Annual Report 1959
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Herefordshire Ornithological Club ANNUAL REPORT 1959 Together with Classified Notes for Herefordshire and Radnorshire No. 9. Vol. 1. Price .,. Herefordshire Ornithological Club No. 9 OFFICERS AN,n COMMITTEE, 1959 President BRIGADIER SIR MICHAEL VENABLES-LLEWELYN, BART., M.V.O. Vice-Presidents CAPTAIN H. A. GILBERT, M.B.O.V. P. ,t\!. HINDE, M.B.O.V. Chairman J. G. MVRRAY, M.R.C.V.S. Hon. Secretary and Editor R. H. BAILLIE, M.B.O.V. Hon. Field Secretary C. J. BRECKNELL Hon. Treasurer A. G. FYSHE Committee T. R. AMMONOS DR. B. E. MILES G. S. T. DIGGORY T. R. H. OWEN, C.B.E. MISS vV. M. GIBSON A. J. SMITH K. A. MASON DR. C. W. WALKER, M.C. 284 HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB REPORT, 1959 HEREfORDSHiRE ORNIT!:iOLQCICAL CLUB RULE S. 1. NAME. The Club shall be called the Herefordshire Ornithological Club. 2. OBJECTS. The objects of the Club shall be (a) to further the study of birds in the field, and (q), to assist. in their ,preservation. 3. MEMBERSHIP. The Club shall consist of a President, a Chairman, a Secretary, a Field Secretary, a Treasurer, an Editor and Eight Com mittee Members and Ordinary Members. The President and Chair man to retire after serving a term of three years. The Secretaries. the Treasurer and the Editor, shall be elected annually. The two senior of the six Ordinary Members of the' Committee shall retire annually. The Officers and Ordinary Members of the Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall be eligible for re-election. 4. CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP. Members shall be required to sup port and keep the prqvisions of the Protection, of Birds Act. 1954. Any members failing to support and keep this law shall be required to resign. Members may not divulge to unauthorised persons (e.g. known collectors of skins and/or eggs) information in a manner likely to be detrimental to fhe objects of the Club. 5. SUBSCRIPTIONS. (a) Ordinary Members: 18 years of age or over 15s., payable on January 1st or on election to membership. Any additional members of a family after the first, 1Os.; such members receiving all privileges of full membership. Junior Members (under 18 but over 12 years of age), 7s. 6d. per annum, payable as above. Corporate Members: Kindred bodies, Schools, etc.: Subscription one guinea per annum. Honorary Members: As approved by the majority present at the Annual General Meeting. (b) All subscriptions, subsequent to those paid on admission, shall be due on January 1st each year. Where a Member has been elected on or after 1st September in any year, there will be no further Iiabi lity to subscribe in the year immediately following that of his or her election. Any Member whose subscription is six months in arrears shall cease to receive the Club's publications and, should the sub scription not be paid by December 31 st, his or her name shall be de leted from the List of Members. 6. MANAGEMENT. The Secretary shall keep Minutes of the meetings and prepare such literature as shall keep Members informed of the Club's activities. 7. MEETINGS. Meetings shall be held as often as deemed desirable at the discretion of the Officers. 8. REPORT. There shall be an Editorial Committee of at least three Members including the Secretary, appointed at an ordinary Com mittee Meeting. These shall prepare and present an Annual .Report and such special reports as may be decided upon. 9. ALTERATION OF RULES. An alteration of the Rules may be made only if proposed at one meeting, printed on the agenda for the following meeting, and passed by a two-thirds majority of those present. HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB HON. TQEASUREQ'S ACCOUNT-YEAR TO 31st DECEMBEQ, 1959. 1958 RECEIPTS 1958 PAYMENTS £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. 38 7 7 To Balance, 1st Jan., 1959 ... ... 18 4 8 27 2 6 By Duplicating Notices ... ... 37 7 0 .. Proceeds of Sale of- 14 9 9 .. Printing, Stationery (,- Billposting ... 11 16 6 2 9 0 AnnuaI Reports ... ... 2 1 1 23 4 9 .. Postages, Telephones (,- Cheque Books 24 3 9 1 8 3 Herefordshire Birds ... ... 10 0 29 10 o .. Printing Annual Report .. ... 45 0 0 2 3 3 Birds of Radnorshire ... ... 15 0 --- .. Affiliation Subscriptions- 3 6 .. Sale of Publications in 1 0 0 Woolhope Naturalists advance ... ... ... --- Field Club ... 1 0 0 10 15 2 .. Donations ... .., 1 6 0 2 0 0 British Trust for 14 7 6 .. Subscriptions in advance 20 0 0 Ornithology ... 2 0 0 --- .. .. 1957 ... 10 0 12 6 Birmingham and West 17 0 0 .. .. 1958 ... 2 0 0 Midland Bird Club ... 