Introduction

We know that Alan Richards had been writing a history of the WMBC. From drafts on which some of us were consulted, however, it was apparent that what he had written was more akin to an autobiography than a history of the Club. Whilst it was not necessary for us to see a copy, an incomplete draft has been found. This confirms one small, useful piece of information, but adds confusion about the origins of the Club as will be seen early on in our story. However, we felt that a history, or rather a Story, of the Club, dedicated in his name, would be an appropriate way to commemorate the huge contribution that he had made.

Our understanding is that Alan intended to produce a book and was looking to the Club to financially support its publication. This is not our intention. Rather we are seeking to avoid any financial commitment by producing this Story in electronic format for inclusion on the Club’s website. We feel it is essential to gather together as much detail as possible now, before it’s too late, in the hope that it will provide a foundation for whatever the Club might do to mark its centenary in 2029 and moves forward into its next centenary.

Important as a straightforward factual history would be, we feel it could prove rather boring. So, to understand how the Club has developed over the past ninety-odd years and to gain an appreciation of its achievements and influence, we have attempted to present these as a Story set against the social, economic and environmental contexts of the time, the individuals involved and some of the changes in the region’s birdlife that have occurred along the way. We have chosen to consider these aspects decade by decade. Within each decade we have tried to record events in chronological order, though to maintain continuity this has not always been possible. For example, where an individual project has spanned several years we have often kept the various parts together and then included them where we consider to be the most appropriate place.

We are moving the Story forward decade by decade, but we do not see this as a definitive record, but rather “a work in progress” which is why we have chosen to produce it electronically. By posting it on the Club’s website, our hope is that readers will send us their own contributions which would be very welcome. Whilst few of you will be old enough to remember the early years, you may have recollections from more recent decades for possible inclusion. In this way the Club will have a thorough record to mark its centenary in 2029. If you have any photographs that we could include these would be most welcome.

During the life-time of the Club, society has evolved from being formal to being informal. So, in the early days members were mostly referred to by their surnames, whereas today first names and even abbreviations are commonly used as well. Since we believe all members of the Club are equal, we have chosen to use the names by which everyone is/was generally known. In doing so, we hope we will not have caused any offence, but please accept our apologies if we have.

Ideally, we would have liked to present continuous sets of data for matters such as membership, finance, indoor and field meetings, and branch activities, but this hasn’t always been possible. For example, we could illustrate the growth in membership when there were just two categories, but this became more complicated when joint membership was introduced and impossible following the introduction of Standard and Inclusive categories. Financial matters have also proved problematical, with decimalisation and varying rates of inflation. In the absence of early copies of the Club’s Bulletins, there are also some significant gaps in our knowledge.

Acknowledgements

Fortunately the Club was able to retrieve some Bulletins, Programme Cards and the Research Committee’s Minute Books after Alan Richards’ death.

We are, however, extremely grateful to Humphrey Miller for kindly loaning us a good number of additional Bulletins, as well as generously volunteering for the unenviable task of proof-reading our texts.

Our thanks are also due to Peter Dedicoat for providing more earlier Bulletins and much valuable information from the Staffordshire end, especially documents relating to Belvide and Gailey Reservoirs.

Finally, we must thank all those members whose contributions, in their different ways, help to enrich our Story of the Club.

Graham Harrison

Jim Winsper

Janet Harrison

The 1920s

Our story begins in the final year of a decade that had been one of turmoil, with the General Strike of 1926 and the Wall Street crash in November 1929. In those days natural history centred more around the study of specimens in museums and private collections, with less attention given to observations in the field. True, the RSPB had been founded in 1889, the National Trust acquired its first nature reserve at Wicken Fen in 1899 and Charles Rothschild had formed the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves in 1912. But the primary focus of such interest as there was in birds remained on egg collecting and shooting, with the mantra of the time being “what’s hit is history, what’s missed is mystery”. The pressure this put on our birdlife was intensified by the increased mechanisation of farming during the decade, which began to change many traditional habitats. The precursors of local, or regional, bird clubs were those established by the Oxford Ornithological Society (founded 1921) and the Cambridge Club (founded 1925) and it may have been these that were the inspiration for something similar in Birmingham.

In his biography of Horace Alexander, Duncan Wood says “Horace was not its (the Birmingham Bird Club) founder but was one of four birdwatchers whom W E Groves invited to his (Edgbaston) home early in 1929: they met to share their recent observations and to talk about birds”. Speaking much later, at the 25th Anniversary dinner, Tony Norris said Mr Groves had supplied him with a detailed report of the early years, which said that he had invited Messrs H G Alexander, H Henry and C W K Wallis to his home on November 1st 1929 (not early 1929) but made no mention of a fourth person. However, Alan Richards, in his draft mentioned in the above Introduction, added to the confusion by naming Miss Celia James as the fourth invitee. Unfortunately, he gave no source for this information, which may have been passed to him through word of mouth, so we have been unable to corroborate it. Certainly Miss James was in the first List of Members published in the 1934 Annual Report, but we know no more about her. If she was the fourth person, however, it seems strange that she was not mentioned at the Anniversary dinner when both W.E. Groves and Horace Alexander were in attendance. An alternative possibility is that Mr Groves himself was the fourth person. One thing that Alan Richards was able to confirm, however, was W E Groves’ forenames as being Wellington Ernest.

It was certainly at this meeting that a club, which subsequently became known as the Birmingham Bird Club, was formed. And one of the founder members was Horace Alexander – surely the doyen of British birdwatching, combining as he did the pleasures of birdwatching with the satisfaction of contributing to ornithological science – principles which have underpinned the development of the Club ever since.

The 1930s

The Great Depression and the outbreak of World War II left an indelible impression on a decade which otherwise brought significant benefits to those with jobs. The collapse of many traditional industries during the 1920s left a legacy of widespread unemployment which persisted into this decade across much of the country. Along with the South-east, however, the West Midlands bucked this trend to some extent. Here the skilled workforce that had proved its worth during the first World War now adapted to new, emerging industries such as the manufacture of motorbikes and cars as well as embracing new technologies centred around electricity. Many families came to the region in search of work, particularly from Ireland and Wales, swelling the population and increasing the need for more housing.

For the unskilled, however, unemployment remained a scourge and life for them was a constant struggle to put food on the table. A trip on the number 70 tram from Birmingham to the Lickey Hills would have been an unimaginable luxury, or at best a once-a-year highlight. Any contact they might have had with birds was most likely to have been songbirds in cages or homing pigeons in the lofts that many built in their gardens or back yards.

For the middle and upper classes, though, it was a different story. Electrical household appliances, such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines, had taken away some of the drudgery of housework, while a shorter working week and paid holidays meant more leisure time. Increased spending power also meant they were able to afford luxuries such as a telephone and, if you were very fortunate, even a car.

Enthusiasm for health and fitness saw an increase in outdoor recreational activities, but birdwatching remained a minority pursuit, confined to the well-off. Among the reasons for this were perhaps the perception that it was a rather ‘sissy’ activity; that it was an expensive pursuit; and that it was difficult to get information and get to good birdwatching places. Hints that these might have been obstacles can be found in the Club’s Annual Reports.

In 1937, for example, it was said “Perhaps the chief event of the year was the invasion of rare grebes and other unusual waterfowl after the bitter winds at the end of January. The telephones and motor cars of Bird Club members were very busy during the early days of February.” Only the well to do would have had telephones and motor cars in those days. And even for those with a car, the journey to Bittell Reservoirs would have been slow and possibly fraught with difficulty, as a 30mph speed limit had been introduced in 1935 and cars at that time were unreliable and prone to breakdown.

Following the 1929 inaugural meeting, a further meeting was held early in 1930 in a small room hired at the Grand Hotel in Birmingham, at which it was decided to hold further meetings approximately every two months. Who paid for the room at such a prestigious venue remains a mystery. The procedure at these meetings was for each member in turn to give an account of his or her ornithological experiences since the previous gathering. Others were invited to join the Group on the recommendations of founder members, but to avoid meetings becoming too protracted, membership was restricted in number, with some sources saying twelve and others fifteen. A few visitors were also invited from time-to-time, but they were not permitted to take an active part. Mr Groves chaired all these meetings and, in fact, occupied all offices of the Club, except that of Editor. until 1946.

In his biography of Horace Alexander, Duncan Wood (2003) gives an insight into the early years of the Club and the following is an extract from his accounts.

“No doubt a good deal of information about Midland birds was pooled at these meetings, but it remained private and unrecorded – and thus unavailable to science – lest it come to the notice of collectors. Groves was obviously suspicious of strangers and kept the Club small to avoid infiltration by members of the collecting fraternity. Horace Alexander, though, did not regard strangers with suspicion. His wide acquaintance amongst his contemporary ornithologists taught him that there were collectors, or ex-collectors, who were excellent ornithologists and trustworthy to boot.

Horace realised that the Club would have to widen its horizons if it was to serve the interests of ornithology and birdwatching in the Birmingham region; and he used his authority as its leading field ornithologist to persuade the Club to do so.”

Duncan also recalls that Horace Alexander studied Bittell Reservoir intensively prior to its being taken over by the sailing club. He also visited Belvide, as did Arnold Boyd from Cheshire who had been making occasional visits there since the 1920s. Indeed, Duncan recalls that he and Ralph Barlow were privileged to join Horace’s New Years’ Day outings to Belvide. He described these as serious expeditions, made at first by bus, or by train to the station which then existed at Gailey, but later in Horace’s Morris Cowley.

Following the precedents set by the Oxford and Cambridge club, the Club produced its first Annual Report in 1934, with Horace Alexander as Editor-in-Chief, assisted by Duncan Wood and Ralph Barlow. This embraced the whole of Warwickshire and Worcestershire, as Horace was in touch with observers in these counties. At this juncture we should perhaps explain that recording was done on historical county boundaries (known by botanists as Vice Counties), so Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield were included in Warwickshire and Dudley in Worcestershire.

This first Report included Classified Notes of the records received; dates of Migrant Arrivals and Departures; an article on observations at Bartley Reservoir; and a Report on Special Species, namely Dipper, Nightingale, (Common) Redstart, (Eurasian) Wryneck and Corncrake. Thus, we have an early indication of where members were birdwatching – Bartley being a newly constructed drinking-water supply reservoir that had only been fully filled as recently as 1931. It also told us some of the species considered to have a restricted distribution at that time. Interestingly it also began with an apology from the editor for its delay and incompleteness – sentiments which subsequent editors were frequently forced to express!

With just a few members, the Classified Notes were naturally sparse, but the list of Special Species elicited some illuminating comments. The views expressed were mostly subjective and sometimes appeared to be contradictory. (Common) Nightingales, for example, were said to be “common in all fox-coverts and suitable spots” around Rugby, whereas a mere twelve miles away around Coventry numbers were said to be “less than twenty years ago”. More objective information came from Worcestershire, however, when, in 1934, 40 singing birds were noted in 20 square miles – 30 in scrub, five in gardens and five in roadside spinneys, but none in large woods! One notable feature, though, was how many observers reported declines in the species concerned – an early indication of trends that sadly have continued ever since.

With very few changes, this first Report established the format for all subsequent Annual Reports. As the membership has grown, so too have the Classified Notes (now the Systematic List) from a modest dozen pages then to around 200 today. The Club has always maintained a strong emphasis on research and has been keen to publish analytical articles – a policy which it will no doubt continue in the future.

Duncan Wood also mentioned that “Horace promoted birdwatching in the field and willingly shared his expertise and enthusiasm with members of the younger generation, who were somewhat impatient with the restricted outlook of the original Club.” Among these youngsters were the brothers William and Hugh Kenrick and Tony Norris – of whom the latter was destined to become a prominent figure in the Club’s history. Other names mentioned amongst the 27 Members and Correspondents at this time that were later to regularly feature in the development of the Club were Ralph Barlow, Mr Betts, Freddie Fincher and Tony Harthan.

