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 and 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
Friday's Zoom talk is 'Falsterbo' by Stephen Menzie
Picture of the Month for December is George Walthew's Water Rail - see it here
The Club eBulletins up to September is now available to non-members - they contain records, photos, articles and event reminders read here
Congratulations to Nigel Sprowell for winning the Photo of the Year competition 2020 with his Sedge Warbler. See this and the two runners-up on this page.
The revised '2020' CBC recording checklist should be used from now on, view and download here
Club Bulletins back to the first issue in 1951 have now been digitised and added to the website - read them here
Twitter feed: many thanks to Brendon Doe for setting this up.
Next indoor meeting: Friday, 14 January 7.30 pm, entry from 7.20 pm, using the Zoom video platform
'Falsterbo' by Stephen Menzie
Falsterbo, the most southwesterly point in Sweden, is one of the world’s foremost migration watchpoints. Every autumn, millions of birds migrate through Falsterbo, and several tens of thousands are ringed at the observatory, which has had a permanent presence on the peninsula since 1955. This talk details Falsterbo’s ornithological history – from salted Honey-buzzards in the 1800s to the observatory’s modern-day operations – as well as giving a flavour of the birding on the peninsula throughout the year and the birds that make Falsterbo such a special place.
Stephen Menzie is a British birder and ringer based in southern Sweden. He is editor of British Birds, a member of British Birds Rarities Committee, and manages Falsterbo Bird Observatory.
Picture of the month: December
Water Rail © George Walthew, Kings Dyke NR, 21 Dec 2021
Duncan McNiven has made the latest selection:
Of the eleven photos I was provided with to judge, three immediately stood out to me. Richard Mitchell’s photo of a Common Sandpiper with its feet in the turbulent water of the rocky Grafham Water shoreline is a delightful study of a wader in typical habitat, albeit at a slightly unfamiliar time of year for this species in Cambridgeshire. Ian Dale’s lovely portrait of a male Blackbird perched on a branch against a neutral background so perfectly captured the satin-like quality of its plumage that I could have been fooled into thinking it was a studio portrait if not for the fact that I know it was taken in Fowlmere village. However, my vote for Picture of the Month was swayed by the capture of some atypically bold and unusual behaviour by a normally shy, retiring species. Water Rails are well known for the catholic nature of their prey items, which can include even small birds on occasion. This opportunism is beautifully captured by George Walthew’s photo of a Water Rail expertly clinging on to a hanging feeder by two of its claws at Kings Dyke Nature Reserve, helping itself to the seeds and grains intended to help the local finches through the winter.
Photo of the year: 2020
Congratulations to Nigel Sprowell for winning the 2020 Photo of the Year competition with his photo of this Sedge Warbler. In second place was David Ball's Grey Wagtail, and in third place was Nigel Sprowell's Beard Tit. Click here to view all three, and 2020 candidates to see all the photos that had been entered.
Cambridgeshire Summer Garden Bird Survey
The last day for recording was Saturday 2nd October, so it's time to prepare your records for sending to Rebecca from 3rd October onwards. More details can be found here
Spotted Flycatcher project 2021
The project has now morphed into a study of adult survival and return-rates, following the fortunes of individual birds.
Michael Holdsworth continued to work on Flycatcher communities and adult survival in 2021 and we would still like all records to be sent to the bird club.
Michael's 2020 project report is at: http://cambridgeshirebirdringing.org/spofl-finding2/
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 (confirm boundary using the OS map if site very close to boundary).
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.
