Annual Report 1968
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Herefordshir~ ,·Qrnith91QgiCa} CJub No.S. Vol. 2 OFFICERS' and, COMI~I'T1"E\Et 1968 PreJident: ...,.... BRIGADIER SIRMICHAEL VENABLES·LLEWELYN, BART., M.V.O. Vice-PreSidents: P. W. HINDE, M.~.E. DR. C. W. WALKER, M.C. Chairman : T, R. AMMONDS Hon. Treasurer:- A. G. FYSHE H on: Secretary: R. H. BAILLIE Hon. Editor:- T. R. H. OWEN, C.B.E. Committee: - D.BARNES R. HUNT O. S. BENNETT MRS. M. E.. JOHN MRS. J. M. BROMLEY W. H.MEAnHAM A. T. COOMBES A. J. SMITH MRS. J. V. Fox G. N. SMITH Co-opted J. H. WATKINS 334 HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL REPORT, ~968 I. 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 (b) to assist in their preservation. 3. MEMBERSHIP. The Club shall consist of a President, a Chairman, a Secretary, a Field Secretary, a .Treasurer. anE(litOr and Ten Com mittee Members and Ordinary Members. The President and the Chairman to retire after serving a term of three years. The Secretaries, the Treasurer and the Editor shall be elected annually. The three senior of the ten Ordinary Members of the Committee shall retire annual.ly and they shall not be eligible for re-election for a period of twelve mOnths. The Officers and Ordinary Members of the Com mittee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and the Officers shall be eligible for re-election. Nominations ·for the Committee must be received in writing by the Hon. Secretary by March 31 st. 4. CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP. Members shall be required to support and keep the provisions 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 co.llectors of skins and/or eggs) information in a manner likely to be detrimenta·' to the oblects of the Club. 5. SUBSCRIPTIONS. (a) Ordinary Members: 18 years of age or over 155., payable on Janua·ry Ist or on eleCtion to membership. Any additional members of a housemld after the first, IOs.; 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 Ist each year. Wnere a member has been e.lected on or after 1st September in any year, there will be no further liability 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 a!'!d, s~ld the subscription not be paid by December 31 st, his or her name shall be deleted 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 shall be held as often as deemed desirable at the discretion of the Officers. 8. ~EPORT. There shall be an Editoria,1 Committee of at least three Mem bers iricluding the Secretary, appointed at an ordinary Committee Meet ing. These shall prepare and present an Annual Report and such special reports as may be decided upon. 9. ALT'ERATION 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 REPORT, 1,968 335 HEREFORDSHIRE ORNlTHOLOGIQA,L CLUB INCOME AND EXPENiDITURE ACCOUNT Vear ending 31st Decetllber. 1968 1967 £ s. d. Income: £ s. d. £ s. d. 5 19 4 Sale of Club Publications 3 9 0 1 16 o Donations 1 1 0 15 12 9 Interest on Investments 14 9 6 250 9 o Subscriptions 250 2 8 273 17 269 2 2 Deduct.: Expenditure 2 10 0 Duplicating Bulletins, etc. 12 10 6 18 1 11 Printing and Stationery 14 18 11 36 9 9 PDstages and Telephones 30 6 1 57 19 0 Printing Annual Report 57 0 0 73 7 9 Meeting Expenses 50 2 0 13 1 0 Affiliation Subscriptions 13 1 0 (see page) 12 5 0 Donations 15 0 0 7 13 o Corporation Tax 3 16 0 --- Gift to Mrs. S. Lee 9 2 3 205 16 9 221 7 5 52 9 8 Net Surplus for the year 63 5 5 347 11 4 Add: Surplus at 1st January, 1968 400 1 0 £400 0 ACculnulated Fundi at 31st December. 1968 £463 6 5 AcclHTlulated Funds at 31st December, 1968 represented by : 305 18 2 Deposit with the Abbey National Building Stxiety 370 7 8 94 2 10 Cash at Bank and in hand less 1969 Subscrip- tions received in advance 92 18 9 £400 0 £463 6 5 A. G. FYSHE, Hon. Treasurer. 21.1.69. I have audited the above Accounts and , report that. in my opiniOn, these Accounts show a true and fair view of the Surplus for the year ended 31st December, 1967, and of the Club's assets as at 31st December, 1967. T. DAVIES, Chartered Accountant. 