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
- Next indoor Club talk - Friday 8 November, 7.30pm: WWT Waterscapes and The Fens by Jo Thomas . Please note the meeting is at the Wilkinson Room, St. John’s Church, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8RN. Doors open 7.00pm
Picture of the Month for September is Jon Heath's Osprey See it here
We have added Mark Hawkes' updated "County Toplists" spreadsheet - see here
Celebrating the Club's Centenary year kicks off with the chance to buy a superb 2025 Bird Calendar - Christmas presents for relatives or friends sorted! See below.
The 2022 Annual Report (No 96) is available to purchase. Look here for details.
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. Calendars 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
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
Or by cheque to:
CBC Treasurer
Mr. R. Swain
4 Bakers Field
Dry Drayton
Cambridge
CB23 8EG
Dates of tweets on our Twitter feed are now erratic - more than one browser is affected - apologies but it seems to be out of our control. Others report the same issue. For now, it's also messing with our Twitter site -Twitter .
Twitter feed: many thanks to Brendon Doe for setting this up on our website, and maintaining our Twitter account.
Next indoor meeting Friday 8 November, 7.30pm: WWT Waterscapes and The Fens by Jo Thomas
Please note the talk is at the Wilkinson Room, St. John’s Church, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8RN. Doors open 7.00pm
Is wetter better for wildlife? Jo Thomas, Waterscape Manager for WWT based at Welney will present the benefits and challenges of wetlands and wetland creation and provide an update on some local landscape and species recovery initiatives. Jo loves wetlands. Many moons ago she swapped a career in banking for working on nature reserves and has never looked back. Initially on short-term contracts at sites including Titchwell, Vane Farm and Loch of Kinnordy RSPB reserves, Jo took up the permanent position as Warden at Grafham Water Nature Reserve with the local Wildlife Trust before taking time out to start a family. She thrives in her role working for WWT as Waterscape Manager and runs Wild About Travel in her spare time.
Picture of the Month - September
Osprey © Jon Heath, 6-8 September 2024, Milton Country Park, Cambridge
September's Photo of the Month was chosen by Guy and Reuben Belcher
"The fine selection of September chats, some of our favourite birds, were initially in line for the prize, particularly Alan Fersht’s cracking Whinchat shot. However, there is likely little surprise that the photogenic juvenile Osprey at Milton would claim photo of the month. Whilst the close-up perched shots were stunning, we were torn between two flight shots showing the power and focus of the bird - James Hanlon’s shot of the Osprey banking or beginning to dive and Jon Heath’s head on view. We finally agreed on Jon’s atmospheric shot of the more distant bird emerging from the water (we don’t know the outcome), the reflected trees and epic splash bring a touch of the wilds to Milton Country Park and one can imagine having to spend a considerable sum of money to use a Scottish photography hide to capture such an image."
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.
