, September and December each year to link members with each other, what’s been happening, Membership Matters current issues and forthcoming events on the birding scene in our area and further We are pleased to welcome the following new members of the club who have joined afield together with a selection of your articles and a comprehensive summary of since the last newsletter. Please note the names shown are as on the membership the recorded bird sightings in our area form but that all family members at each address are included in this welcome. Hello everyone, Mr T Baggaley of STOKE ON TRENT, Ms J Chamberlain of COVENTRY, Mr M Cottingham Here we are again, where has the last three months gone? What a summer, when folks journeyed of SOLIHULL, Mr D Daniel of BIRMINGHAM, Mr M Davies of WOLVERHAMPTON, abroad to avoid the high temperatures in Britain! But as I write the high temperatures have subsided Mr P Fletcher of WOLVERHAMPTON, Mr J Foster of FRODSHAM, Mr D Johnson of and autumn is truly on the way with birds returning on their migratory journeys and excitement and BIRMINGHAM, Mr M Khuram of BIRMINGHAM, Mr K Mallett of WHITCHURCH, Mr S O’Brien anticipation returning to our reserves. Oooh bring it on! of STAFFORD, Mr W Rotchell of RUGELEY, Mr E Whiting of LEEK, Mr R Ching of SUTTON There is lots to enjoy in this issue of your Newsletter and that is thanks entirely to your fellow members COLDFIELD, Mr D Holden of ASHBOURNE, Ms V Kirkham of CRADLEY HEATH, Mr L Stokes for sharing their birding experiences and also to the keen photographers who are increasingly sharing of WOLVERHAMPTON, Mr B Jones of WOLVERHAMPTON and Mr B Jones of their terrific shots with me without being prompted (thank you so much). If you are one of those WOLVERHAMPTON. who has sent photographs of local rarities after June I haven’t ignored you! Rest assured they will accompany Humphrey’s Bird Notes in the next issue. Do I need to say the next issue is in your hands? We are also pleased to be able to welcome the members below, who have joined under the new Joint Membership class introduced recently. Now after over three years in this job I feel you are friends so can I get a bit personal? Are you one of the 931*? I am, I filled in my consent form and submitted it straight away (well it would have been a Mrs P Ackland of KINGSWINFORD, Ms M Archer of WOLVERHAMPTON, Mr M Arnold of bit odd, wouldn’t it, if I hadn’t as I produced it) but how long did it take me? I am old and a bit slow so TAMWORTH, Ms A Baker of BURTON ON TRENT, Mrs Y Banton of STAFFORD, Ms C Billington 5 minutes maximum, (much quicker for some of you sweet young things). Now let’s look at Michael, of DERBY, Ms A Birkert of WOLVERHAMPTON, Mr B Bolton of WALSALL, Ms J Brocklebank our Mem.Sec., I am willing to bet that it took him at least that 5 minutes to transfer my preferences of SUTTON COLDFIELD, Mrs A Brookes of WATER ORTON, Mrs E Brown of CANNOCK, to his system. OK so I did it once. He has done it 931 times! WHY!!! We are told by some of you that filling in the consent form is TOTALLY unnecessary and we really do respect your expertise on this. Mrs P Burkes of STOKE ON TRENT, Mr P Burton of TAMWORTH, Mr K Butt of SOLIHULL, We accept that to service your membership we don’t need your permission BUT (and here’s the rub) Mrs R Ching of SUTTON COLDFIELD, Mrs A Clarke of TAMWORTH, Ms B Cowen of STAFFORD, we use an outside distributor to send out our mailings to you and, be honest, we never asked for your Mrs D Davies of LICHFIELD, Mrs L Davies of SOLIHULL, Mrs S Davis of WOLVERHAMPTON, permission for that did we? So would it really hurt you to do as we request and complete the consent Mrs J Dawson of WOLVERHAMPTON, Ms A Evans-Hill of CHEADLE, Ms T Goodwin of form? If you don’t want to post it back Michael will send you an electronic form which is quicker STOKE ON TRENT, Mrs J Harrison of WARWICK, Mrs L Hill of WOLVERHAMPTON, and free, just email him. We may, as time goes on, find that all this was unnecessary but does that Mrs M Holden of ASHBOURNE, Mr B Kirkham of CRADLEY HEATH, Mrs G Lancaster of matter if it gives peace of mind to those of us who are, after all, only trying to look after you and very TAMWORTH, Mrs P MacMillan of RUGELEY and Mrs B Malpas of WOLVERHAMPTON. importantly protect the financial reserves of our club against a hefty fine. Thank you * see next page Sue GDPR Consent Update Sincere thanks to all who have responded by completing and returning