BOC Photographic Competition 2013 ? Results

(Sponsored by London Camera Exchange) Judges David Cromack and Margaret Welby found the standard as high as ever and chose winners and runners up from the three sections here. The audience of Club Members then voted narrowly for Ken White’s Cory’s Shearwater as overall winner of the Gordon Langsbury Memorial trophy.

Colin Wilson – 7 March 2013

BOC Trip to Suffolk & Norfolk – Feb 2013

We met around 8:30 in the Tesco?s at Ipswich, at the junction between the A12 and A14, known as the Copdock Interchange (Postcode IP8 3TS), most of us having set off from Berkshire between 5.00am and 6.00am, and with one group having already seen the first significant bird of the trip, a Woodcock from the car somewhere in Oxfordshire . There were 16 of us in 5 vehicles. Colin had organized a full itinerary for the trip, which we all more or less followed, but not always together. Read more…

Colin Wilson – 16 February 2013

Birds of Berkshire Atlas and Avifauna

As you know the Birds of Berkshire Atlas and Avifauna (second edition) is now expected to be published later this year. We are taking advance orders at a price of just £25 now (£20 to species sponsors).

This new book will include all new artwork specially commissioned from a group of exceptional artists, Robert Gillmor, David Thelwell, Jan Wilczur, Dafila Scott and many others. Most of this artwork will be available for sale when we publish the book but the first option to buy these lovely black and white pictures, at a special discount, will be offered to those who have been kind enough to sponsor a species. This is a great opportunity to own a piece of artwork published in a book to which many of you have contributed in one way or another.

There is still a list of species available to sponsor available hereOnce the sponsors have had a chance to buy the artwork it will be offered on general sale to members, details and prices will be advised at the time.

Meantime, we recommend sponsoring a species and ordering your copy of the book ? at the special pre-publication price using the form attached.

Colin Wilson – 4 February 2013

QMR Buff-bellied Pipit – Request for Help

There has been a huge response to the American Buff-bellied Pipit at Queen Mother Reservoir. As well as our own permit-holders, we have issued day permits to some 800-900 people have come to see the bird, including birders from Scotland and Belgium. Most birders have been very complimentary about the arrangements the BOC has put in place to make this possible and we have so far raised nearly £1,700 for Club funds. A big thank you to all who have helped.

We would like to offer access again this coming weekend and are urgently seeking volunteer marshalls to help with permit issue and the parking arrangements. Would anyone able to do two or three hours between 08.00 and 16.00 on Saturday 22nd or Sunday 23rd please contact Mike McKee (michael.mckee virgin.net ;tel 0773 942 4603) or Renton Righelato (renton.righelato berksoc.org.uk;tel 0787 981 2564). If we get enough volunteers we will announce the details of the arrangements on Friday.

Renton Righelato –

Photographic Competition 2013

The time is nearing when members need to start thinking about their entries to the 2013 competition. The rules have now been published in the Newsletter/ website so you have the chance to submit up to twelve images between the three categories. In 2012 a hard fought competition resulted in Brian Winter’s hovering Kestrel winning the flight category and the Gordon Langsbury Memorial Trophy so this year will it be you? If you need any help in submitting your entries contact Colin (details shown in the Rules) but remember, not every year has such fantastic images, so its always worth a try. As usual there will be voucher prizes for photographic or optical goodies for the winners and runners-up in each category.

In 2013 we are delighted to have David Cromack back again with a new judge, Margaret Welby. You can see more about Margaret on her website http://www.margaretwelby.com/index.htm but suffice it to say that she has considerable experience and skill in bird photography including winning a ‘Highly Commended’ in the very challenging BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. With your entries we expect another great evening in 2013. (For those who, like us, felt the projection of the images didn’t help last years competition we are working on changing the methods to improve your enjoyment of the entries).

Colin Wilson –

Committee Members Needed!

There are three Ordinary committee member posts to be filled at this year?s AGM: 2 for 3 years and one for 1 year. All Ordinary members of the Committee are automatically Trustees of Berkshire Ornithological Club and as such are registered as such with the Charity Commission. The generic responsibilities of Trustees are laid down in the Charity Commission leaflets ?The Essential Trustee ? an Introduction? and ?Being a Trustee? (both available from the Hon. Secretary on request).

