50 years of the Bristol Ornithological Club

Bristol Ornithological Club, 2017; pbk, 96pp

ISBN 978-1-5272-0506-2, £12.00 inc. p&p

Obtainable from William Earp, 4 Pitchcombe Gardens, Bristol BS9 2RH; e-mail [email protected]

Can it really be 50 years since the formation of the Bristol Ornithological Club (BOC)? I left Bristol in 1976 having been a founder club member, and clearly a lot has happened to ornithology and the Club in particular since. And this new publication sets out to celebrate the 50 years of the BOC. The spur for the BOC was communication: no birdline, no pagers, no websites and no mobile phones in 1967. Our thirst for news was satisfied then by the BOC monthly bulletin containing recent sightings. The excitement when the bulletin hit the mat was palpable; and it was so up to date that some birds were actually still around to go and see.

I searched back through my notebooks and in 1967 it was 31st December when I recorded my first Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus of the year; it was a very scarce bird indeed in the 1960s. By 1988, breeding Peregrines had arrived in the Avon Gorge, just outside Bristol. By encouraging members to warden those Peregrines, the BOC has enabled more and more people to appreciate these birds and to get them involved in positive conservation work.

Club members and friends celebrate 50 species from the Bristol and district area in the publication, each species is accompanied by a high-quality colour photograph. The Club’s symbol – a Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps – reflects the first British and European record, at Blagdon Lake, in December 1963. It was lovely to see John Martin’s annotated field sketches of the Severnside ‘Fregetta storm-petrel’ from 2009. Club member Richard Bland – who has dedicated his life to organising bird survey work, and enthusing others to follow suit – delivers fascinating insight with ‘Fifty years of change’. Finally, ‘Fifty ways to improve your birding’ gives practical hints on how to enjoy your birding. Accompanied by some light-hearted vignettes, the advice reflects the way in which BOC members have contributed so much to the local birdwatching scene – from organising walks for beginners to high quality productions (e.g. Bristol Ornithology) and, above all, cementing great friendships.

Tim Cleeves