the GDPR Consent form. At In This Issue the time of writing I have had responses from 931 (56%) members. Of course, this leaves a significant Page 3 Membership Matters - Michael Bevan number still to respond. I would urge all those who have not yet done so to send in their forms either Pages 4-6 Our Development Plan - Roger Broadbent by post or email. If you have received another consent form with this newsletter then it means that I Page 6 The Woman who saved the Birds - John Holt have not had a response from you to date. If you would like me to email an electronic form for you to Pages 7-10 Twenty years of local patch birding - Grimley - Brian Stretch return, then please just email me at the address below. Page 11 New Warwickshire Top Man - Chris Hill Tribute to Steve Haynes - Update on Worcestershire County Recorder Kind Regards Page 12 Ken Darlow - Obituary - Alan Richards Pages 13-16 The Biking Birder - Peru Update - Gary Prescott Michael Bevan Pages 17-21 My 2017 Scilly Season - Gerald Brereton WMBC Membership Secretary Pages 22-23 Four days in Turkey - June 2018 - Richard Rafe 64 Brookfields Road, Ipstones, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire ST10 2LY Pages 24-26 WMBC Club and Branch Field Trips and Indoor Meetings Email: membership westmidlandbirdclub.org.uk Pages 27-30 Bird Notes - May - July - Humphrey Miller Included with this Newsletter is a leaflet from the Berryhill Fields Action Group (paid for by that group) alerting Pages 32-34 WMBC Field Trip Reports - Ray Davies you to their campaign. This issue was brought to our attention by interested club members and we are now Page 35 Ladywalk Reserve Update - Richard King involved in offering support and advice. If a planning proposal in your area gives cause for concern and you want Page 36 Belvide Reserve Update - Sue Judge WMBC to get involved contact Dave, the Club Conservation Officer, at [email protected]. Page 37 And Finally, Suggestions and Next issue - Cutoff date Anyone wishing to contact the Berryhill Fields Action Group should use the revised address at :- Page 38 WMBC Officers and their contact details www.facebook.com/saveberryhillfieldsactiongroup 2 3 the dedication of the four county bird recorders, their writing and rarity committees and finally the wonderful editor Dave Emley BEM the Club will publish its second Report within the same calendar Our Development Plan year. This will become another first for the Club. The Club will place greater emphasis on surveys by Club Chairperson Roger Broadbent and research. We are currently involved in surveying the woodland areas around Dudley Castle and more recently at Drayton Manor Park. Recent experience has shown that surveys promote a sense of Inevitably, when an organisation comes under new management things will be different. That togetherness and new friendships. A new breeding atlas covering the West Midlands Region should certainly applies to our Club. The big difference is that we will be working to the first structured and be our ambition. evolving Development Plan that I can remember being agreed to by the Management Committee (MC). The Plan has been derived by the Club’s Trustees and the WMBC Management Committee. This Our Events and activities are headed by field trips and indoor meetings. They have been part of the exercise has been extremely helpful to me in acquainting myself more fully with all aspects of Club Club’s core activities almost from the time when the Club was formed. Those field trips departing activity. from Birmingham City Centre remain as popular as ever whilst support for branch field meetings has dwindled. This may be due perhaps to lack of ambition to produce a programme as varied as The plan gives us an opportunity to review those activities. We need to know what seems to be our Meetings secretary Ray Davies provides. The MC will encourage branches to consider joining up working well, and those matters that need improvement and development. We will continue to make with other organisations such as at our Stafford branch which has worked with U3A to promote local a significant contribution to the birding community primarily across the West Midlands, but also birding trips. This has proved to be very successful to the point where a recent trip for Nightjars further afield. Underlying all of this is a belief that there is a greater need than ever for independent and Owls on Cannock Chase was supported by 30 participants.