12 6 96 0 0 .. .. 1959 94 8 6 10 0 British Naturalists' Assn. 10 0 116 18 6 1 0 0 Council for Nature ... 1 0 0 33 5 1 .. .Receipts from Meetings ... .. 22 8 6 5 2 6 Defence Bond Interest ... ... 1 8 6 17 0 .. Gratuities and Commissions 5 0 .---- - Balance--Being Excess 27 6 0 .. Meeting Expenses ... 12 6 0 Expenditure over Income ... 2 11 10 12 12 2 .. Rentals'and Charges 27 1 0 39 12 0 --- .. Presentation to Mrs. Downes .... 2 2 4 ~ 10 0 .. Presentation to Mrs. Hinde ... ... - --- 4 0 0 .. Kite Rearing Grant ... ... --- 50 0 0 .. £50 Defence Bonds, 5 % ... ... -- 17 14 2 .. Balance in Hand-Bank - - - 10 6 .. Cash 1 0 0 0 0 215 19 4 166 4 1 215 19 4 166 4 ----- ---.--- Audited and found correct, A. G. FYSHE, C. J. BRECKNELL. Hon. Treasurer, 1st February, 1960. 23rd January, 1960, 286 HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB REPORT, 1959 1959 REPORT GENERAL. The year opened with six or seven weeks of harsh snowy weather before settling down to what must have heen one of the loveliest summers in living memory, followed by a mild autumn. Many birds of interest were recorded, -including the following first records for Herefordshire~GreyLagoiGoose, Little Ringed Plover, the Scandinavianrace of the Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Bee-eater. Radnorshire claimed its first Alpine Swift and Canada Goose. Other unusual birds for these Counties included Storm Petrel, ,Gadwall, Pin tail, Red-breasted Merganser, Bewick's Swans, Ospreys, Quail, . Corncrake, Little Gull, Black Terns, Corn-Buntings and a· Waxwing. MEMBERSHIP at 181 showed a nett increase of eight and we . hope it will not be long before we pass the two hundred mark. Club Outings were held at Eardisland Starling Roost on Feb. 14th, Rhulen March 21st, Golden Valley :May 16th, Vron Valley May 24th, Haugh Wood June 4th, Lysdinam June 13th, Blaen-y-Cwm June 20th, Chew Reservoir June 28th, Frampton Gravel Pits September 13th, Haugh Wood October" 31st and Talybont Reservoir on November 22nd. Indoor:Meetings at the Woolhope Room were held on January 22nd Canadian Bird Films, February 26th John Reason and P. McDougall, with the latter's coloured slides on the Camargue, September 25th a Discussion Meeting, November 13th Col. H. Morrey Salmon on "Some Birds of East Africa," with his own colour trans parencies. We also hired the Hereford Town Hall on October 2nd for a very successful showing of the R.S.P.B.'s films "Island of Birds" and "Reed-Warblers," at a Public Meeting. PUBLICATIONS. Herefordshire Birds (1954), by Captain H. A. Gilbert and Dr. C. W. Walker (2/6); and Birds of Radnorshire (1955), by G. C. S. Ingram and Col. H. M. Salmon (3/6) are obtainable from me, as are back numbers of Reports Nos. 1 and 4/8 inclusive, at 2/6 to Members. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Once again my thanks go to the Editorial Sub-Committee, Messrs. C. J. Brecknell, P. W. Hinde, Col. Morrey Salmon and Dr. C. W. Walker for all their help and also to all those who have contributed notes and other material for this Report. R.H.B. HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITIlOLOGICAL· CLUB REPORT, 1959 287: SOME NOTES ON BEHAVIOUR MERLIN On June 21st, in Radnor Forest, members of the West Midlands Bird Club saw a pair mobbing a Buzzard. Later T.R.A watched the male, when in the vicinity of its nest, repeatedly stoop on passing. Jackdaws and Woodpigeons, making feathers fly out of the latter and knocking a Jackdaw to the ground. When the male flew away the female came off the nest and repeated the tactics. MOORHEN On July 14th a bird was seen sitting on its nest, built into an old crow's, a good 15 feet up in a hazel by Wye bank. (T.R.H,O.). CUCKOO At Hereford on July 16th a juvenile was scolded by small birds from 6.30 p.m. until 7.22 p.m. Cuckoo only moved its head during this period. Blackbirds, Song-Thrushes, House and Hedge-Sparrows, Chaffinches and Bullfinches were involved. (A.J.S.). BARN OWL On March 22nd one, followed for about t mile along the Bircher Lucton road, varied in speed from 15/20 m.p.h. (I.M. and AJ.S.). TAWNY OWL For the period about July/October observer found 7 or 8 dead or dying birds on roads or beside them. Few appeared to have been killed by cars. One of the birds picked up, obviously very sick, died some 12 hours later and was sent to the "Field" for post-mortem. The cause of death was given as tuberculosis. Is there any evidence of an epidemic amongst our owls? (T.R.H.O.). J.L.F. also writes that he does not remember seeing dead Tawny Owls beside roads but that this year he saw one in midsummer and found no less than three on September 3rd.