A Bird Observatory is BornBy Joan James Privately published, 2015; pbk, 96pp, many illustrations ISBN 978-1-943278-21-3, £10.00 This little book comprises the edited diaries of the Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory, 1953 to 1955. The author's great, great, great grandmother was born on the island in the late 1780s - now there's a connection! The introductions to the first annual report by two of the founding fathers, Ronald Lockley and William Condry, are followed by extracts from the Observatory logs, those for 1954 and 1955, summarised by month. It is an extraordinary account of voluntary endeavour and fortitude. The book is supplemented by photographs, both historical and more recent, and illustrations by Emma Stansfield, wife of the present, long-serving warden, Steve. If you have never been to Bardsey, this book could well lure you there. Fortunately, Water Rails Rallus aquaticus will not be on the menu: in 1953 such casualties at the lighthouse were consumed. The notorious white light, which caused so many deaths, has now been replaced by red. All proceeds from the sale of the book pass to the Bardsey Bird Observatory. David Saunders
Volume: 
Issue 11
Start Page: 
695
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