Other organisations also influenced the Club’s development, not least The British Trust for Ornithology, which Max Nicholson had formed in 1933. The ensuing years were to see a close relationship develop between the BTO and the Club, as will become apparent later.

In 1935 the Club introduced an Associate Membership class, with a subscription of five shillings (25p in today’s money), which went towards the cost of the Annual Report and meetings. By the second half of the decade, periodic lectures for members and associates were also being arranged in rooms at the Midland Institute, the Natural History Society and the Chamber of Trade.

Another major step this year was to extend the Club’s area to embrace South Staffordshire (which in those days included present day Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton). The northern boundary was defined to the west of Stafford by the old railway line which ran beyond the county to Newport and Wellington (both in Shropshire), whilst to the east it followed the Rivers Sow and Trent as far as Burton-on-Trent. This was a significant move, as it brought the canal feeder reservoirs at Belvide, Chasewater and Gailey and the extensive heath and woodland of Cannock Chase into the Club’s ambit. As mentioned earlier, Horace Alexander had been visiting Belvide for several years, as had Arnold Boyd from Northwich in Cheshire – a journey of 50 miles for the latter, which in those days must have been even more exacting than that described earlier. In a land-locked region without a coastline, reservoirs were an obvious attraction, so to keep the location secret from collectors, they chose to refer to Belvide as “Bellfields”.

Whilst reservoirs were the favoured haunts for most members, some were beginning to discover new places. Mr Groves, for example, drew attention to the “attractiveness” of Curdworth Sewage Farm (now Minworth Sewage Works) – such works being well known amongst birdwatchers in those days, with Nottingham and Wisbech being outstanding examples. In this region, the sewage farms at Whittington (Staffs) and later Baginton (Warks) were also regularly visited by local birdwatchers, who were occasionally rewarded with something unusual. Other areas mentioned as “providing interesting records” were the Enville District, the Lickey Hills, Wyre Forest, Randan Wood (which was Freddie Fincher’s local patch) and parts of the Severn and Avon Valleys (which would have been well known to Tony Norris and Tony Harthan). The Report editors mentioned as a matter of regret, however, that they had received no records for Sutton Park – a large area of heathland and woodland north-east of Birmingham which had been gifted firstly by Henry VIII to John Vesey, Bishop of Exeter, and hence to the Council for the benefit of the poor inhabitants of Sutton Coldfield!

The early Annual Reports demonstrated the fastidious detail in which notes were taken, with many containing references to nests being found. In some cases this may have been a legacy (or even continuation) of skilled egg collectors at work. A more generous view, however, might be that, unlike today, observers were prepared to devote more time watching the birds they had found since, with no communication network, they would have been oblivious to any other, more unusual species that might have been around. In any event they would probably have lacked the time and transport to get to see them. Moreover, the optics of the day, if any, would have required close views to confirm identification and such views could only be obtained with patience, often in the vicinity of a nest. The reports tell us very little about what optics were available – some of which were probably ex-military binoculars or draw telescopes. The latter, of course, required some effort to hold them steady and often resulted in you lying flat on your back with a support to raise your head while you rested the ‘scope on a raised knee.

Close views and positive identification, of course, could also be obtained through ringing and a new feature in the 1936 Report was a Ringing Recoveries Map. The ringing of birds in Britain dated back to the introduction of the Ringing Scheme in 1909, but the practice relied on the construction of elaborate traps of which we shall hear more later.

Around this time, according to the Annual Report, a draft constitution for the Club was under consideration, but we have been unable to find any further information on this. (see also comments in 1940s Chapter).

Members’ attention was also drawn to a request in British Birds for information about song periods and several members submitted information on this. The BTO suggested (Common) Pochard, Grey Wagtail, Lesser Redpoll and Little Owl for study in 1936, so these were added to the list of Special Species. Amongst the more unusual observations were those of a Waxwing feeding on hawthorn berries overhanging a much-used road at Northfield, which “even a steamroller failed to disturb” and a Diver found at 2.00 am on the tram lines at Selly Oak! – both localities being suburbs of Birmingham.

Papers on the birds of Edgbaston Park and Rotton Park (now Edgbaston) Reservoir – both reveal the range of birds that could be found within a mile or two of Birmingham city centre, while in 1937 the long-awaited paper on the Bird Life in Sutton Park appeared, highlighting the species to be found on the edge of the city.

Even at this early time members were beginning to express concerns about changes in the environment and the effect they were having on birdlife. Agriculture was becoming mechanised and an article in the 1939 Report revealed that between 1933-39 the number of Lapwings on a 150-acre (60 ha) Worcestershire farm fell from 10 to none between 1933-39 as a result of the land being “much improved by good management and Government Fertility schemes”.

In addition, the first signs of development pressures were beginning to arise from the buoyant economy and need for more housing referred to earlier – pressures which were to intensify after the war. For example, the 1938 Report noted “it is gratifying to record that a stretch of country near the Bittell Reservoirs, threatened with building by the proximity of the Austin factories, has been secured by public subscription and placed under (the care of) the National Trust; a neighbouring portion has also been secured against the builder”. It was around this time too that the idea of a green belt around our cities first emerged, though it would be some thirty years before one for the West Midlands was finally confirmed!

Ultimately, these pressures were to bring one benefit to members, however, as concrete became an increasingly popular building material. The alluvial sands and gravels underlying the valleys of the Avon, Severn, Trent and Tame were an ideal source of raw materials for this and landscapes in areas such as the Tame Valley were progressively scarred by quarries. Once these quarries were exhausted and pumping ceased, the workings gradually flooded, creating new wetland habitats. Before long these were attracting a range of wildfowl and waders which were otherwise scarce in the landlocked Midlands. Consequently, they became the favoured haunts of many Club members as will be seen later.

A landmark publication in 1938 was T. Smith’s Birds of Staffordshire – the first of a trilogy of county avifauna to appear within ten years. Incorporated within it was an addendum contributed by A. W. Boyd, which included some records from Club members, notably Horace Alexander, but only those that had been published previously in British Birds. No other records were mentioned, and T. Smith was not a member, which perhaps explains why he made no mention of the Club at all. Clearly the Club had still to prove its credentials to those living north of Birmingham.

By the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the Club had 15 members and 60 associates, whilst a further 19 people contributed to the Annual Report – an increase of 350% over the decade.

The 1940s

More than any other, this was a decade of two halves – the first half dominated by the war and the second recovering from it.

The War Years

No one was immune to the impact of the war, which affected virtually every aspect of everyday life, with air raids, blackouts, food shortages and rationing of almost every essential item. Many places suffered bomb damage, but none more so than Coventry, which was devastated by the blitz of November 14th 1940. By comparison it is often thought that Birmingham got off lightly, but nothing could be further from the truth. From August 1940 onwards the city was bombed relentlessly. But, because its factories were so important to the war effort, efforts were made to deny the enemy any knowledge of its success by adopting a voluntary embargo on the mention of Birmingham, which the media sometimes reported simply as “a Midlands town”.

By the time the 1939 Annual Report was published in 1940 (the dates of Annual Reports, of course, referring to the year they cover, not the year of publication) we were several months into World War II and much had changed. Many members had joined the armed forces and were seeing service overseas, or in different parts of the country. Horace Alexander and his assistant, Duncan Wood, had stood down from their positions and Anthony Harthan had taken over as Editor of the Annual Report.

Virtually all non-essential activities had been brought to an abrupt end, or at least severely restricted, but somehow, against all the odds, the Club managed to keep going. Despite the restrictions, meetings continued to be held in members’ homes, and a few were also said to have been held outdoors, though whether these were just informal group gatherings, or actual field meetings is unclear. We assume from the travel and other restrictions in force at the time that the former is most likely.

That the Club managed to keep going at all in such difficult circumstances might possibly have been because certain key figures were in reserved occupations. Whether this applied to Tony Norris and Tony Harthan we do not know, but these two gentlemen were responsible for much of the content of the wartime reports, which was naturally very limited. One noteworthy event occurred in 1940, when Tony Norris married Cicely Hurcomb, daughter of The Lord Hurcomb. The significance of this will become clear later.

Not only did the Club manage to keep going, but even more amazingly, Anthony Harthan managed to produce an Annual Report every year throughout the war. Extracts from his editorials give a good indication of the difficulties he encountered. In 1941 he wrote “in order to economise paper and meet the increased cost of production under war conditions, this Report is compressed”; in 1942 “this Report is produced under difficulties due to war conditions, which include cost, economy of material, and the scattering of active Members and Associates over various parts of the world. However, it is hoped that the few who are left to carry on the work of the Bird Club will have made this Report worthwhile, and of interest to our absent members”; and in 1943 “On account of restricted space due to necessary economies, it has not been possible to include in this Report all the interesting notes and papers that were sent in. These were more numerous than last year, which is particularly gratifying considering that no effort is being made to increase the numbers of Members and Associates while the Club is suffering from wartime difficulties”. He also added in the latter Report “printing difficulties are again the cause of the somewhat late production of this Report” To elaborate on the difficulties he faced, printing restrictions and paper shortages, severely limited the number of copies that could be produced, with several copies of at least one issue (1942 from recollection) having to be hand-written!

Birdwatching by the few members that were still around was naturally confined to their local patches and this resulted in some interesting accounts of the impact the war was having on certain habitats and their birdlife.

Intensive bombing with incendiaries had sparked off innumerable fires and water to extinguish these became increasingly scarce, especially as some water mains had been damaged. Among the auxiliary resources to which fire crews turned were the canals and this in turn led to a drawdown of supplies in the feeder reservoirs. This might explain the exceptional circumstances recorded at Rotton Park Reservoir (Edgbaston Reservoir as it is now known) by the Club’s Chairman, W.E. Groves.

Living literally just round the corner from the reservoir, he said in 1941 that “extensive drainage under war conditions has entirely altered the character of the site. The normal bed of the reservoir is now covered with grasses, sedges etc. and is intersected with several small streams fringed with water plants. Between these streams are large areas of persicaria, goosefoot, bur-marigold etc. The reduction of the water area to a few acres generally excludes the ducks which have been of outstanding interest to the birdwatcher in the winter of recent years ... … This transformation has proved attractive to many birds which probably would have passed on under usual conditions.” He goes on to add that “Yellow Wagtails have been numerous; large flocks of (Common) Linnets feed on seeds; many (Eurasian) Skylarks and Meadow Pipits are present in winter; and (Common) Snipe and even Jack Snipe have visited the boggier areas.”

Three years later he said “Conditions changed very much for the worse in 1944. The ground was badly trodden by grazing cattle and probably few of the nesting birds were able to bring off young. Most of the cover for (Common) Snipe as well as the seeding plants were flattened. A further disaster befell the ground-nesting birds in the summer, when the Reservoir was opened in the afternoons free and the ‘amusement park’ became active again. The crowds – particularly at holiday times – spread over and picnicked on the grass and the small numbers of Yellow Wagtails which then remained – then busy with their nests – had a very bad time.”

The effect of war was also felt in the countryside, though the impacts were very different, as the surveys of Old Hills Common, near Malvern, undertaken in 1942 by H.J. Tooby and published in the 1944 Report, reveal. He estimated there were 161 breeding pairs of all species in some 135 acres (55ha) of common land. During the next two years 85 acres (34ha), or almost two-thirds of this area, was cleared, ploughed and brought into cultivation as part of the war effort. As a consequence, the estimated breeding population fell by 43%. The number of breeding pairs on the 50 acres (20ha) that remained uncultivated, however, increased by 70%, giving an overall estimate of 190 breeding pairs – an increase of 19%. He went on to comment that “(Common) Linnets, warblers, Song Thrushes and Turtle Doves had deserted the cultivated portions of the common: Blackbirds, (Common) Chaffinches and Yellowhammers appeared more adaptable, being content with very little cover; and Tree Pipits increased slightly on the cultivated portion.” Commenting on this paper, the Editor, Tony Harthan, remarked that it “seems to indicate that the ploughing up of commons may lead to an increase of nesting birds rather than the reverse, when the latter might be expected.”

