Wirral Bird Club
33rd ANNUAL CHAIRMAN'S
REPORT, WIRRAL BIRD CLUB 2010
The Club has had a year of fluctuating fortunes since the last AGM. Membership
numbers have dropped slightly and some of our Indoor Meetings and Field Trips
have had disappointing turnouts. However, there have been some high points
and I shall recall a few later on.
But, I'll begin with a low point. I refer to the fiasco of last July's Indoor
Meeting. We arrived to find the school deserted and the doors locked. The
school holidays had started and we had obviously been totally forgotten about.
Fortunately a member of staff lived nearby and we were finally admitted only
to find that this room was missing a front wall and there was a five-foot
drop into the gym beyond. But we drew the curtains, arranged chairs across
the front here and the speaker projected his slides onto that wall. While
speaking, however, he seemed to be in constant danger of launching himself
through the curtains into the void below. So I think I can say it was a memorable
evening all round.
After that debacle the Committee had to do some serious thinking. Was someone
trying to send us a not too subtle message? Were we really wanted here? It
wasn't the first time we had been locked out; indeed on one occasion we had
even been locked in! So we did a bit of research over the summer into alternative
venues but came up with nothing definite. If only we could be sure of this
place, we decided, it would be the best option. To this end, we had a meeting
with Mr Perry, the Headmaster, who, as it turned out, knew nothing of the
July incident. We had contacted the Bursar with our complaints and she had
obviously chosen not to inform the Head.
Mr Perry couldn't have been more apologetic; he assured us that we were indeed
very welcome and he would do everything in his power to ensure there would
be no further breakdowns in communication. We also promised to do our best
to maintain closer liaison.
And since then things have gone rather well, I think. They have even supplied
us with an I-Max screen! Unhappily, we have learned Mr Perry is to take up
a new headship in Windsor next term so…..watch this space.
Now for some high points. More than half of the Field Trips in the past year
have, for me, coincided with family commitments, but the ones I have been
on have been most enjoyable. A brilliant sunny, but cold, day-out on a coach
trip to Anglesey in March was a great success, not least because we didn't
have to subsidise the trip as we enlisted enough members to cover costs; we
also notched up 67 species on the day, almost a record. Also in March a safari
up the Conway Valley was rewarded with the sight of two Hawfinches, a first
for most of us, just when we had given up on them and were ambling back to
the cars.
Before I forget, I must interpolate here our thanks here to Hugh for all his
hard work in organising our Field Trips. His commitment to ensuring the outings
are as enjoyable as possible is second to none. He says he enjoys it, and
I'm sure he does, but it entails a lot of effort all the same.
Now, on to the sensitive matter of Club finance. Jean, our Treasurer, informed
us at the January Committee Meeting that she had been doing a few sums: always
an ominous announcement coming from a Treasurer. She had come up with some
financial projections for 2010/2011. Not counting coach trips, she said, total
outgoings would total £1574, which includes £815 for speakers
fees. Income was projected to be about £1150 from annual subs and doortakings(assuming
a membership of 83 and an average 30 per meeting) So, that's a shortfall of
about £424.
She suggested the easiest way to increase income by the necessary sum was
to put up the annual sub by £5 to £15. This had not changed since
2004. We then discussed the matter. According to our Constitution all fees
are a matter for the Committee to decide, not the general membership; the
members simply decide whether they wish to pay those fees….or not! Heather
wondered about holding a regular raffle instead of increasing the subscription,
and other members have also suggested a raffle. But if you think about it,
I'm pretty sure you would end up paying more than £5 in raffles spread
over the year at a couple of quid a time for the possibility of winning a
jar of marmalade or a recycled pot-plant….
So the Committee was unanimous in voting for the proposal that we increase
the annual sub by £5. The bottom line is simple: if members are willing
to pay the going rate to keep the club financially viable it will continue;
if not, it won't.
Kaye, our Secretary, dropped her bombshell at the same Committee meeting:
she said that, for personal reasons, she was going to resign at this AGM.
I don't think you know this but Kaye was actually elected to the job in her
absence! This was the September Committee meeting in 2006 when , in her absence,
she was co-opted onto a sub-committee to organise speakers. The intention
then was to twist her arm to head up that sub-committee and perhaps eventually
take over the post of Secretary proper……and, fortunately, she did!