11th February, 1969. 336 HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL REPORT, 1968 EDITORhtL NOTE The 1967-1968 winter entiJ,.iled ,som~ heavy spowfalls, but no lasting hard weather:' Spring 'was' nauSeous and cold; summer brought heavy and· torrential ,rains; 'autumn waswal'm; and the year went out on a hard note. It is not easy to assess the effect of these conditions on the-;bird world, but despite untinl~IYFold and wet, despite such contretemps as mouse-predatjop (which in some areas was serious among holi:-:nesting.speCies), the year was probably aver age for survival and breeding. Na.ture over the seasons maintains a balance. Not so Man's activities, But it is not always a simple matter to assign cause to effect. Is the reduction in the Great Tit 'in Some areas due to the eradication of the nettle, which provides the caterpillars so needed for feeding its brood? . Is the mltion-wide decline of the Partridge due to the removal or the narrowing and tidying of the broad and rank hedges which used to give ample covet to its nest? The fall in many birds of prey has been proved due, beyond reasonable doubt, to pesticides; and there is some reason to hope that a reduction in the use of poisons mllY 4,erald an improvement. tAny information or evi~ce". that Members can send in or find, on these and all oilier problems, will always be welcomed; and wherever poison is suspected, any dead specimens should be sent direct, if birds ~f prey or fish eaters, to .the Nature Conservancy, Monkswood Exp~r!metltal Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon; all other specimens utay be sent to the Veterinary Lab()ratory, ~o\le" Lasswade,. Mj;Ql~~an. Specimern should be sent if possible in a tin, and marked 'Patholegical Speci men'. Details and any relevant information should be given. Evenapart from 'escapes' and feral birds, ilie year has been well sprinkled with 'rarities', and there are records of Hoopoe, Nutcracker, Grey Grey Shrike, Red Hacked Shrike, Gadwall (breeding), Wood Sandpiper, Red Crested Pochard, Osprey, two Harriers, Hobby (breeding), Spotted Redshank, Corncrake and Corn Bunting. The Nightjar, alas;, s.eems to be a loss, and the status of Wood lark and Nightingale precarious. But most of the common, and less common, species have flourished satisfactorily. The Collared Dove spreads; Red Legged Partridge shows signs of increase; the few Black Grouse maintain themselves; Bewick's and Whooper .Swans increas ingly ~~VOUf us for their winter sojourn. Altogether the. membership is witJl,ejs to the enjoyment that llas been had, alike OD field meetings or at indoor meetings of the Club throughout the year. FIELD MEETINGS duritlg the year were held in the following areas:- Haugh Wood (four outings); Blaen-y-Cwm; Fishpools Valley;Waun Marteg; 'Vron Valley, near New Radnor; Wigmore Rolls; and the Wye from Lower Castleton to Glasbury. HEREFORDSHIRE ORNITHOLOGICAL REPORT, 1.968 337 INDOOR ME~TINGS, at the Percival Hall in Hereford, com prised (.1) a talk with coloured slides by Miss D. A. Latter on the Birds of Fetlar, (2) a Members' evening of short tllIks and' slides, (3) a meeting. fo.r planni!;1g the 1968 Nest-box scheme, conducted by Dr. C. W. Walker, (4) a talk, wi!lJ..coloured slides, by Mr. Chris Mead of the B.T.O., "With the Migrants .to Iberia, 1965 and 1967", (5) a colouredfilm shown by Mr. G. N. Smith, a preliminary to his com plete film of a journey to the Antarctic in early 1968, (6) a meeting, under Mr. A. J. Smith, to concert plans for the B.T.O. Atlas project, (7) a talk with slides by Dr. C. W. Walker on "Birds of the Orkneys", and (8) a colour film shown by Mr. S. C. Porter, F.R.P.S., "More Birds of East Anglia". ' Two R.S.P.B. colour films, "A Water Bird's World" and "Place for Binls"'1vere also shown at Kington school. MEMBERSHIP, with losses counterbalanced by new· Members, stands at 386. The Club's FINANCM.L POSITION can again be seeJ;1 from the statement at the beginning of this Report. Its satisfactory nature is largely due to the Treasu.rer, Mr.