These are just two examples of how the Club’s members continued to observe and document the effect of wartime regulations on the environment and birdlife. A third, less reassuring example, again from Worcestershire, concerned the Cirl Bunting. Described in the 1940 Report as “sparingly distributed over some areas of south Worcestershire and north Gloucestershire”, it was seemingly unable to adapt to the changing environment and was ultimately lost. Given their later significance to the Club, reference must also be made of the first breeding of Black Redstarts, when a pair nested on the University of Birmingham in 1943. This was followed by a male that regularly sang from the top of a bomb-damaged building in the city centre, at the bottom end of New Street. Interestingly, colonisation of Inner London began with a male, which coincidentally also sang around London University in 1939, with others breeding around bomb-damaged buildings from 1942.

Whilst some changes were bad, others were quite beneficial. The imperative of war saw the construction industry switch from building houses to new munitions factories, airfields and other essential infrastructure, which of course sustained sand and gravel extraction and created new habitats. Meanwhile other changes were occurring naturally and in 1941 A.J. Martin provided the first records from a newly discovered pool at Upton Warren.

By the end of the war membership stood at 71 compared to 75 at the outbreak. The similarity of these figures, though, masks a considerable turnover in members. As would be expected, wartime losses were considerable and only 45 (60%) of those who were members in 1939 were still members in 1945. This means that 26 new members (37% of the total membership) were recruited during the war – a remarkable achievement considering the circumstances and the fact there had been no initiatives or promotion to encourage new members to join.

Post War Years

Not surprisingly, the end of hostilities heralded an era of euphoria and hope for a lasting peace. There was also an anticipation of a better future that was summed up by the slogan ‘Good times are just around the corner’. In truth, though, it was to be well into the next decade and beyond before the good times really arrived.

On the political front it was marked by a spate of landmark legislation that established the National Health Service; the New Towns Act of 1946 that much later resulted in Redditch becoming a New Town; the Town and Country Planning Act of 1947 that through numerous subsequent amendments has shaped the pattern of land use as we know it today, even requiring permission to create nature reserves or erect hides. From the point of view of nature, perhaps the most significant was the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, which established the principle of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and under which Cannock Chase became an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 1947 Planning Act also introduced Green Belts and the principle of compensation and betterment – the latter which, following subsequent amendment, was how the Club secured the future of its Ladywalk Reserve as we shall see much later.

Despite the ongoing hardships, there was unsurprisingly a widespread enthusiasm for change and the Club, no doubt swept up in the general euphoria of the time, engaged in a period of considerable growth and development. In 1945, it embarked on a complete reorganisation. An indication of what was to come had been provided in the editorial of the 1943 Report, which said “when it is practicable to introduce the proposed constitution – which was in draft at the commencement of the war – it is confidently expected that the scope and activities of the Club will be much enlarged. There is every indication that the interest in bird life is increasingly widespread.”

A major move was to acknowledge the Club’s wider influence by changing the name from the ‘Birmingham Bird Club’ to the ‘Birmingham and District Bird Club’. Then, early in 1946 the constitution and rules, that had been drafted before the war, were finally approved and a committee was elected along with the officers listed below. We have been unable to trace a definitive copy of this constitution.

The previous distinction between fifteen members and the rest of the Club was abolished and membership was opened to anyone genuinely interested in birds, including Junior Members for the first time. Prospective members were required to complete an application form and enrolment was subject to approval by the Committee. Where possible, introduction by an existing member was preferred and in the case of a Junior Member this was deemed essential (see the 1948 Annual Report). The membership subscription was 10/- (a mere 50p in today’s money!).

The following were appointed as officers of the Club: Horace Alexander as President; W. E. Groves as Vice-President, Acting Secretary and Treasurer; W. E. Kenrick as Chairman: A. J. Harthan continued as Editor and Mr Lindsay Forster became Meetings Secretary. A committee of eight, including two ladies, was also appointed to assist with management of the Club’s affairs. In the autumn of 1946 Messrs Groves and Harthan asked to be relieved of their respective duties and the roles of Secretary and Editor were taken up by C. A. Norris, or Tony as he was generally known. The new rules were adopted at the AGM in February 1947, but with an amendment to change the Club’s name to the ‘Birmingham and West Midland Bird Club’. A move to delete the word ‘Birmingham’ from the name was referred back to the Committee but subsequently rejected. Unfortunately, we have not found a definitive copy of the rules, but the notes about the Club which were included at the end of the 1949 Report give some idea of its constitution and activities. They were produced as a promotional leaflet and are shown below.

From this it can be seen that, in addition to its Annual Reports, the Club was now holding indoor and field meetings; had established branches at Kidderminster and Studley and had plans for more branches. The 1945 Report referred to a library being in the course of formation, to be administered by the Meetings Secretary, but as there was no further mention in later Reports, we do not know whether this venture ever came to fruition.

By now the Club was flourishing as never before, with membership doubling from 71 at the end of the war to 142 by 1946 and 219 the following year – a threefold increase in just two years. In addition, there were now 39 junior members.

Indoor meetings had resumed in 1945, when the four that were held attracted an average audience of 27. The following year, eight meetings were attended by an average of 38, but we have been unable to trace the subjects and speakers.

Field Meetings had also resumed on a modest scale in 1945, with 20 members attending an evening visit to Edgbaston Park and several other local meetings being arranged by members. On a sad note, the passing of C.W.K. Wallis robbed the Club of one of its founder members.

The second and third parts to a trilogy of county avifauna followed closely on one another – with the publication of The Birds of Worcestershire by Tony Harthan in 1946 and Notes on the Birds of Warwickshire by Tony Norris in 1947. Although both were personal rather than Club ventures, coming from current and former editors they obviously relied heavily on the Club’s archive of records.

1947 proved to be a landmark year in many respects. It will long be remembered as a record year for weather, with extremes of cold and heat; rain and drought. It began with one of the worst winters on record, as snow that fell on January 22nd remained lying until March 16th – a record 53 days, with some drifts on higher ground persisting well into April. There were severe shortages of fuel, as coal stocks were frozen at the pitheads; power cuts left homes in the dark; and factory workers were having to work by candlelight. Food also became scarce as the huge snow drifts disrupted distribution by rail and road, leaving many isolated villages cut-off for days. Crops were ruined and livestock perished, resulting in long queues at the shops for such basics as bread, and even potatoes were rationed. To compound matters there was a mounting financial crisis that prompted the Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, to call again for sacrifice akin to wartime and admit “I have no easy words for the nation. I cannot say when we shall emerge into easier times”.

The harsh winter inevitably had a severe impact on birds. With open waters frozen solid, wintering wildfowl were forced to vacate the region, and Grey Herons were especially badly affected. An even earlier snow fall had already caused an exodus of thrushes, notably Fieldfares and Redwings, and many of those passerines that remained sadly perished, especially Long-tailed Tits. Others sought refuse in urban areas where they would not normally have been seen and some, such as Blue and Great Tits were recorded for the first time pecking open the tops of milk bottles to get at the cream.

Rising temperatures in spring finally brought an end to the ‘big freeze’, but the rapid thaw that followed caused widespread flooding and high water levels that resulted in a poor wader passage. Summer was then hot and dry, with August the hottest for sixty years. Generally dry conditions then persisted throughout much of autumn, with spells of fog and another heavy snowfall in November. This incredible year of weather was so aptly summarised by Lindsay Forster in the Annual Report as “almost too much of everything”. Notwithstanding such difficulties, Club members continued to record the region’s birdlife as best they could and by the year’s end 164 species and races had been seen compared with 159 in the previous year.

This was also a momentous year for the Club, when its founding principles were established. Membership increased from 144 to 219 and junior membership from 31 to 39. It was also the year in which the Club began to hold regular monthly meetings in the City of Birmingham Art Gallery – a feature that Tony Norris described as “a privilege that has become of increasing benefit to the Club”. These featured illustrated talks by several eminent naturalists, or the occasional showing of a film of particular interest to members.

An indication of their popularity can be gleaned from the average attendances, which increased from 27 in 1945 to 38 in 1946 and just over 80 this year.

Field meetings were also held at frequent intervals and these of course were of special value to beginners, with special transport usually being arranged. Popular places visited were the Severn Goose Grounds (now Slimbridge), the Wyre Forest, Long Mynd and some of the larger reservoirs.

Towards the end of the year a preliminary meeting was held on November 18th when Messrs Norris, Forster, Lambourne and Rayner met to discuss resurrecting the pre-war Research Committee. Tony Norris was elected Chairman and G.W. Rayner Secretary, while H Kenrick, C Cadbury and L Salmon were proposed as additional members. The primary aims of the Committee were then established and it was agreed that any publications should appear in the Club’s Annual Report, in British Birds and other magazines.

It was also decided that the Committee’s ultimate aim should be to establish an Observatory and Ringing Station and to encourage Club members to carry out their own ringing.

Regarding expense, the Committee said it was “fully aware of the financial problems arising from its activities, but the discussion of these was deferred to a later meeting”. Mr Forster, however, stressed “the need for (proposals) to be established on firm foundations before attempting the more advance inquiries and, with this in mind and realising too the implication of the abolition of the basic petrol ration (sic) which prevents members from travelling far afield,” Bearing this in mind it was resolved to organise a (Common) Starling Inquiry, with the aim of ringing several hundred birds to determine whether or not they were mostly continental birds. Reverting to expense, it was agreed that ringers should pay for their own rings.

Following on from this meeting, the Club’s elected (Main) Committee then endorsed the establishment of the Research Committee. Hereafter the Club was run by two committees, known as the Main Committee and the Research Committee. The latter held its inaugural meeting on December 11th at which it set out its own constitution. There was also a discussion about recording migrant dates and species distribution with quinquennial reviews. Most enthusiastically received, however, was the suggestion for a Christmas Bird Count, which it was thought would be of “tremendous value in ascertaining the winter distribution of the more common species”. In the event it drew 25 responses, which was considered a sufficiently encouraging number to warrant subsequent counts at Easter and Whitsun. Of these two, the former attracted 29 responses, including 10 new participants, but the latter only elicited 15 returns. A comparison of the Christmas and Easter counts showed “a notably reduction in the number of (Common) Starlings, and the increase in those of finches.” Might these counts perhaps be regarded as the precursors of the recently introduced All Dayers?

Regarding migrant arrival dates, it was unanimously agreed that “migrant dates should be preceded each year by a resume of weather conditions at the time of arrival and departure: that extraordinary dates should be listed, but at the same time the average date of arrival and departure for each bird be clearly shown; and that the same species be listed each year even in the absence of any records (though this should be signified).” This procedure has continued with little change in our Annual Reports ever since, though its value has sometimes been questioned.

Another initiative considered by the Committee was that of bird song. It was said “to be desirable for a Club of this size to publish its own chart of song periods and intensity” and Mr. Fincher was asked to explore this possibility. It was also decided to carry out a census on Cannock Chase “in order to find out what birds frequented this wide expanse of high-moorland at the present time”! One member expressed reservations, however, claiming that only “very keen people who are not likely to be disappointed could reasonably well participate in such a census party.” He may well have been right, as the census carried out on June 13th failed to locate any of the much hoped-for grouse.

The Research Committee became central to the Club’s development – a role it was to continue to fulfil for many decades. Fortunately, its minute books have survived and these have proved to be an invaluable source for us in compiling the history from this point onwards.

By 1948 the Branches at Kidderminster and Studley were organising their own indoor meetings, but so far we have not found details of these, whilst ‘some excellent excursions’ were included in the programme of Field Meetings organised for the Parent Club by Hugh Kenrick and Cecil Lambourne – a task later taken over by Talbot Clay.