And what a very good job she has done! So, thank you Kaye for all your efforts,
especially in arranging speakers over the last four years.
It's our Indoor Meetings, of course, which attract the largest audiences,
usually about three times as many as turn up on Field Trips. Our regular and
most popular speakers, such as Val McFarland, Martyn Jamieson, Keith Offord,
Michael Leach, and Gordon Yates, are the highlights of the year, always received
with great delight. For me, they are worth the increased annual sub on their
own: that's five illustrated talks, each for the price of a large frothy coffee
at Starbucks. Not bad, really.
I mustn't forget to thank all members of the Committee who have done their
bit(or lot)during the year; just because I haven't mentioned you doesn't mean
you go unappreciated. But I will mention Sylvia and Helen who volunteer to
organise beverage and biscuits after every Indoor Meeting. Their coffee may
not be as good as Starbucks' but at least it's free!
Finally, you, the members. The Club is now in its 33rd year and all that time
we have had a loyal but changing membership. So my last expressions of gratitude
are always reserved for you , without whom it would all be pointless. Keep
turning up and your Committee will continue trying to make it worth your while.
Colin Garside, Chairman
Wirral Bird Club, 2010
32nd Annual General
Meeting - 28th May 2008 Wirral Bird Club
Chairman's Annual Report
The AGM seems to have
come round this year with alarming suddenness. Last June I turned 70 and since
then the months seem to be whizzing by even faster. By the time I'm 80 each
year will seem to last about four months.
The most important change seen this season, of course, is our change of room,
which came as a total surprise last September. We had some teething troubles;
I remember Gordon's film being shown as a TV-sized picture as he couldn't
get far enough away from the back wall - he wasn't too pleased. But on the
whole I think it's a better venue. We have some doubts about whether they
really want us here; in February we had to move to Holy Trinity because of
a double booking and it's happening again next month. The Headmaster, however,
assures us that we are very welcome and is most apologetic about the inconvenience.
Coach trips continue to present a problem. Clearly, if a coach costs £320
we would much rather charge 40 members £8 each than 20 members £16
each but if you can't get 40 people and we still have to pay our way then
we are left with basically 2 options: cancel the coach or charge the higher
price. In a sense, there is a third option: subsidise each trip till the money
runs out…..but I think Jean, our Treasurer, would resign if we tried
it, and we can't have that! So, each trip must continue to be provisional
rather than definite.
Your Committee keeps on working like a well-oiled machine. Effusive thanks
and praise must go to the Three Graces, as I like to call them: Kaye, Jean
and Margaret who do practically everything between them, and, of course, Hugh,
who organises the Field Meetings. As I said last year, it always amazes me
how, in a small organisation like ours, there always seem to be just enough
members willing to come forward and join the Committee - and they always turn
out to be just what we need; you wonder how we managed in the past and, indeed
how we could manage without them in the future.
I won't mention all the other members of the Committee by name but they all
do a grand job. Everyone is so cheerful and willing and a pleasure to work
with. Special thanks must go to Sylvia and Helen for helping with the tea
etc. at each Indoor Meeting. Hilda continues to come to the Committee Meetings
when she can and when George remembers to pick her up.
Now a word about our Membership. When the Club was founded 32 years ago there
was actually a waiting list of people wanting to join! In 1979 we had nearly
200 members (perhaps there wasn't much else to do 30 years ago; there are
certainly more distractions today) Membership dropped from 100 to 85 paid-up
at the beginning of this season and no doubt there are many reasons for the
decline; encouragingly, we still get a steady trickle of new members during
the year.
Indoor Meetings since last May have had varying attendances - the lowest gate
was 18 for last year's AGM as I mentioned in the Minutes. The highest was
about 50 for Martin Jamieson's talk in February. You may be interested to
learn what the speakers charge for their talks - no names, of course. With
travel expenses the fee can be as high as £110 but £80 - £85
is quite normal. Some speakers charge nothing at all. In nearly every case,
however I hear only positive comments about our speakers and indeed some of
them provide great entertainment for less cost than a pint of Guinness…and
the show lasts much longer.
In arranging the speaker programme I think Kaye has the job I'd least like
to do because it depends on other people for its success; the speakers are
often very difficult to get in touch with and sometimes they don't even turn
up on the night! Also, with speakers you've never had before (and we should
always be trying to find new blood) it can all be something of a gamble. So,
again, well done, Kaye!
