News - Announcements

The Avon Bird Report 2016 is now available. It can be obtained from Harvey Rose at Arncliffe, Coast Road, Walton Bay, Clevedon, BS21 7FW, cheques to AOG and it costs £9.50 including postage.

The 2016 Somerset Bird Report will be available at the indoor meeting on Thursday 16th November. Members who are unable to collect their copy in person will receive it in due course in the post. Details of price for non-Members can be obtained here.

We are pleased to announce that the Society has made a donation of £1,000 towards the cost of setting up a webcam for the Taunton Peregrine Falcon Project.

This year, a pair of Peregrine falcons arrived at St Mary Magdalene Church in Taunton. Both birds were ringed, the female in Bath in 2015, and the male in Exeter in the same year. The birds appeared to establish a territory; it is hoped they will breed in 2018.

Somerset County Council has agreed to contribute £3,500, half-of the cost, leaving the Project to secure another £3,500. The Society has in recent years made it a policy to contribute to worthy bird-related projects in the County, e.g. the new hide at Shapwick Heath and bird food at Cary Moor, so our General Committee unanimously agreed to make a donation of £1,000, leaving the Project to find £2,500. Individuals can contribute - see https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tauntonperegrinesproject.

The header photo shows Society Vice-President Brian Hill handing over our cheque to the Revd. Rod Corke, the Vicar of St. Mary's.

We will post further news of the Project as it develops.

More exciting news about breeding Herons in Somerset. Cattle Egrets have bred at Ham Wall Reserve and Night Herons in the Westhay Moor area.

For full details, see the latest Bittern Newsletter here.

Photo courtesy of Graham Hall.

The Avalon Marshes Landscape Partnership is trying to organise seven Breeding Bird Survey transects at Shapwick this year. If you are interested in taking on one or more transects, please contact Seb Mepham at the Avalon Marshes Centre through one of the following:

Visit: Avalon Marshes Centre, Shapwick Road, Westhay, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9TT

Telephone: 01458 860556

E-mail: seb.mepham@somersetwildlife.org 

Web Site: www.avalonmarshes.org

This is a good opportunity to carry out some valuable work in one of the County's birding hotspots!