An insight into the value of these trips, particularly for younger members is given by the

accompanying account of a sighting made during the Club’s visit to Northampton Sewage Farm on October 3rd. It is an extract from the diaries of one of our Junior Members, which have kindly been donated to the Club, and we make no excuse for including this episode in full as it epitomises so much about birdwatching in those days. Firstly, the journey to Northampton would have been equivalent to a trip to the coast today. Secondly, the pleasure a young birdwatcher derived from seeing a new bird is so evident (Ospreys were not as common in those days as they are today). Thirdly, having the use of a telescope tells us a little about the equipment available at the time. Fourthly, the meticulous way he studied the appearance and behaviour of the bird and the methodical way in which he took notes was exemplary. Finally, he later took the trouble to record the event in his diary. Nowadays, of course, modern technology makes life easier. We can just watch, then quickly use a telephoto lens or the camera on a mobile phone and move on! But on the way are we losing some of the enjoyment he so obviously had?

Maurice Larkin lived very close to Rotton Park Reservoir and recorded the movements of birds there almost every day. As a result, he was invited by the Research Committee Chairman to write a report on the influence of weather on duck movements, which he had been studying, as it was thought this might encourage other members to take up some research, and this was published in the 1947 Annual Report.

Returning to the history, an Extraordinary Meeting of the Research Committee was called on February 2nd to deal with the International Wildfowl Committee’s Duck Census just five days later. A list was made of all pools thought to possess more than 50 ducks and, notwithstanding the short notice, letters were posted that evening asking members to visit them. This, or course, marked the beginnings of the regular Wildfowl Counts in which Club members have participated ever since. It also resulted in the ‘discovery’ of the colliery subsidence pools at Alvecote.

Two further proposals were also put to the Research Committee. One was to extend the Club’s area to cover North Staffordshire. This was put to the Main Committee, but we have no record of the response, though presumably it was rejected. The other was to institute seasonal counts on some selected plots of around 10 acres (4 ha) – a proposal which trials showed to be extremely difficult. So, after much discussion it was deferred, pending advice from the Edward Grey Institute and David Lack (BTO) as to its practicality. Since it does not appear to have progressed further, we assume this too was abandoned.

The first Club Bulletin had been produced in May 1947, but it was not until 1948 that it became a regular feature. It quickly became a godsend to the membership as the details of recent sightings provided the most up-to-date information available, enabling members to see at least some of the more unusual birds that were around before they moved on. (Indeed, Alan Richards once confessed that this was a major factor in his joining the Club). The only copy of an early Bulletin that we have found was Issue No 9 in September 1948, an extract from which is shown below. The simple typed sheet is indicative of all that could be achieved under post-war restrictions.

The following year (1949) saw further changes in officers, with Lindsay Forster standing down as Assistant Secretary and the Club’s founder member, Mr W. E. Groves, resigning from his role as Treasurer. In recognition of his contribution, he was presented with a complete set of The Handbook of British Birds (Witherby) and a book token. As long serving members retired from office, however, new faces emerged to help the Club. Two of these were G.W. Rayner and Mike Rogers, who helped compile the 1949 Report – Mike, of course, will be known to many for his outstanding service over many years as Secretary to the British Birds Rarities Committee. Another notable newcomer was Alan Richards, who joined as a Junior Member in 1948 and was destined to become an influential figure in the Club.

Economically the decade closed with a dramatic bombshell as the pound was devalued by 30%. This appeared to have little impact on the Club, however, as membership continued to increase as did the attendance at indoor meetings, which reached an average of 91 in 1949. Most of those who came were probably unaware that many of the speakers were travelling some distance at their own expense. Regrettably we have not been able to find any details of these meetings. Most unusually, though, no speaker had been found for the May Indoor Meeting, so it was decided to hold a Brains Trust, with some pre-prepared questions in case none were received from the floor. As mentioned above, Northampton Sewage Works had been added to the sites visited; and members continued to support national inquires such as the International Wildfowl Inquiry and the Great Crested Grebe Census.

The Research Committee remained as ambitious as ever, with Tony Norris arranging a car journey from his home at Hagley to the Long Mynd as a reconnaissance trip for a proposed field meeting later in the year, providing the Midland Red summer bus service was running to Church Stretton. Following on from the previous year, a second ringing expeditions was also arranged to a Starling roost near Shipston-on-Stour.

Having abandoned seasonal counts on specific plots, it was now decided to pursue a variation by counting the numbers of 30 common, non-aquatic species, to determine seasonal variations in numbers. Contributors to the Annual Report were invited to participate by selecting a plot of between 10 acres (4 ha) and 1 mile square in the vicinity of their home, or where they could visit regularly, and make winter visits in January and February and summer ones in May and June. The aim was to show the highest average number of each species likely to be encountered in an hourly visit, rather than the precise count on any particular day. What the response to this was is unknown.

Following a question as to how much space in the Annual Report should be devoted to rare vagrants, the Committee decided that the notes should concentrate on diagnostic features.

Several requests were received from members for beginners’ walks, so it was agreed to ask 20 members if they would be prepared to lead a monthly walk in their area, but most of those approached were somewhat unwilling to commit to this. Arrangements were eventually made for a team of the more knowledgeable members to lead at least one walk a month at places such as Bittell Reservoirs, the Lickey Hills or Sutton Park – a small charge being made for participation. No individual member would be asked to lead more than one walk a year.

One of the younger members, Eric Simms (later to become well known as a freelance naturalist, broadcaster, lecturer and author), drew attention to the Cotswold scarp being an overland migration route between the Wash and the Severn estuary. To test his theory, a small group arranged to visit Meon Hill – an outlier of the Cotswold scarp – on September 17th. Given the distance and travel difficulties of the time, a dawn rendezvous of 6.15 am must have been quite challenging, even for those accustomed to military discipline. By 9.00 am 30 Meadow Pipits and a few other passerines had been recorded, mostly passing between the Hill and the main scarp. It was noted that the movement of Meadow Pipits over the Hill had first been noted two days previously, following large influxes on September 14th on the Isle of May and at Cley. These findings prompted members to suggest other possible ‘migrant lines’, most of which proved to be inconclusive.

On a more domestic note, it was agreed that the next meeting should include a supper at Clark’s Cafe. Discussion at this meeting focussed on which research projects to initiate and how to get members involved – perennial problems even today.

At the close of the decade membership stood at 399 – an incredible fivefold increase in just five years since the end of the war. The Secretary, Tony Norris. said “All along it has been my aim to get the membership figure over the 400 mark, for I feel that at that figure we can not only pay our way, but cover the three counties not too inadequately.”

He was nevertheless frustrated at the inability to attract members from outside Birmingham, and this became a recurring theme in his editorial comments. For instance, he wrote “as a Club we must face the fact that we still cover our area most inadequately” (1947): “as in previous years this (membership) increase has centred on Birmingham and membership in the country districts is still comparatively small” (1948): and “the main increase has come from the Birmingham area and our members are thin on the ground further afield. It is, however, to be hoped that the Branches now well established, and the founding of other Branches in the area, will do much to improve this position. (1949)”

These comments prompted us to look more closely at where members then lived, using the 1948 Report which was the last one to give members’ addresses. This revealed that 47% of members lived in Birmingham, 21% in Warwickshire, 17% in Worcestershire, 11% in Staffordshire and 4% elsewhere. These figures are broadly based on local authority areas as they were at that time, when Sutton Coldfield and Solihull were part of Warwickshire. Coventry was a separate authority, but for the purposes of our analysis we have included it in Warwickshire. Likewise, we have included Dudley – which ironically was a detached part of Worcestershire – as part of Staffordshire along with Smethwick, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Given the difficulties of travel, it was perhaps inevitable that Birmingham should have been so dominant. Further investigation, though, proved even more revealing, with just over half (52%) of the City’s members living in the south-western quadrant compared to 30% in the south-east, 12% in the north-west and just 6% in the north-east. This largely reflected the socio-economic structure of the time, with the south-western quadrant containing the university and affluent suburbs such as Edgbaston and Bournville as well as prime bird-watching haunts such as Rotton Park Reservoir, Edgbaston Park and Bartley Reservoir. Coupled to this Bittell Reservoirs and the Lickey Woods were also close by.

The 1950s

The most memorable event was unquestionably the Coronation in 1953, which heralded the new Elizabethan Age and a wave of optimism that better times were on the horizon. Yet the portends were not good. Two years previously the Government had promoted the ‘Festival of Britain’ as a post-war boost to morale. The intention was that this should be a nationwide event, with a major exhibition on London’s South Bank the focal point. At the time it certainly caught the imagination of the country, with huge numbers of visitors attracted to the exhibition. It even prompted one member of the Club’s Research Committee to ask what the Club was doing to support the event. The Club’s response was to enquire what action the BTO was taking, but there is no record of any response from either body! Quite what was expected by that Committee member is unknown.

Some improvements in living standards were beginning to emerge, but other constraints remained. Conscription, for example, remained throughout the decade and most young men, including some Club members, found themselves drawn into conflicts in more distant parts of the world. Indeed, the Club was directly affected when two successive Secretaries of the Research Committee felt obliged to resign in anticipation of receiving their call up papers.

It was not until the end of the decade that living standards really began to improve. By then, with rationing finally ending in 1954, there was a relative abundance of goods and freedom of choice. Many new products, such as refrigerators and washing machines were making life easier and more enjoyable, at least for those who could afford them. Sadly though, many couldn’t.

Perhaps the biggest changes to everyday life were the advent of television and the growth in car ownership. The Sutton Coldfield transmitter had begun broadcasting in 1949 and very soon most homes had a television set. Even though the pictures were only black-and-white and very small, for many television replaced the regular weekly trip to the cinema, or ‘pictures’ as it was called in those days. For some, though, it was a few years before television reached the more remote areas. Car ownership doubled in the decade following a huge drop in prices as Austin, Ford and Standard vied with one another to see which of them could produce the cheapest vehicles. As a consequence, many members became more mobile than ever before and were able to venture further afield in search of birds. The majority though, especially the young, were still reliant on public transport or the trusted bicycle for getting around. Moreover, leisure time for most was limited, as the majority were still working a five-and-a-half day week. In 1952 the average working week was 48-hours compared to the 37 hours of a typical week today.

The economy remained weak and, as the nation drifted in and out of recession, the Government placed a squeeze on credit. This resulted in considerable unrest in key industries, with ship builders, coal miners, bus crews and dockers all staging strikes at various times. Fortunately the West Midlands bucked the trend, as the increased demand for cars meant the motor industry remained relatively buoyant. Indeed, many came to this region from less fortunate parts of the country in search of work. However, the merger between Austin and Morris to form the British Motor Corporation was perhaps indicative of the motor industry’s vulnerability, as production of the iconic mini - launched at the end of the decade - was immediately disrupted by an unofficial strike. Even though emergency petrol rationing had ended in 1957, and the credit squeeze was lifted two years later, many still found it hard to identify with Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, when he claimed “most of our people have never had it so good”. Indeed, despite tax cuts in the budget and the Treasury saying the economy was now stronger than for many years, industrial unrest remained considerably high, with 15,000 on strike at the British Motor Corporation. Racial tensions were also beginning to emerge as unemployment levels were high and many blamed the ‘Windrush’ generation of immigrants for taking their jobs.

All this economic turmoil put tremendous pressure on family incomes and probably helped to explain why the dramatic fourfold growth in the Club’s membership over the second half of the 1940s reduced to a trickle overnight. The problem was not the failure to attract new members, but the difficulty of retaining those we already had – a situation that was not helped when the Club felt obliged to increase subscriptions to 12/6d from January 1st 1957 (a mere 63p in today’s money). During the four years 1956-59, 248 members left the Club – a figure that represented half the 1955 membership! In one year alone 10% of this loss was the result of having to strike off 25 members through non-payment of their subscriptions. As the Treasurer, Norman Swindells, remarked in his 1957 report, “these losses were in part offset by the new Stafford Branch, which had made a significant contribution by recruiting 23 new members during the year.”

