No 488 Spring 2018 Photograph - Common Cuckoo at Highgate Common Photographer Hughie King 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, current issues and forthcoming events on the birding scene in our area and further afield together with a selection of your articles and a comprehensive Annual General Meeting of summary of the recorded bird sightings in our area Welcome to the latest issue of your Newsletter which hopefully you will find contains a good mix of The WMBC 2018 business and pleasure. Your management committee look forward to seeing as many members as can manage to attend Calling Notice at the Annual General Meeting. If you are unable to attend you may wish to send your apologies to Mark, our club secretary, so that they can be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. All club members are encouraged to join the present I would like to express my apologies to Richard Harbird for missing his ‘My Patch’ article from the committee for the 2018 West Midland Bird Club AGM previous issue due to a ‘senior moment’. Also to Gerald Brereton for not including his last time, not because I forgot it, but because I have to work in multiples of four pages and hadn’t got enough to be held on Wednesday 16th May 2018 material to fill another two pages. Fortunately the articles I have received this time have fitted nicely at so if you have sent me something that hasn’t appeared please send it again as I don’t currently have anything in reserve for a future issue. Bodenham Arboretum, Wolverley, near Kidderminster, As well as club news and articles from our members I am delighted to include contributions from the Worcs. DY11 5TB Biking Birder, Gary Prescott, who has agreed to be our regular green correspondent, and from Birders Against Wildlife Crime. Huge thanks to Roger Broadbent and Rob Swift for the contacts here. Commencing at 19.30hrs You will have noticed that your Annual Report was delivered in a card packet and your Newsletter is again delivered in a paper envelope thus ensuring that all our packaging is now fully recyclable. The venue has a large car park Sue In this issue The AGM will be followed by a talk by Page 3 Annual General Meeting 2018 - Calling Notice Page 4 Annual General Meeting - Agenda Page 5 Annual General Meeting - Proposed change to Club Rules Page 6 Candidate for Club Chairman - Profile Brett Westwood Page 6 WMBC Website Page 7 Candidate for Club Deputy Chairman - Profile Page 7 2015 Annual Report - Dave Emley, Editor Entitled Page 8-9 Candidates for Elected Member - Profiles Pages 10-12 Minutes from 2017 Annual General Meeting Page 13 New Estate Warden - Blithfield Reserve Pages 14-15 Membership Matters - Michael Bevan Pages 16-17 Birders Against Wildlife Crime All Change Pages 18-19 The Biking Birder - Gary Prescott Pages 20-22 My Patch - Morton Bagot - Richard Harbird Page 23 Our Quiz - Spot the Bird - Peter Lewis (continued on pages 26, 28 and 30) Page 23 Belvide Reserve - A Brief Update Pages 24-25 A Twitch in Time - Siberian Accentor - Gerald Brereton Tea, Coffee and light refreshments will be available Page 26 Cannock Chase Bird Survey - An update - Roger Broadbent Page 27 Our Branches - What is their Future and Have they got One? Page 29-31 Club and Branch Indoor Meetings and Field Trips We are grateful to our Kidderminster Branch for Pages 32-35 Bird Notes November - January - Humphrey Miller Pages 36-38 WMBC Field Trip Reports - Ray Davies hosting this event Page 39 Officers of WMBC and their contact details 2 3 Annual General Meeting Proposed change to our Club Rules AGENDA During 2017 your Management Committee co-opted two recently appointed nonexecutive Meeting Chairman - Jim Winsper - Vice President officers to its ranks. This has increased the range of experience and expertise available within the team and also the amount of support available for the existing officers and club members Welcome by Jim Winsper generally. It is therefore proposed that the two elected officer posts are reintroduced to Apologies the Management Committee to make these benefits a permanent feature. Unlike the other positions on the management committee these posts would not be tied to any particular role. Acceptance of the minutes from the 2017 AGM It is also proposed that rule 4.2 is extended to clarify how the reserve representatives should A copy of these Minutes is reproduced on pages 10-12. be appointed. The current version of rule 4.2 is given below with the proposed additions Please find time to read and check them through before attending this year’s meeting highlighted in red. Club Chairman’s Report Rule 4.2. The MC shall consist of a Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Treasurer’s