Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Robin courtesy of
Robin Gossage.

 

Next Indoor Meeting

Wednesday 4th December with a presentation on 'Spurn - Britain's best all round bird observatory and migration hotspot?' by Jacob Spinks, Spurn's Assistant Warden for this year. 'A year through the lens looking at the migration and birding at Spurn Bird Observatory, situated at the mouth of the River Humber on the East Yorkshire coast. The talk details all the fantastic rarities and recorded passage of commoner migrant birds, as well as how to stay and when to get the most out of your visit.'

Yellow-browed Warbler (Dave Jackson)

Change of Speaker

Our speaker for the meeting this Wednesday has, unfortunately, come down with Covid. Instead we're hastily putting together a presentation from last year's Bird Club trip to The Gambia, unmissable for those who went and for those who didn't. 😎

Hope to see you all there. 

Bird Club Photographic Competition - New Rules

It's the time of year when some of our keen photographers start thinking about their images to be entered into the Club's photographic competition in February. Some organised folk will have a folder with photos edited for their final choice nearer the deadline.

To encourage more members to enter we've relaxed the rules to allow photos taken since 2021 and not just the current year in any category. This will allow those who haven't travelled abroad in 2024 to enter photos in the relevant categories going back over the last 3 years. I'm sure some of you may have wished you'd entered a different photo or two having seen the winning category entries and this will allow more flexibility in your final choice.

We've decided to move with technology and allow HDR and stacked photos to be entered across the categories although it's assumed this will be more suited to landscapes, plants & fungi and insects rather than birds. The cloning and editing rules remain the same.

There will be an additional trophy, Bird Club Photographer of the Year for the photographer who has the highest score based on positions gained e.g. if a member entered just 5 or 6 photos and they were all placed in the top 3 positions they would achieve a higher score than someone who'd entered the maximum 24 photos and only achieved one 1st place and one 2nd place.

The rules on the Digital Photographic Competition page will be updated before the next meeting along with a reminder of how to submit entries following a few issues last year, the main ones being;

1. Entries must be emailed as attachments to the email, not imbedded within the mail.
2. The individual entries should be titled to indicate the category they are entered for. Or, a separate text list be included, listing the details of the photo and the intended category.

The 1.5mb file size limit will remain as higher files sizes might not send by email although files slightly oversize won't be rejected from entering. If you have any doubt about how your images will look on the big screen download a few onto a USB stick and try it on the TV at the next Bird Club meeting you attend, (providing it doesn't hold up proceedings) or on your own smart TV. 

For anyone who hasn't entered before, for whatever reason, remember - it's not the winning it's the taking part that counts!

August Indoor Meeting

Nik Shelton from Wildlife Trust BCN gave an inspiring talk about a potential new reserve just over the border in Bedfordshire - Strawberry Hill. Some members may have visited during its early years when the land owner decided to cease farming and leave it to nature which in turn attracted Short-eared and Barn Owls amongst many other species.

More recently the habitat has attracted Nightingales and Turtle Doves in good numbers and Nik told of the enormous potential that this type of habitat could bring - but there's a catch. Part of the area has been secured through funding but 74 hectares remain at risk. The Trust need to raise 1.5 million to purchase the remainder and they're asking for help.

Any members wishing to help this very worthwhile cause can donate here;

https://www.wildlifebcn.org/strawberryhillappeal

Turtle Dove courtesy
of Dave Jackson.

Obituaries

It is with sadness that I inform readers of the passing of two Bird Club members;

 

Chris Coe, who was a long-standing member and an active county birder for more than half a century. One of Chris’s best finds and one yet to be repeated was a Little Bittern at Hollowell Reservoir in 1973.

 

Wendy Gossage was an active member of the Bird Club and with her husband, Robin, joined many trips at home and abroad including South Africa and Northumberland where the photo of Wendy and Chris was taken in 2014. Wendy recently lost her brave fight with cancer and will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

 

Our thoughts go out to the family and relatives of Chris and Wendy.

Outdoor Meeting 3rd July

Hello

The July outdoor meeting venue was the MOD site at Yardley Chase and on Wednesday 3rd July fifteen members met there and enjoyed a meander around ably lead by club chairman Bob Gill.

Swallows and a Kestrel met us at the entrance and Common Buzzard and a variety of common birds spiraled around during the muster.

A two hour wander on tracks admiring ancient oaks and a good deal of secondary mixed woodland interspersed with meadows and managed headlands was much enjoyed in the evening sunshine, the best part of the day.

Two Slowworms (very localised in Northants) and lots of tiny froglets entertained and Marsh Tits and Blackcaps called from the scrub and light woodland. It was the wrong time of day for butterflies but Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites were well picked out as they rested in the grasses. A pair of Bullfinches is becoming a too infrequent sighting these days and a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers were flighty and vocal.

Bob was able to explain some history of the area including the buildings and numerous ponds and also the more recent habitat management in tandem with continued MOD interests and local farmers.

A Common Newt was available for examination towards the end of the walk and further birds included Jay, Goldfinch, Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush.

Our thanks to Bob for organising access to this restricted area and leading the walk.

Neil M

Muntjac.

Marbled White.

Marsh Tit.

Photographic Competition - Winners 2023

Congratulations to Pete Gilbert for his wining shot of a Eurasian Wren taken in Northants. Pete also took 1st in 2 further categories almost on his doorstep proving anyone can get their name on the shield, not just us globetrotters! 

https://northantsbirdclub.blogspot.com/p/photographic-competition-winners-2023_19.html

Photographic Competition

The annual photographic competition is one of the most anticipated and well-attended meetings in the Bird Club calendar.

This year it will be held in the usual venue on Wednesday 7th February and we will be showing the photos on a large screen television following feedback that the quality of the entries surpass the resolution of a projector and screen. I'm guessing there could be a selection of entries from the Club's recent trip to The Gambia. 

We may dig deep and purchase a TV for all our indoor meetings if deemed a success and have enough funds in our coffers. Have your say on the night - see you there.