Despite living standards failing to reach most people’s expectations, for the Bird Club this was a decade of prolific activity and a growing, enviable reputation. Foremost amongst the many new initiatives were a major new survey; expansion of ringing activity; formation of a new branch at Stafford in 1957; the first venture into conservation; and above all else securing Belvide as its first reserve and celebrating the Club’s Silver Jubilee in 1954.

Surveys and research have always been at the heart of the Club, much of which was done under the guidance of the Research Committee. Every year Club members have participated in the national wildfowl counts and the various BTO single species surveys. In 1950, however, the Club embarked on two exciting ventures of its own – one very successful, the other less so. The successful one was the landmark Breeding Bird Distribution Survey based on the Local Government areas in Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The brainchild of the then Club Secretary, Editor and Research Committee Chairman, Tony Norris, this was a pioneering example of an atlas.

The highlight of 1951 was the publication of the results of this Survey. Its significance as a pioneering Atlas cannot be overstated. Although covering only 100 species, its impact was far reaching – so much so that in 1952 the BTO, no doubt influenced by Tony Norris, launched its own national survey of a limited number of species based on Ordnance Survey Grid squares.

Since very few copies of the ground-breaking 1950 survey survive, we will ultimately be including a photographic copy as an Appendix to our Story.

Organising such a survey had put added pressure on Tony Norris, however, so the Annual Report for that year was largely prepared by John Lord, who then took over the role of Editor in 1952 – a position he held until 1971. Tony Norris also stood down as Chairman of the Research Committee in 1950 and Brunsden Yapp took over the role.

The second, less successful, venture was again an idea put forward by Tony Norris and readily approved by the Research Committee. It was “to make possible a branch of research work not previously undertaken on such a large scale in such an inland area” by erecting a Heligoland trap for ringing birds. Over time this developed into a well-documented saga. To begin with there was the search for a suitable, accessible site, which had begun in 1949. This in itself posed a few problems, but the options were gradually whittled down to two, with a rickyard adjacent to an orchard on the edge of Birmingham finally being chosen. The original intention had been for the trap to be transportable – “the irony of which was not lost on those who witnessed the wind-blown state into which it had fallen the following year!” The next problem was to source materials – no easy task with post-war shortages of most things. Several members had offered to obtain quotes for the netting, but it ultimately fell to Tony Norris to contact John Barrett, at the distant Dale Fort Field Study Centre in Pembrokeshire, to enquire about his source for wire netting!

The netting was eventually obtained in February, and with members of the Research Committee showing great enthusiasm, a basic structure was completed in a few weekends. Despite the lack of essentials, such as a door at the start of the tunnel and an amazing number of gaps in the netting, to which the birds were very adept at drawing attention, 60 birds were ringed in the first week and 456 of 17 species in the first year – a third of them (European) Greenfinches.

Most of these were caught whilst a blanket of snow was covering their natural food – an essential factor which became only too apparent the following year, when the trap proved not to have been the great success that had been hoped for. It was soon realised that the local birds had quickly learnt to avoid it, so reasonable numbers were only going to be caught in harsh winter weather, which of course restricted its value.

There was also debate as to who should pay for the rings - the ringer or the Club - and complaints about the accuracy of the scales being used for weighing birds. Having shown the existing ones to be inaccurate, Tony Norris said he could get some scales for 7/10d each wholesale. At this, one Research Committee member, Talbot Clay, suggested he should buy a dozen, sell to those ringers who wanted them and then “flog the rest from a barrow in Corporation Street.”

By this time (1950) G. Rayner had resigned as the Research Committee’s Secretary pending his call up for National Service, to be succeeded by Mike Rogers – a name that will be well known to many as a former Honorary Secretary of British Birds Rarities Committee. The next year Mike, too, had to retire pending his call-up and he was succeeded as Secretary by Tony Blake. Mike had a way with words and some of his quotes from the minutes regarding the Bartley trap make entertaining reading.

For a variety of reasons, repairs to the trap were proving to be a constant and costly necessity. As Mike records it, by the first summer it had been subjected to the “sadistic and uninhibited ravages of a local youth.” Later in the year he notes “the appearance on the scene of farm machinery resulted in the partial destruction of one end of the trap.” A reconstruction party had to be hastily arranged in order to remedy this. Finally, he reported that a cow had inadvertently wandered into the net, got itself caught and broken the netting to get free. His laconic summary of the whole saga was “the poor old thing (the trap) was now being subjected to the somewhat dubious interests of a cow on top of those of budding Tarzans and tractor drivers!”

At the time the location of the trap was kept secret to avoid disturbance, but later it became known that it was at Westminster Farm, Frankley, close to Bartley Reservoir on the edge of Birmingham. In expressing the Club’s sincere thanks to Mr J. F. Colewood for letting the Club use his land, Tony Norris wrote “We have had immense pleasure and obtained a great sense of satisfaction as a result of his co-operation. We hope neither our antics nor the arrival of the Birmingham press en masse on his land have inconvenienced him.” This seems something of an understatement given the events described above, though perhaps the media were a little more restrained then than they would be today.

Apart from the Heligoland trap, several other ringing expeditions were undertaken. Of these, those concerned with the controversial (Common) Starling were most noteworthy. Tony Norris said “In post war years the City of Birmingham has become famous, some would say infamous, for its attitude towards the Starling, some twenty thousand of which roosted in the City Centre during the winter, with smaller numbers in the summer. The fact that buildings are defaced and the noise of several hundred on the Town Hall disturbs the concert goers cannot be denied, but whether this constitutes such a public nuisance as to warrant the persistent demands for extermination by some of the City Councillors is quite another question. Happily the first six or seven rounds in the contest have gone unquestionably to the Starlings and only those few buildings that are electrically wired on

the cattle-fence principle

have achieved immunity.” Various other attempts were made to dissuade (Common) Starlings from roosting on buildings in the City Centre, but mostly these met with little success. The Research Committee began what was to become a fairly regular count of birds roosting in the city centre (see the six areas on map opposite), the first of which found around 20,000 in the winter of 1949/50. 

Outside the city, Eric Simms – a Club member who was destined to become a well-known personality especially as an author and broadcaster - discovered a huge roost near Shipston-on-Stour, which was visited more than once. In an age before mist-nets, it was said these expeditions “provided perhaps the most sporting aspects of a bird-watchers’ year. Working with 16ft (5m) high nets in complete darkness in the middle of a really dense, evil-smelling bramble and hawthorn thicket has to be experienced to be appreciated!” As an experiment in orientation, 63 of the 70 birds trapped at this location on November 27th 1951 were taken to Birmingham, kept in cages overnight and released from the top of the University Clock Tower between 15.00 - 16.00 hours the following day. On release, the birds followed every possible direction of flight – none making any attempt to join the flocks heading towards the city centre roost - though a gale force wind blowing at the time may have contributed to the random dispersal.

Pigeons too were perceived as a nuisance and Canon Bryan Green made a plea for people to stop feeding the birds in the churchyard. But Tony Norris pointed out that “the most common cause of trouble is, of course, the Starling …(but) they do not come into the city centre to feed, but only to roost.”

One (Common) Starling, ringed at the Birmingham Reference Library in 1952, was later found dead in Sweden. This prompted Tony Norris to note “this is the first concrete evidence we have had that our Birmingham Starling roost is in part, at least, composed of birds from the Continent. From this also it is clear that any methods of controlling the numbers of Starlings in Birmingham would have to take into account the myriads of birds which come into this country each year and may, in any year, decide that the centre of Birmingham is a nice place to roost!”

The Club also took its first real step in conservation, when in conjunction with the RSPB it helped to get Alvecote Pools scheduled as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1955 and so secure their future, which was threatened by proposed opencast mining. The pools are now a Warwickshire Wildlife Trust reserve.

Branches were another of the Club’s innovations. The first two had been established in 1948 at Kidderminster and Studley. Credit for starting the Kidderminster Branch goes to Mr C. R. Millett, while its Secretary, Mr G. A. J. Weaver, organised a programme of indoor and field meetings. (we have found no details of these). These two Branches were quickly followed by the formation of two more - an East Warwickshire Branch at Coventry in 1950 and a South Warwickshire Branch at Stratford-on-Avon in 1951. The Annual Reports list the first Branch representatives on the Club’s main committee as C. R. Millett (Kidderminster from 1949), Miss M. Garstang (Studley from 1949), R. W. M. Lee (East Warwickshire from 1950) and Miss M. Hawkes (South Warwickshire from 1951). It should perhaps be mentioned that the Studley Branch, meeting in the College, was established long before Alan Richards moved to the village and he had no connections with it.

Apart from naming the branch representatives, however, the Annual Reports regrettably tell us little about the constitution and activities of these branches and the absence of Bulletins prior to April 1952 leaves a void in our knowledge of their activities. Even the post 1952 Bulletins include only occasional details of Branch meetings, yet the statement below implies there were more, at least in the Kidderminster Branch.

From the scant evidence we have, however, it would seem the branches had mixed fortunes. The Kidderminster Branch, no doubt supported by Tony Norris who lived at nearby Clent, flourished for many years, organising both indoor and field meetings, the former being held in the Town Hall. The East Warwickshire Branch, on the other hand, was very short-lived, closing in 1953, but for what reason is unknown. In contrast the South Warwickshire Branch proved more resilient, surviving until 1960, with Mrs M. Nelder taking over as its committee representative in 1955. What position she, and the other branch representatives, held within their respective branches is unknown.

However, we do know that the South Warwickshire Branch held an indoor meeting in 1952. Another fairly resilient branch was that at Studley, which we know held indoor meetings at the College courtesy of the Principal, Miss Garstang. It also held a field trip to Slimbridge in February 1958, organised by Audrey Knight at a cost of 9/- (45p in today’s money). Meanwhile Cecil Lambourne replaced Miss Garstang as the Branch Representative in1957 and the Branch survived at least until 1965.

The 1952 Report saw yet another innovation with the inclusion of photographs for the first time. Though only in black-and-white of course, the pictures taken by A. W. Ward and Stanton Whitaker were the first of many to grace our Annual Reports over the years - the Club being fortunate in having a string of eminent photographers amongst its membership.

The Research Committee continued to meet, though recruitment had become a problem. Tony Blake thought this was because membership was largely linked to the price of suppers and whether or not alcohol was free. To attract more members, it was resolved in 1953 to abandon Rule 1 of the Constitution, which required the annual election of members. By now there were already around twenty members, which was considered enough to ensure sufficient attendance at meetings, which were held firstly at Clark’s Café and later in Hudson’s bookshop canteen.

This Committee was very much like the origins of the Club, with members meeting as friends over a meal or a pint to discuss various aspects of bird watching. In later years individual members were asked to come prepared with a paper to stimulate discussion. Amongst the many topics raised, perhaps the most controversial was that advocated by one member, Norman Swindells, under the provocative title of ‘Ornithology is a Waste of Time’.

It was also observed that the Classified Notes for the 1949 Report had been slashed to make room for more articles. The Committee supported this action and proposed that it should be pursued in future years, with more space also set-aside for information on Field Meetings to encourage more people to go on them. Above the unanimous support for this proposal, the voice of Tony Norris was heard pointing out that “he maintained the right to do as he liked with the Report and did not propose to transform the Research Committee into a Board of Editors, although he still respected its resolutions.”

Research Committee members were also involved in field survey work in north-west Staffordshire for the BTO’s pilot atlas, and on Cannock Chase monitoring the after-effects of spraying by the Forestry commission to control an insect infestation. Help of a different kind was given to the Birmingham Museum when, in response to its request, Arthur Jacobs volunteered to assist in identifying the specimens in a recently acquired collection. Yet

another request was received for tape-recordings for an event on bird song to be held at Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham.