Hugh has the other onerous task of arranging our Field Meetings. This takes
a lot of time and effort: new locations often have to be found and recces
done but at least Hugh need rely only on his own knowledge and experience
for the programme's success…..and if the birds don't appear on the day
or the weather is awful….well, that's down to bad luck, not bad planning.
I hope you agree with me that, generally speaking, our calendar of events
is a success. The usual suspects who go on Field Trips always seem to enjoy
themselves and as a comment only and not a criticism, I would add that, despite
the fact that we have more women than men in our membership, the men always
outnumber the women on our outings. Make of that what you will.
The Club is now in its 33rd year, so, collectively, we must be doing something
right, and with such a friendly crowd of people as we all are we should continue
for a many years yet. And if not, we will only have ourselves to blame.
Colin Garside (Chairman - Wirral Bird Club)
May 2009
31st Annual General
Meeting - 22nd May 2008 Wirral Bird Club
Chairman's Annual Report
Every year I comment on
how quickly the AGMs seem to come around and this year is no exception. The
older generation, which I must now definitely count myself a part of as I'm
70 next month, must often be alarmed at how the years seem to be whizzing
by. However, a leisurely Bird Club field trip is an excellent way of slowing
things down. I recommend them to the 80% or so of our members who rarely go
on them. Wandering through the countryside at an average half a mile an hour
is a pleasant antidote to the accelerating pace of modern life and on the
occasional coach trip you even get a chance to sleep!
But, down to more serious business. Firstly, an update on the possible change
of venue for our Indoor Meetings as this room has certain drawbacks which
I mentioned last year. Unfortunately, other places also have drawbacks. On
a windy night in February Hugh, Margaret and I visited the Residential School
in Meols Drive in the company of Brian Boumphry, Chairman of the Board of
Governors there. Brian, one of our members, had kindly offered the school
as a possible alternative to here. I was most impressed with the accommodation
and facilities, as I think we all were. Alas, there was a major problem with
parking, especially from the safety aspect, the school being on a busy main
road. So, reluctantly, the Committee was unanimous in having to turn it down.
Other places have been discussed but all have their problems. So, for another
year at least, it seems we will continue to meet here.
Membership of the Club continues to hover around the 100 mark, not bad after
31 years' existence. It always amazes me how, in a small organisation like
ours, there always seem to be just enough members willing to come forward
and join the Committee - and they always turn out to be just what we need.
You wonder how we managed before and, indeed, how we could manage without
them. I have in mind, specifically, the Three Graces, Jean, Kay and Margaret
who (with Hugh, of course) do most of the spadework in the Club. Pam, who
joined the Committee this year, has also made her mark by being willing to
stand in for Hugh when he can't make the Field Meetings. Also Ken, Pam's husband,
though not a member of the Committee, is half of the Stackhouse partnership
on these outings. They have both done a grand job.
And so I move on to the highlights of the year as far as birdwatching itself
is concerned. First I must mention Hugh again. Not only does he plan the Field
Meetings and, when he's in the country, lead them, but last July he actually
appeared as our "guest" speaker, a brave thing to do you must admit.
He was so good I think we should invite him again!
We ran a second coach trip to Carsington Water in June, a wonderful location
for birdwatchers and certainly one of my favourites. I remember we had over
50 species, mostly spotted from the comfort of 3 hides. Most of us were lucky
with the weather too, getting back to the coach minutes before the heavens
opened. Hoylake in September, I recall, meant wet feet as we waded out to
Red Rocks, but we did catch sight of a peregrine and later had good views
of a perching kestrel playing with a dead mouse.
Park Hall I missed. I was in South Africa for 3 weeks but I returned in time
for an Arctic half-day out to Eastham before Christmas. Fairburn Ings near
Castleford was the highlight trip of the year for me. Another coach outing
but the long journey was worth it. We saw woodland birds by the score, cormorants
nesting in a large colony, a long-eared owl and a most obliging smew which
flew in about 15 minutes before hometime. Perfect!
Perhaps the only memorable lowlight of the year was Leasowe in the monsoon
season. The intrepid few who turned up stood around in the pelting rain, gazed
at the thick grey overcast and decided it wasn't going to stop any time soon
and so we unanimously called it a day. Twenty minutes later, when I got home,
the sun came out!