Specific responsibilities for Ordinary BOC committee members are:

• To represent the views of the membership of the Club.
• To make attendance at committee meetings (normally 4 per year) a priority and to take an active part in such meetings. To be prepared for such meetings by reading any documents issued prior to the meeting.
• To act in the best interests of the Club and to abide by the Club constitution when taking decisions in committee.
• To be willing to assist in activities required to implement decisions made by the committee.
• To be willing to take on responsibilities involved in running the Club as requested by the committee. This may include being a member of one or more sub-committees.

This year the committee are particularly looking for people who would be willing to take on one or more of the following responsibilities:

• Publicity officer (to coordinating publicity for the Club’s activities). This could involve doing any of the following (depending on the person/people taking this on):
  • Coordinating distribution of BOC leaflets to nature reserves, libraries and garden centres
  • Design, printing and coordinating distribution of posters as and when necessary
  • Advertising of events on various community websites
  • Passing information on Club activities to the local media
• Managing the Club’s presence at external events. This could involve doing any of the following (depending on the person/people taking this on):
  • Identifying events where the Club could have a stand
  • Finding volunteers to help run the stand
  • Maintaining the display boards to be used on the stand
• Someone to join the programme sub-committee to take responsibility for excursions. This would involve preparing a programme of excursions for the club programme card, arranging suitable leaders and agreeing the programme with the committee. Help will be available from other committee members and regular leaders.
• Someone to run the raffles at the indoor meetings. The person who runs raffles should ideally be a regular attendee at indoor meetings, though it would be possible to find cover for the occasions when they cannot attend. The job involves finding prizes (either from donations or by buying them), running the raffle (by selling tickets, folding the stubs and arranging for the winners to be drawn) and passing the money to the Treasurer.
• A link between the Club and the University. The committee would like to develop stronger links with staff and students at the University, particularly on relevant courses.

The first two roles could be divided between more than one person if necessary, but one of those people would need to take a lead role and be on the committee. Anyone taking on one of the last three roles does not necessarily need to be a member of the committee.

Bird Books at the Oxfam Bookshop, Reading

We have been asked to remind members that the Oxfam Bookshop in Reading (located at 8 High Street, round the corner from Jackson’s) has a first rate selection of books about birds and is currently featuring a window display of some of the most interesting and unusual books on the subject.

Please call in when you are in town and you may find something of real interest. The prices are very reasonable and, of course, all profits go to a really good cause.

Ted Rogers –

BOC Jurassic Coast seabird cruise, Saturday June 9th, 2012

25 places have been reserved on the RSPB Birdboat cruise, and there are still some places available.Tickets cost only £12 for RSPB members (£13 non-members).

You will need to make your own arrangements to get to Poole, but I will be happy to help with linking up car-sharing requests and offers.

Since this is an evening event, which finishes after sunset, you might wish to book overnight accommodation, so early decisions will be vital for that reason too. You could make your own plans for a full weekend in order to visit the Dorset Wildlife Trust reserve at Brownsea Island and/or nearby RSPB Arne.

The three-hour trip ranges along the fascinatingly-varied geology of this famous coast. You can expect close views of many birds along the cliffs: on the last trip we saw such as Razorbills, Guillemots, Puffins, Shags, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Peregrines very well, with Gannets further out to sea. A truly wonderful sight was that of the sun sinking behind the arches and columns of the Old Harry rocks.

If you want to go, please contact Ray Reedman (tel: 0118 9864338) soon if you want to be sure of your place.

N.B. The operators reserve the right to cancel the trip in the case of bad weather.

Ted Rogers –

Ornithology Research Project – Volunteers Sought

Bird watchers with a camera trained on great and blue tit nests in boxes are sought to support a research project that has just started. The study will assess factors that impact the timing of the reproductive cycle, such as date of egg laying, hatching and subsequent fledging. Factors may include the habitat in which the nestbox is located (such as urban or rural) and the percentage/type of canopy cover within a certain radius of the nestbox.

Therefore camera owners who would like to make a positive contribution by sharing information about the birds using their nest box are asked to register their interest by e-mailing p.parker student.reading.ac.uk in the first instance. Once you have registered your interest, Paul will contact you with further information about the data required and how to submit it.

Ted Rogers –

Anglesey Weekend

The trip to Anglesey on 25th to 27th May is being planned and numbers will soon need to be firmed up for the accommodation. If you are interested in joining us for a weekend that may bring Black Guillemots, Arctic Terns, Puffins, Chough, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatchers and much more please contact Colin Wilson on 01252 837411 or at colin.wilson berksoc.org.uk as soon as possible. The cost apart from the travel costs (sharing fuel) will be approximately £30- £40 a night B&B and your lunches, plus pub meals.

Colin Wilson –