An insight into the informality of proceedings is provided by this quote from its Secretary, Tony Blake.

In 1953, Tony Norris and other Club members, together with the West Wales Field Society and local people, were instrumental in setting up the Bardsey Bird Observatory in what was then Caernarvonshire, now Gwynedd. The Club saw this not only as a new bird observatory, but also an opportunity for studying the complex ecology of a small island. Until recently, the Club had representatives on the Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory Committee, but following the adoption of new Charity Commission ruling this is no longer the case. However, it is understood that steps are being taken to reinstate more formal links between the two organisations.

At the time the Club’s members responded to a request for equipment for the observatory and Tony Norris said “It is proof of their generosity that I am now dictating this Bulletin (No 51) on the eve of my departure for the established observatory on the island. The house which we have leased, which incidentally had been empty for several years, has been repaired, redecorated from top to bottom, and is now quite luxurious. The furniture, beds and bedding have been purchased and installed, together with cookers and all the necessary miscellaneous equipment that goes to make a well-run household installed.” The Club, of course, has maintained close links with the observatory and the island ever since and has made further contributions in subsequent years, as will be seen much later.

Nationally, Club members lent their support to the Wild Bird Protection Bill, introduced into the House of Lords by Lady Tweedsmuir in 1953. Indeed, many members urged their MPs to support amendments that would have given even greater protection to birds, only to be disappointed with the 1954 Act when it eventually became law in December of that year. Most felt contacting their MPs had been a waste of time! It did bring some converts, however, with one member saying “I sold my gun and bought a pair of binoculars - what could be more sensible?”

After seven years as Club Chairman, William E. Kenrick stood down in 1953. His successor, Tony Norris paid the accompanying tribute to the outstanding contribution he had made. Following his election as the new Chairman, Tony Norris then resigned as the Club Secretary and was replaced by Tony Blake. By now secretarial duties were becoming more onerous, so a new post of Assistant Secretary was created with Donald R. Mirams elected to fill it. A new Membership Leaflet was apparently produced around this time too, but we have not come across a copy of it.

The irrepressible Tony Norris also brought a supply of nest-boxes along to indoor meetings for sale at 7/6d. as well as arranging for a stock of current BTO literature to be made available. Mr J. T. Baron kindly agreed to organise this latter service, which it was thought would be of help to members, but it’s not clear how long this persisted.

The Jubilee Year in 1954 fittingly saw further new developments. It began with a new heading for the Bulletin that incorporated the Club’s first ever logo – an outline of the three county boundaries - flanked by details of the Club’s officers (see below). At the time this was considered a contemporary design reflecting a more modern age, but in reality it just reduced the space available for news in the Bulletin!

More significantly, it appears to be the first time that the whole of Staffordshire was openly included within the Club’s area. Whilst the decision to cover south Staffordshire had been well documented, we have found no official record of how the Club came to cover the rest of the county. In fact it seems to have happened rather surreptitiously, with the cover of the 1947 Annual Report entitled Birds of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and South Staffordshire in large letters, whilst the cover of the next year’s report contains a mere footnote in small letters stating Birds of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire without the word South.

In February special arrangements were made for Club Members to attend an illustrated talk at Cadbury’s Concert Hall in Bournville by Peter Scott on his recent trip to Tiera del Fuego & southern Patagonia.

The Club also became affiliated with the Coventry and District Natural History Society – an arrangement whereby their members could attend our meetings and our members attend those of their meetings that were relative to birds. Our members could also visit their reserves at Baginton and Banner Lane. Whether members found any advantage in this arrangement is not known.

Saturday, December 4th 1954 was the red letter day, when the Club celebrated its Silver Jubilee at the Birmingham Art Gallery with an event, described as a ‘Conversazione’. This took place over the afternoon and evening, with a buffet (not provided free). The main speaker was Sir Landsborough Thomson, who gave a talk on the Study of Bird Migration. There was also a showing of the latest RSPB film. It had been hoped to screen a new Hungarian film of Red-footed Falcons, but this was unavailable, so a film by Dr Homoki-Magy entitled Birds of Lake Feherto {in southern Hungary} was shown instead. There were also exhibitions or displays by the BTO and RSPB as well as the Club itself. The event was extremely well supported, with 450 attendees.

The occasion was also marked by two significant announcements. The first was that membership had passed 500 for the first time. The second was that the Club had successfully negotiated an agreement with Inland Waterways (a section of British Transport Commission) under which the Club had rights of access and certain other facilities at Belvide and Gailey Reservoirs. It was stressed “This agreement does not entitle every member of the Club to go when and where he (notice no she!) likes at these reservoirs, but it does represent a very useful concession to the Club. Permits will be available from the Secretary, but with certain conditions attached, which must be strictly followed.” (Note that in his Birds of Belvide Reservoir, Dave Smallshire says a permit scheme was started in 1953, but we have no details of this.)

The Jubilee Year ended with Cecil Lambourne standing down after six years as Treasurer and Dr. Norman Swindells taking over the role.

Things moved swiftly at Belvide and by 1955 plans were already afoot for a gazebo on the south shore “to facilitate the observation of innumerable wildfowl and waders. Any member with skill or facilities as a builder that could help very materially in this enterprise was asked to contact the Field Meeting Secretary, Talbot Clay.” A picture of the completed hide was included in the1956 Annual Report. [We also recall seeing a photograph of Peter Scott and others outside the gazebo, but have been unable to find a copy – can anyone help please? Eds.] Ironically a Field Meeting to Belvide that year had to be cancelled due to the late receipt of many applications from those wishing to attend.

By now the numbers attending Field Meetings were such that the Secretary, Talbot Clay, asked for assistance, which was readily forthcoming. In the age before motorways and with petrol still hard to come by, meetings continued to be mostly to local venues, with Slimbridge and Nottingham Sewage Farm the furthest away. Over 60 members applied to go on the latter trip, leaving many disappointed, especially when those who went saw a Spotted Crake. By this time Nottingham had replaced Northampton Sewage Farm as a venue, since the latter had been “modernised and was no longer attractive to birds or birdwatchers!” Some idea of the conditions of paths at most reserves can be gleaned from the constant reminders for members to bring gum boots, as Wellingtons were called in those days. Another notable feature was that the cost of many field trips included tea, but members had to provide their own lunch. There were also some restrictions on certain trips. For example, on visits to the Goose Grounds, as Slimbridge was then called, only Severn Wildfowl Trust members were allowed into the hides, though each member could be accompanied by a guest. The longer trips at least were made by coach, usually with Gliderways who began to advertise their services in the Club’s Annual Reports about the middle of the decade.

The regular programme of Field Meetings was further augmented by another new initiative, namely the introduction of a series of field meetings specifically for beginners to local venues such as Bittell Reservoirs, the Clent Hills, Earlswood Lakes, Lickey Hills and Sutton Park. These were led by experienced members of the Research Committee.

By the middle of the decade there were signs that life was becoming a little easier, with more of us taking holidays abroad, though it was to be some time before bespoke overseas birding holidays began. So far the Club had not contemplated an overseas visit itself, but the portends were there as towards the end of the decade the minutes record the Field Meetings Secretary, Talbot Clay, as saying he thought he ought to organise a trip abroad, but admitted he did not fancy the job! It was considered only 30 would be needed to make such a venture successful. Meanwhile, members were given the opportunity to join a nine-day visit to the Camargue organised by the Birmingham University Extra-Mural Department at a cost of £30.

At the request of the sponsors to a wider scheme covering the larger towns of Britain, the Research Committee instigated an Urban Bird Survey spread over four weeks in 1956 (one week each in January, March, May and October). Organised by Mr Mirams, the survey was designed to enlarge and co-ordinate information on the birds within the Birmingham City boundary throughout the year. Following discussions in the Research Committee, a format for the survey was approved and this received favourable comment from the national organiser, Stanley Cramp – better known nowadays as the chief editor of The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Information was sought on the present status of breeding and wintering birds in various habitats and their adaptation to an urban existence. Overall, 72 species were recorded and the full results appeared as an article in the 1958 Annual Report, when Mrs Saxby, Ken Darlow, Hugh Kenrick, Maurice Larkin and Mike Rogers were thanked for the considerable trouble they went to in submitting detailed and comprehensive records.

Throughout the decade environmental issues were becoming increasingly more prominent. The abolition of wartime building restrictions led to record levels of house building, as programmes to demolish inner-city slums and replace them with vast new suburban estates took effect. The new ‘homes fit for heroes’ were equipped with what were for many unimagined luxuries such as electricity, running water and internal sanitation.

A typical example of the development pressures being experienced was Brown’s Coppice. Under the guidance of a Club member who was a school master, this area had been well studied by pupils of King Edward VI School, Camp Hill. In 1954 they had produced a report on its ornithological value that was highly praised by several Club members and received national recognition in journals. It was remarked at the time that this area, “so near the heart of Birmingham, contained a quite remarkably interesting resident avifauna, with rare species visiting during migration.” One year later change threatened. The Club member concerned wrote “It is now learnt that plans for the sterilisation of this area are afoot. It is proposed to drain the land, fell the timber, and build horrible houses (!) … When a sanctuary is in close proximity to an urban area it is of very special value, not only as a reservoir of bird life for the surrounding district, but as a place of study for local naturalists. In this particular case Brown’s Coppice has proved this point in that the local school have seized their opportunity and there can be no doubt that future generations of students will be deprived of a very necessary amenity if the building development is allowed to proceed.” We have been unable to determine for certain the location of the Brown’s Coppice referred to, but there is a Brown’s Coppice Avenue in an area of Solihull that was under development around that time and where a remnant strip of woodland still survives. If this was the study area, then sadly developers won the day and houses were built (though admittedly not horrible ones!) Either way, it exemplifies the start of the battles to be fought in so many cases across the region.

Air pollution was also becoming a significant problem and, following the great smog of London in 1952, the Government passed the Clean Air Act in 1956. Some years later House Martins had moved to within a couple of miles of Birmingham City Centre and were nesting close to where the Club’s founder, W.E. Groves, had lived. In 1953 the Nature Conservancy Council declared its first eight nature reserves, but in general scant consideration was given in those days to the erosion of the countryside and a balanced rural environment. On the contrary, the Government offered farmers £5 per acre to plough up grassland for crops. This was compounded by an outbreak of myxomatosis in 1954 that decimated the rabbit population to the detriment of many grasslands and open ground birds. A positive environmental landmark, however, was the designation of Cannock Chase as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1958. As will be seen later, the Club has been closely involved with this important habitat and its birdlife ever since.

The indoor meetings retained their popularity, justifying a full programme of eight each year, as the charts at the end show. Unfortunately we do not have full details of all these meetings as we have been unable to track down any Bulletins prior to April 1952 and the Annual Reports list only the speakers, but not their subjects or dates. It can be seen from their names, however, that speakers were of the highest quality, with several eminent names appearing. In the 1958 Report it was said there had been times when some thought the supply must dry up, but the resources seemed inexhaustible so long as Mr Norris was in the chair. Six of the meetings continued to be held in the City of Birmingham Art Gallery, where the accommodation was made available through the kindness of the Director, Mr Trenchard Cox. This privilege was very much appreciated by the Club as it afforded “ample room and admirable accommodation and facilities” – something of an understatement as few bird clubs can have had the benefit of such a prestigious meeting venue.

The Secretary, Tony Norris, however, had said in the 1950 Report that his endeavours “to obtain a wide range of speakers was a constant worry, though the generous way in which noted ornithologists and bird watchers come to talk at our meetings, in the majority of cases from considerable distances and at their own expense, has been an encouraging criterion of the standing which the Club has obtained.” (Alan Richards surmised that some had probably been invited to stay as guests at Tony Norris’ home, but we have no way of verifying this.) Certainly some, such as Peter Scott, were known to be close friends of Tony.