Report and Approval of Accounts two elected members and a representative from each branch and WMBC reserve. Members of the Proposed Change to our Club Rules (see opposite page) MC shall be elected by the members each year at the Club Annual General Meeting, or in the case of the branch representatives, at their branch AGM and in the case of the Reserves be the nominated Election of WMBC Officers for 2018/19 representative of their reserve Management team. All officers of the Management Committee are elected annually Nominations for any position on the MC may be made by any ten WMBC members and must The changes will be incorporated into the Rules of the Club providing they are approved by a simple be received by the Secretary, together with the consent in writing of the nominee, at least 15 majority vote of those members present at the AGM and entitled to vote. In the event of a tie, the days before the Annual General Meeting. chairperson shall have a casting vote. NB only one vote per paid up or Honorary membership number is allowed. Chairman - Our current Chairman, Kevin Clements has served in that position for five years and is standing down. Roger Broadbent, our current Deputy Chairman has been nominated for this post A profile of those standing for new or vacant posts is given on the following pages to and has indicated his willingness to stand. inform your decisions. Deputy Chairman - Should the current deputy Chairman be elected to the Chair this post would be A copy of the 2017 Club Accounts and our Treasurer’s Report will be circulated at the vacant. Sue Judge has been nominated for this post and has indicated her willingness to stand. meeting and reproduced in our Summer Newsletter. The current Officers named below have indicated their willingness to serve for a further year. Secretary - Mark Rickus Treasurer - Andrew Thomas Our AGM Guest Speaker Membership Secretary - Michael Bevan The following reserve representatives have indicated their willingness to stand for a further year Brett Westwood Harborne Representative - Paul Bateman, Belvide Representative - Sue Judge Members will recognise Brett as a Blithfield Reserve - John Holt, Ladywalk Reserve - Richard King regular contributor to BBC’s Springwatch If the meeting approves the change of rules this will create two vacancies for Elected Members of so we are fortunate indeed that he has agreed the MC Rob Swift has been nominated and has indicated his willingness to stand for election to attend our AGM and give a talk David Jackson has been nominated and has indicated his willingness to stand for election at this very busy time of year. Appointment of Auditors Any other Business Brett has been birding his local patch in Items of Other Business must be notified to the Secretary at least 15 days before the North Worcestershire for almost 40 years. His talk will focus AGM The following Non-Executive Officers are appointed directly by the Management Committee on changes locally and how this affects our birds. Annual Report Editor - David Emley B.E.M., Website - Christopher Rickus Press Officer - Rob Swift, Newsletter Editor - Sue Judge, Conservation Officer - David Jackson 4 5 Candidate for post of Chairman Candidate for post of Deputy Roger Broadbent Chairman - Sue Judge I first joined the Club in the 1956 and except for a I first got involved with WMBC in November couple of years in the 1960s I have been a member 2012 when the Belvide Management Team ever since. I have wide birding, committee and was formed, initially simply by taking minutes negotiating experience. I have travelled across of team meetings. When in January 2014 Rob the UK and the world visiting every continent in Swift stepped down as Belvide Reserve Manager the pursuit of birds. My favourite birds are the his role was split between team members and I ones that I see in the garden. I formed the WMBC took on third party liaison and communication Blithfield Birders’ Group in 2005 and was its leader for the reserve. During that year I was co- for 12 years. For the last ten years I have served opted to the Club’s MC and became an elected on the WMBC Management Committee and at member at the 2015 AGM. This role became present am the Deputy Chairman. In that role Belvide Representative in 2016, a position I have had responsibilities for Cannock Chase which I still hold. In my role at Belvide I have and HS2 matters. I have experience of helping undertaken the planning application and to write up sections of the WMBC Annual Bird permissions from the local authority, CRT and Report and play an active role within the Club’s NE for the Hawkshutts Hide, composting toilets Stafford Branch.