News - Announcements

The Avalon Marshes New Colonists Monitoring Group has published its 2022 report, which covers Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Little Bittern, Purple Heron and Night Heron. It was another record year for Great White Egrets, with 67 young fledging from 7 sites, and reports coming in of the ringed birds from many locations in England, Wales and (for the first time) Scotland. Cattle egrets also bred in Somerset in 2022, and are now present in significant numbers across the Avalon Marshes throughout the year. Glossy Ibis are being seen regularly too, although as yet they are not known to have bred here. For the report, click here.

A more detailed report on Great White Egret has also been published; click here.

This year's Annual General Meeting will be held by Zoom at 2.00 p.m. on Saturday 26th November.

AGM papers listed below can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate link.

Agenda

Minutes of 2021 AGM

Financial Statement

Elections

Members wishing to attend the AGM, to be held on Zoom, should send an email to sos.agm@somersetbirding.org.uk by 12.00 p.m. on Saturday 26th November.

The Society and BTO are carrying out a joint survey of Rookeries in the county between 1st March and 30th April.

Somerset is a well-wooded county with plenty of livestock farms, suggesting that Rooks should be a relatively common farmland bird in the county. During the Somerset Atlas of breeding and wintering birds 2007 – 2012, confirmed breeding records of Rooks were received from 53% of tetrads in the County.  However, since then records of rookeries reported in Somerset Birds are very few and far between. Are we failing to record most of our Rookeries, or have they simply vanished from the County?  We need to check, so here is the BTO Somerset & SOS Rookery Survey! 

For further details, go to https://somersetbirding.org.uk/surveys

The Avalon Marshes New Colonists Monitoring Group has published its 2021 report, which covers Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Little Bittern, Purple Heron and Night Heron. The data gathered over the last few years has also contributed towards a more detailed study of the colonisation of the Great White Egret, provisionally scheduled for publication in the May issue of British Birds. 

To see the report, click here.

The Society's 2021 Annual General Meeting will again be held virtually, on Saturday 27th November 2021 at 2.00 p.m.

AGM papers listed below can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate link.

Agenda

Minutes of 2020 AGM

Financial Statement

Officers for Election

After the AGM, our President, Stephen Moss, will give an illustrated talk entitled "Bird Britannia - What have birds ever done for us?"

Members wishing to attend the AGM, to be held on Zoom, should send an email to sos.agm@somersetbirding.org.uk by Friday 26th November.