It may have been around this time that Indoor Meetings reached their peak, as the Secretary noted in the 1955 Annual Report that the average attendance had fallen for the first time since the war as follows:

Just to confound him, however, it rose again to 135 in 1956. We believe this to be the highest ever recorded, as in the following year the Secretary said “no statistics were kept of the attendances at these meetings (this year). Perhaps this is no serious omission as in some quarters the opinion is held that there is a plethora of figures in the bird world to-day.” One meeting that stands out from this programme was that in March, which was held jointly with the BTO on a Saturday afternoon, when the speaker was R. M. Lockley from the West Wales Field Society.

The popularity of the indoor meetings was undoubtedly a response to the quest for more knowledge. Few new books had been produced since the war and television screened little about wildlife, so up-to-date information was hard to come by. Younger birdwatchers especially were keen to hear what was about and, as Alan Richards later observed, many were reliant on the Observers Book of Birds as an aid to identification until Collins published their Pocket Guide to British Birds by R. S. R. Fitter and R. A. Richardson in1952 and followed this with the first edition of the highly acclaimed Peterson Field Guide to the Birds of Britain & Europe in 1954, Whilst on the subject of publications, it was recorded in 1954 that John Sears had taken over sales of publications from Mr Baron.

Information on Branch activity around this period remained typically sparse, but we know the South Warwickshire Branch was still extant, as it held a meeting in November to discuss future activities.

On a brighter note, we at last found positive confirmation that a Library had been formed. Some 60 Bird Reports from other areas were already available and arrangements had been made for a Report exchange with several other Bird Clubs and Natural History Societies, which would increase this number. As Publications Officer, the library became John Sears’ responsibility. Loans were made for two weeks, with a 6p fine thereafter for each week or part of a week that a loan was overdue. A list of the Reports held in the library was available at Indoor Meetings and copies could also be obtained by post.

At the 1956 AGM in February an increase in Members’ subscriptions from 10/- to 15/- (75p in today’s money) was approved, with the Junior rate remaining at 5/-. It had been intended to introduce this in March, but since most members had already paid their subscriptions for the year it was deferred to take effect the following year. In the meantime, however, it was presumably reviewed, as the membership rate from January 1957 was eventually set at 12/6p (62p in today’s currency).

With ever increasing numbers of birdwatchers searching for birds, it was perhaps inevitable that complaints about behaviour would begin to emerge. The first of these concerned trespassing and disturbance at Alvecote Pools. Whilst it was not necessarily Club members that were involved, it was thought appropriate for the following notice to be included in a Bulletin:

“Since the war the number of birdwatchers has increased, so possibly has trespassing. A single birdwatcher turning up at a private reserve once a month may not be too much of an interference. But when birdwatchers arrive in car loads every weekend it becomes intolerable, not only for the owners of property, but quite often for the birds themselves. It is for these reasons that we must point out that birdwatching is not a valid excuse for wandering over private land without permission. When the land in question is a marsh, or other land or site of special ornithological importance, it is more than ever vital that disturbance should be prevented … … don’t jeopardise the goodwill of landowners.”

Through the good offices of Mr W. H. Harrison and his agent, the Club was entitled to issue 24 permits to visit Alvecote Pools between February 1st and October 31st, but eight of these had already been issued and the national Wildfowl Counters (presumably George and Maurice Arnold) were allocated three, though it is not clear whether these three were part of the eight or extra to it.

Another complaint was received from Belvide, where our near neighbour ‘Farmer’ Blake, as he was known to Club members, was aggrieved by birdwatchers taking their cars down the private lane at the western end of the reservoir that led to his farm. Again, though, there was no evidence that these were Club members and Mr Blake admitted he had no objection to people using the lane on foot.

Meanwhile good progress was being made on the Gazebo (hide) at Belvide and an appeal was made for members to contribute towards the cost of £50 for the work involved. This was reasonably successful as almost £35 was raised. Special mention was given in the 1956 Report to Cecil Lambourne and his family for their wonderful effort in the construction of the gazebo, which adorned the south shore of Belvide Reservoir. It was also decided to allow ringing at Belvide and Gailey, with permits to be issued subject to the Committee’s discretion for a period of six months and with certain conditions imposed. This was later followed by a decision to issue permits (for both reservoirs) to photograph birds from hides. We presume this restriction applied only to photographers using their own portable hides and not to photography from any permanent hide.

There was some confusion with the Bulletins around this time. For some unknown reason an extra Bulletin was published in 1956 - in the unusual month of June - whilst in October 1957 and again in March 1958 two editions appeared with the same number, but with different content! This of course has thrown into doubt the accuracy of the status claimed for future Bulletins, such as the 500th. Seemingly the claim was technically incorrect.

For a long period the Research Committee had been meeting in the canteen at Hudson’s bookshop in New Street courtesy of Tony Norris, but in 1956 he explained that this arrangement could no longer continue as the canteen was being closed. The next meeting was again held at Hudson’s, but with an adjournment for refreshments elsewhere. The Cambridge Inn was then chosen as the future meeting venue, although there were some complaints about the rise in price of a meal to 5/6d. Some members even suggested bringing their own sandwiches. Unfortunately this arrangement only lasted for 18 months as the meeting room at the Cambridge Inn was then required for a new lounge. So the Committee then moved to the Hope and Anchor Inn.

The next major event of the decade saw the formation of a new Branch at Stafford. It was felt that the Club’s membership in central and northern Staffordshire was very small, and the formation of a Branch at Stafford would help to foster interest in the area, increase the recording of bird-life and so make our Annual Reports more comprehensive. Following much hard work by Roy Went, an inaugural meeting was arranged on April 25th 1957 in the Lecture Room at Stafford Public Library. This was attended by 58 people, only eight of whom were already members, though a further eight applications for membership were received. Roy Went was elected Chairman and Gordon Ireson Honorary Treasurer, while six others

volunteered to help and the Branch was formed. The evening concluded with the showing of an RSPB film. As we have seen, Club branches have come and gone over the years, but the Stafford Branch has flourished and continues to be an integral part of the Club. 

This is perhaps an appropriate place to mention another well-known member of the Club. Eric (Sam) Clare. He lived in Staffordshire and joined the Club sometime between 1952 and 1955, so he might well have been at the inaugural meeting of the Stafford Branch. If not, we feel sure he would have joined the Branch soon afterwards. Whilst compiling this Instalment of the Club’s Story, we received the sad news that he passed away on October 13th 2025, just a couple of months short of his 100th birthday. Spanning some 70 years, he must have been the Club’s longest serving member and we shall later be recording his specific contributions in the decades in which he made them. Shortly before he died, his sister very kindly put a few of our questions to Eric and his recollections are shown in the box opposite. When he referred to meetings at various places, he must have meant the Stafford Branch, since parent Club meetings were mostly at the same venue and he certainly wouldn’t have cycled all the way to Birmingham!

Notable amongst the Indoor Meetings in 1957 was the screening of Heinz Sielmann’s famous film about woodpeckers, a short extract of which had been shown by Peter Scott in one of the first Look television films. Individual members were also active in a variety of ways. For example, Messrs Fincher and Hindle, collaborated with the Extra-Mural Department of Birmingham University on a bird census of Hartlebury Common, travelling there it was noted by bus.

By 1957 the Club was said to be still going from strength to strength, with 528 members – more than ever before thanks to a significant contribution from the new Stafford Branch. There was also a small financial surplus. As in the past, indoor meetings had remained well attended in spite of the rival claims of television, though statistics were no longer being kept. On the scientific side, the Secretary, Tony Blake, was singled out for special praise for his contribution in organising the wildfowl counts across the three counties; managing the BTO’s Nightjar and Coot surveys; and his work on the Bulletin, which was almost entirely his own doing. In 1957, John Sears replaced D. Mirams as Assistant Secretary.

In a decade with so many positive achievements it was sad to learn that the Club’s founder and former Vice President, Wellington Ernest Groves, passed away on January 1^st 1958. He

had given 29 years of service to the Club, occupying every office in the early days from the inception of the Club until 1945, when on the restructuring he became Vice President – a position he held until 1957. In total he completed 17 years as its Secretary and three as its Treasurer. Nobody had done more for the Club and in mourning his passing the accompanying obituary by the Club Chairman, Tony Norris, appeared in the Annual Report.

There are few records of the equipment available to birdwatchers at this time, but the 1957 Report contains two advertisements, one by Charles Frank for German captured military binoculars, 10x50s at £26 and 6x30s at between £7.15.0d and £10.15.0d; the other by Barr and Stroud with no further details. In his book Gone Birding. however, Bill Oddie recalls receiving a pair of Barr and Stroud 8 x 30s as a Christmas present (c1954) and remarked they were “an excellent model even by today’s high standards, and by no means cheap”. A Club member was also offering a x30-60 telescope with a 3” object lens for sale at £17-10-0d, presumably second hand. These days it is hard to contemplate the value then of what to us now are common everyday things. For example, a retractable biro pen left in the gazebo at Belvide was considered worthy of a notice in the Bulletin, with a note for the owner to contact the Secretary for its return, as was a walking stick left at Blithfield.

The Research Committee continued to meet on a regular monthly basis apart from a summer break. Brunsden Yapp resigned as Chairman at the end of 1954 and was replaced by Mr Hindle. Much of the time was spent on producing an update to the Birds of Staffordshire – the main concerns being how to ensure the fullest possible assemblage of records and how to present the final results. Eventually, after much deliberation, it was decided to send out a questionnaire to a wide range of organisations and individuals enquiring into the breeding distribution of birds in Staffordshire.

The diverse range of topics considered by the Committee included a presentation by Mr Nelder on statistics and ornithology; a suggested survey of Cirl Buntings in south Worcestershire; bird song; owls in the Wyre Forest; and line transects.

At times the Research Committee appeared to act more like a gentleman’s club, with prominent people invited to address its meetings. Two notable examples of this stand out. The first was a meeting at Westmere (the staff club at Birmingham University) on March 28th 1956 at which Lord Hurcomb and Dr. Evans were welcomed with a toast proposed by Brunsden Yapp. Lord Hurcomb then replied by referring to “the impatience of some people with the sentimental approach to birds, but he explained that it was mostly this type of person who was prepared to provide cash for bird protection.” The essence of this meeting was then the work of the BTO, but in conclusion Tony Norris proposed a toast to Horace Alexander, to which the President replied, expressing “his appreciation of the Club’s tolerance of a President who was so frequently an absentee. He thought this might be his swan song as he would soon be leaving the district.” The second was a meeting at the Hagley Hall Hotel in February 1959, when Dr. Thorpe, President of the British Ornithological Union, was invited to address members and invited guests, including ladies, on the subject of bird song. This meeting did not close until 22.40 hrs! On another occasion, a Miss Aldred was invited to speak on the unusual subject of bird pellets.

Such meetings were in stark contrast to the customary informality exhibited earlier by the Secretary. with most meetings being held at more humble premises, such as the Hope and Anchor. Indeed, the convivial nature of the Committee’s meetings can be judged by statements in the minutes such as “At this juncture it was discovered that by an oversight the drinks order had arrived in duplicate. However, Mr. Jacobs nobly offered to dispose of any surpluses that might remain.” On another occasion the same gentleman is recorded as having “left the room an ordinary member and returned to find himself elected to the new post of Honorary Organiser of Field Meetings.” Informality was perhaps stretched to its limits in 1957, when “Talbot Clay was absent making arrangements for the next meeting, when the chair, Mr Hindle, intimated he would like to vacate the office. Tony Norris thereupon proposed Talbot Clay as successor, seconded by Arthur Jacobs. When Talbot Clay returned he found himself expected to occupy the chair at once! He survived the shock nobly.”

