Cambridgeshire Bird Club
Welcome to the Club
The Cambridgeshire Bird Club promotes the study, recording and conservation of birds in Cambridgeshire and encourages a wider interest in natural history and the protection of county wildlife habitats.
We record the County's birds in our Annual Report, so we need your records. We have a stunning Gallery, so we want your photos. We have field projects, we have indoor meetings and trips, and we keep you informed with our monthly emailed bulletins. We have links to active bird ringing groups. And have a look at our Facebook and our Twitter sites.
You can see What's About? and we urge you to report interesting, sensitive or confidential sightings to the County Recorder.
We hope you enjoy your visit and come back soon.
Announcements
Celebrating the Club's Centenary year kicks off with the chance to buy a 2025 Bird Calendar - see below.
The next Club's indoor meeting is Friday 13 September: 7.30pm: RAFOS Support to The Seabird Group on 4 years of The Seabird Census (2018-2022), with 2023 Avian Flu comparison data by John Wells.
Picture of the Month for July is Sue Sutherland's Tree Sparrow See it here
Congratulations to Garth Peacock for winning the 2023 Photo of the Year competition. View the winner and runners-up here
Club e-Bulletins up to May are now available to all to read. They contain records, photos, articles and event reminders: read here
The 2019 Annual Report (No. 93) is now available to read on this website - read here
The CBC recording checklist can be viewed and downloaded here
Club Bulletins back to the first issue in 1951 have now been digitised and were added to the website in 2021- read them here
Cambridgeshire Bird Club 2025 Bird Calendar
This professionally produced A4-sized wall calendar is now available. Produced to celebrate the CBC’s 100th anniversary, it features bird species with a connection to our county, with all photos taken by club members. You will also enjoy the background information on each species. Everyone needs a wall calendar, and they make great gifts. Members can order one at the special price of £8 BEFORE 1ST SEPTEMBER to be sent with your much-awaited Annual Bird Report (2022) which is being printed now. Calendars ordered separately AFTER 1ST SEPTEMBER are available at £10 to include postage & packing.
Please pay either by bank transfer to:
Cambridgeshire Bird Club
Account Number 08205116
Sort Code 60-04-23
Or by cheque - address to appear here shortly
Please add your name to the bank transfer details and then send an email to notify us. Please confirm your mailing address in your email to: chairman@cambridgebirdclub.org.uk
Dates of tweets on our Twitter feed have now gone haywire, more than one browser is affected - apologies but it seems to be out of our control. Other report the same issue. For now, it's best to go to the Twitter site directly.
Twitter feed: many thanks to Brendon Doe for setting this up on our website, and maintaining our Twitter account.
Next indoor meeting
Friday 13 September: 7.30pm: RAFOS Support to The Seabird Group on 4 years of The Seabird Census (2018-2022), with 2023 Avian Flu comparison data by John Wells
Picture of the Month - July
Tree Sparrow © Sue Sutherland, Hail Weston, 17 July 2024
July's bird was chosen by Andrew Dobson
The CBC gallery provides keen and casual photographers with the opportunity to share their bird photos. I am always envious of those lucky enough to capture a rarely seen bird in the county, such as James Hanlon’s Montagu’s Harrier and Trace Graves’ Black-crowned Night Heron. I’m also impressed by ‘difficult to photograph’ birds, especially nocturnal ones such as Garth Peacock’s series of Tawny Owls. My choice for Photo of the Month is a species that has become increasingly scarce, perhaps rare in the county, the Tree Sparrow. Sue Sutherland was very lucky to follow the progress of a family of Tree Sparrows visiting a private garden in Hail Weston. The set of photos, and I’m sure there are more, provide evidence that the species is hanging on as a breeding bird in the county. Thank you for sharing your photos, Sue.
Photo of the year: 2023
Congratulations to Garth Peacock for his winning photo of a Peregrine Falcon. Second place goes to Ian Dale with his Black Redstart, and Jon Heath's Coot takes third place. Click here to view all three photos. and click 2023 candidates to see all the photos that were entered.
Picture of the month: February
Starling © Simon Stirrup, Ouse Fen RSPB, 24 February 2024
Andrew Dobson selected February's Picture of the Month.
"There are fine portraits of some of our common resident species such as Roger Cresswell’s Little Grebe and Colin Brown’s Jackdaw. Our ‘waxwing winter’ continues with plenty of contributions of this photogenic species, and Jon Heath’s photo of a flock enables an accurate count. However, the series of photos by Simon Stirrup of the starling murmuration at Ouse Fen really took my breath away. As someone who loves cetaceans, I was very tempted to select the ‘whale’, but I’ve chosen the photo he has captured so perfectly of thousands of starlings blackening the sky at dusk —it’s totally absorbing. It could pass for an abstract painting. Why not visit the reserve to experience the murmuration for yourself?"
Where's that site?
If you are unsure of the location of the less well-known birding sites, check our Gazetteer, which also provides standardised names to include in recording checklists for the Club's database and Birdtrack. Check the Grabagrid map which provides precise site grid references, and also shows pop-up vice-county boundaries
Avian Flu
AVIAN FLU: The Angling Trust’s Voluntary Bailiff Service reported last winter that avian (bird) flu was confirmed in fenland swans. They advised, "Please be aware that you may see dead swans on the Nene or Drains. Dead swans may be found elsewhere too. Please under no circumstances go near or touch them. Phone Defra: 0345 933 5577, option 7: 'all other enquiries'. They will direct you to the correct local swan rescue (recovery ) people as all dead swans must now be collected for investigation". Email: defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk and provide details. More info at Avian influenza (bird flu) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
For sick swans, the RSPCA is the first place to contact and they will give help as to who should be informed.
Lists and facts
County birders life lists, individual record year lists / record day lists, garden lists and other records - view them here
Found and injured bird? Contact a rehabilitator. Baby birds? Read here and also here
Local bird news from Cambirds.