To conclude this report I want to thank all the members of the Committee,
those I've singled out and those I haven't, for helping to organise another
successful season for the Club, and of course I must thank you, the Club members,
for attempting my Crosswords (!), and putting up with my sometimes over-casual
style of chairmanship for yet another year.
We are principally a birdwatching group so I will finish with this plea. We
regularly get about half to two thirds of our members coming along to our
Indoor Meetings. If we could persuade, say, a third of the members to come
on the Field Trips, especially the Coach outings, we would have made real
progress and we wouldn't have to increase our charges every 2 or 3 years,
which I'm sure none of us wants. After all, birdwatching is the most interesting
part of the hobby and that is best done in the field, even when it's raining!
Thanks again.
Colin Garside (Chairman, Wirral Bird Club)
30th Annual General
Meeting - 24th May 2007
Chairman's
Report
Last year, you may remember, I recounted some of the highlights (and a few lowlights) of an eventful twelve months. This year the theme is 'change and innovation' by which I mean the changes we have introduced during the year in order to continue to survive as a club: some of them you may not have noticed while others have been obvious. The first obvious one was the appointment of a new Secretary. While it's true that the Committee sometimes gives tasks to comittee members who happen to be absent for a particular meeting, we couldn't really do this when it came to finding a Secretary. Kaye actually volunteered! We soon discovered that she was not only able to make the tea but was willing to take on the bothersome job of arranging the speakers for the year. Contacting them and getting replies isn't easy but she has tackled the chore with cheerfulness and determination Well done Kaye!
You may have noticed that we have had to put up a few prices this year in order to keep solvent. The Committe has discussed putting up the annual membership fee - again - but this no longer appears necessary....If we can persuade 40 or so people to join our coach trips Jean, our Treasurer will be very pleased. Hugh, our Vice Chairman and Field Meeting Co-ordinator continues to make every effort to ensure our field trips are a success. He tries hard to find new places for us to go and a memorable day out this year was the trip to Blundellsands on a cold day in January. Not only did we enjoy the birds - especially the large flock of greedy starlings - but Antony Gormley's statues on the beach were a source of some merriment for us all, as you may have seen in our Newsletter and especially on our Website.
The Website deserves a special mention. Jennifer is our techno-wizard who does a grand job keeping the site up-to-date and displaying a large number of photographs of our Indoor and Outdoor Meetings - there's a good chance you'll find a picture of yourself if you've been on a Field Meeting this year. Also, any prospective members of the Club often make their first contact with us via their computer (the site gets dozens of hits every week, I'm told). Generally speaking, it's this increased publicity for the Club in the local Press and on the internet which has led to a gain of 16 members this year - yet another reason why we don't have to put up our membership fee.
The Committee has recently discussed a change of venue for our Indoor Meetings. This place has its problems - we have been both locked out and locked in this year - but more seriously, it's not really big enough. The projector and even the speaker often seem to be in danger of getting damaged, squeezed as they are in the central aisle and if we continue to expand at our present rate we are soon going to need a hall rather than a classroom to meet in. In March we had to find somewhere at short notice when this venue was unavailable and we were all pleased with the school we found; however, there are problems with the availability of that place on a regular basis but, rest assured, we will continue to review the situation.
In a year when we have had much to celebrate we started off fittingly in September with Gordon Yates' 25th appearance at the Club and we will finish the indoor programme in July with perhaps the most remarkable innovation of the year - (we'll try anything!). I refer, of course, to the premier appearance of Hugh Stewart, Vice-Chairman and Field Programme Co-ordinator as our 'guest' speaker. Such bravery in one so young! This is a not-to-be-missed occasion and I'm expecting a record turn-out for that evening....so be there or be sorry you missed it!
Our last 3 Indoor Meetings have been very well attended and also our last Field Trip and I hope this improvement continues. We have now been going for 30 years so we must be doing something right. Hilda was told when the Club began that 5 years was the usual life for such ventures - she little realised what she had started!
The theme of this report has been 'change' and one obvious thing that has changed over the years is our membership (I know there is still a nucleus of those founder members - some no doubt are here tonigh) but we rely on new members to keep us going. So, I'll finish by offering my thanks to all of you, old and new members, for making this little Club the happy, informal and successful Club I believe it to be.
Colin Garside (Chairman)
Wirral Bird Club - May 2007