Two or three afternoon and evening meetings were also arranged at Tony Norris’ home, with afternoon tea and dinner provided. Ringing appears to have been the main activity at these meetings, with discussions focussed on the idea of establishing a Ringing School to encourage more youngsters to take up ringing. This led to three extra Ringing School meetings being held at Clent House, using mist nets, with a further meeting at Cecil Lambourne’s home. Tony Norris also generously offered his house for the Research Committee’s annual dinner.

By 1958 Club Membership stood at 531 – a modest increase of just three over the previous year. A worrying feature was the loss of 69 members, 38 of whom had not paid their subscriptions. However, the decade closed with a remarkable increase of 70 in 1959. Indoor meetings continued to be popular as Tony Norris, despite his previously expressed concern, seemingly had an inexhaustible number of contacts that he could persuade to come and give interesting talks. The same year also saw the Club again break new ground when, on November 28th, it joined forces with the BTO and the Severn Wildfowl Trust to hold a meeting in Birmingham Town Hall in the presence of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress. Peter Scott, who was a friend of Tony Norris, gave an illustrated talk entitled The Birds of New Zealand and tickets for the event varied from 3/6d to 10/6d.

Field meetings also continued to be an important activity, with an average attendance of thirty. It was thought that around a third of the membership attended one or more of these meetings, with beginners in particular finding them instructive as there were always a few experts to give advice. An innovation this year was a trip to the Malvern Hills – a new destination. One extraordinary feature of the Field Meetings was the consistently good weather, with only one wet day in the preceding six years!

1958 also saw the creation of the West Midland Trust for Nature Conservation, under the Chairmanship of Prof. Shotton. This covered the counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire and was the forerunner of the present County Wildlife Trusts with which the Club has since had close relationships.

By now the Bartley trap was said to be still standing, but in poor shape as it was being little used. Tony Norris wondered whether any of the materials might be rescued and relocated to Bardsey, but subsequent investigation revealed the deterioration was too much for that to be feasible. So the trap came to sad end with the last known visitor being that cow.

As a mark of recognition for his long service to the Club, particularly as Editor during the difficult war years, Tony Harthan was elected Vice President in 1959 – a position he held until 1976. Meanwhile recognition of a different nature was given in a telegram sent to the President, Horace Alexander who was then living in America, congratulating him on his marriage at the end of November to Mrs. Bradbeer. This was to be Horace’s last year as President. Whilst on the subject of awards, it must be recorded that in 1959 Tony Norris received the Tucker Medal for his eight years of service to the BTO as Secretary and Treasurer.

Following the success of the inaugural meeting in Birmingham Town Hall the previous year, the experiment was repeated in November 1959, again with the kind permission of the Lord Mayor. This time our partners were the BTO and RSPB, with the latter showing their much vaunted film Highland Birds, which had filled the Royal Festival Hall in London to capacity on three showings and was widely claimed to be one of the best natural history colour films produced in this country. A short film on the successful breeding of Ospreys was also shown. The meeting was again judged a success, with tickets sold out a fortnight beforehand, and the Club expressed its intention to organise another such meeting in 1960 – expressing the view that it may well become an annual event.

Meanwhile, at an Extraordinary General Meeting in March 1959 it had been resolved to amend Rule 1 of the Constitution and change the Club’s name yet again, so that it finally became the WEST MIDLAND BIRD CLUB – the new name appearing for the first time on the September Bulletin. At 601, membership was still healthy even though in the last year alone 64 members had been lost and only 28 gained. Perhaps because of this, the back of the Annual Report for 1959 contained a prospectus sporting the Club’s logo – a fitting conclusion to an exhilarating, momentous decade for the Club.

The 1960s

For a brief time the early years of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ were generally ones of prosperity and economic growth and the first part of this decade was certainly when people really began to feel better off. With more spending power, many members were now able to afford the small family cars and they used their increased mobility to visit regular haunts more frequently as well as seeking out new places to explore. Although, even by the end of the decade, instructions regarding Field Visits to Bittell and the Lickey Hills still included bus times for those without a car! December 1960 also saw the last call-up for national service and conscription finally came to an end in 1963, meaning that younger birdwatchers were around to benefit from this freedom.

Major changes in communications were a feature of the decade. The Beeching axe of 1963 decimated the railway network, but this probably had little effect on members’ birdwatching, as the only reference we have found of travel by train was Belvide being reached from Gailey station, and that had closed in 1951. Instead the emphasis now was on road transport. The M1 and M45 had opened at the end of 1959, the M6 opened in stages during the decade and the M5 reached Bristol in 1964. This brought more distant birdwatching locations within easy reach and expanded the range of accessible venues for field meeting.

The good times were short lived, however. In 1963 electricity workers took industrial action and this led to the threat of power cuts before being settled. This had a severe impact on the economy and the deteriorating situation continued, causing the new Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, in 1964 to warn of an impending economic crisis. He imposed an import tax, which doubtless had an adverse effect on the availability and price of birding equipment such as binoculars and cameras. Despite this and other measures, inflation continued to run away, leading to a price and wage freeze in 1966 and finally to the devaluation of the pound in 1967. Immigration also continued to fester, with many claiming that immigrants were depriving indigenous workers of their jobs.

For birdwatchers the decade could hardly have had a worse beginning as the summer and autumn of 1960 were the wettest they had ever experienced. This affected fieldwork, while the high water levels resulted in a poor wader passage and mild conditions later in the year resulted in fewer wintering wildfowl. It was also a decade of considerable change for the Club, with several officers standing down and some new posts being created.

Change began at the 1960 Annual General Meeting, when one of the Club’s founder members, Horace Alexander, relinquished his position as President as he had now moved away. Horace was a founder member and he had served the Club for 31 years. In the early years there were no formal officers, but looking through the first five years of annual reports it is clear that he was very involved with their production. He was later President for 14 years (1946-59) and opposite is the tribute paid to him by Tony Norrris. His resignation was reluctantly accepted and finding a successor of comparable eminence must have been a challenge.

However, Lord Hurcomb was approached and having expressed his willingness to accept the office was duly elected as the new President. His name may have been unfamiliar to many members at the time, although he had been the holder of various Government posts connected with transport, which had led to his being elevated to the peerage as Baron Hurcomb in 1950. However, he was also a keen ornithologist and conservationist and was Chairman of the RSPB’s Council and later, we believe, its President. He was also President of the Council for Nature, intimately connected with the Council for Promotion of Nature Reserves and a member of the Nature Conservancy. He also played a key role in the 1954 Protection of Birds Act. He helped the Bird Club with any conservation problems with which it was concerned. As mentioned earlier, his daughter was married to Tony Norris and it was perhaps this family connection that persuaded such a high profile personality to become the Club’s President.

Following the publication of A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe in 1954 birdwatchers had become less parochial in their outlook and more were going abroad. This was reflected in the Club’s well-attended Indoor Meetings in the Birmingham Art Gallery, with more speakers telling of overseas visits. For example, in 1960 there were four such talks, namely Birds in Cyprus; Migration over North Africa and the Sahara; and two different talks on Sardinia. With more disposable income and better cameras coming onto the market, birdwatchers were also beginning to take an interest in photography and a well-known bird photographer and Club member, S. C. (Stanley) Porter, gave a talk on this subject. The Club was extremely fortunate to have the benefit of such an excellent venue and, looking closely at the accounts, it is surprising that the total cost of indoor meetings (hire of room and speaker costs) was only 7% of the total expenditure of £318 in 1960. At the now annual Indoor Meeting in the Town Hall, the RSPB showed its film Seabird Summer. Some meetings were also being held in conjunction with other organisations, such as one in Coventry with the Coventry Natural History Society and the BTO.

The BTO’s surveys for 1960 in which Club members participated were the ‘Lapwing habitat enquiry’, the ‘Road deaths enquiry’ and the ‘Distribution of the Red-backed Shrike enquiry’. This latter required a co-operative effort, but the very few records obtained were disappointing considering that the Club’s area was on the fringe of this species’ range. A draft of a new Birds of Staffordshire – a revision of Smith’s 1938 version – was completed and circulated to those whom it was thought might be able to contribute to the final publication - the Research Committee having spent time at several of its meetings discussing this project. Tony Blake handed over the regional organisation of the Wildfowl Counts to the Assistant Secretary, John Sears. At the year’s end, the membership stood at 606 and the accounts showed a surplus of £40.

Members continued to document the changes in birdlife. For example, they noticed that most summer migrants returned early in 1961, with Chiffchaffs and Swallows about 10 days earlier than usual and a Grasshopper Warbler on the exceptional date of April 2nd. Obviously this was due to favourable conditions at the time, but it is also tempting to speculate on whether they could have been an early sign that the climate was changing. Members also participated in the BTO’s sponsored enquiry into the Stonechat and they were encouraged to look particularly in known areas such as the Malvern Hills, Kinver/Enville and Cannock Chase.

Early in 1961 Talbot Clay tended his resignation as Field Meetings Secretary, which this time the Committee accepted, having resisted his request for a number of years. It was noted that in his twelve years in this post it was he who had really made the Field Meetings the success that they had now become. The following is a quote from Bulletin number 121 “Everyone who has been on a Field Meeting will remember his unfailing good humour, his masterly understatements, his constantly professed ignorance of birds (a trap for the unwary!), and his wonderful knack of always getting the coach away on time. Any of those who have deputised for him found that he had organised everything so well that there just were not any problems”. An invidious task for a successor to follow, and the Committee was most fortunate that Arthur Jacobs agreed to take over and was duly elected at the AGM.

Talbot Clay remained in office until 1st July 1961. In stepping down, he said “On a personal note may I say how much I have enjoyed arranging Field Meetings and the friends I have met in the last twelve years and, may I add, that I cannot recommend too strongly these meetings for beginners.”

The March 1961 field meeting to Belvide and Gailey Reservoirs had to be cancelled due to only 15 members having booked by the deadline, though a further 20 had applied too late! Did this have any influence on Talbot’s decision to resign we wonder!!

Readers may have noticed that in the 1950s one of the regular field visits was to Randan Wood and this continued on occasions into the 60s. Since writing the 1950s the authors have been given some further information about Randan Wood, and in particular about Frederick Fincher who owned the Wood. He lived in a bungalow within the wood and led field meetings to his ‘patch’. Fred was a long standing member of the Bird Club and of its Research Committee and also later a very active member of the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust as he was an all-round naturalist. Randan Wood, which is part of the Chaddesley Wood complex near Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, may not be that well known to many present day members.

Indoor Meetings continued to be held in the Birmingham Art Gallery throughout the decade, with both visitors and Club members participating. For the fourth successive year, another public meeting was again held in Birmingham Town Hall in 1961, when a full house was entertained by the RSPB’s film Reserved for Birds. This event made a profit of £27 for the Club, which would otherwise have made a loss as the end of year surplus was only £18.

Following on from its first involvement with conservation issues at Alvecote Pools, the Committee wrote to the Nature Conservancy Council and other bodies concerning the detrimental effect that boating at reservoirs, especially motorboats, was having on wildfowl. Very restricted numbers of bird-watching permits were now available for the first time for the winter months at Alvecote.

On a more mundane note, the Committee produced a new set of rules for consideration at the next AGM as the original ones had become untidy after many amendments. It was felt “that the Rules needed revision, particularly since the Branches which have been formed in the last fifteen years were inadequately covered by them.” The new rules were approved at the AGM in 1962, but unfortunately we have not found a copy of them.

Another resignation in 1961 was Dr Norman Swindells as Treasurer, a demanding post he had ably filled since 1955. Leonard Smith consented to fill this office. Hitherto the Club’s finances had been relatively straightforward, with income comfortably exceeding expenditure. Costs were increasing however, and the yearly balance dropped sharply from £40 in 1960 to £18 in 1961 and a mere £14 in 1962. Indeed, 1961 would actually have shown a deficit were it not for a profit of £27 from the fourth successive film show in the Town Hall mentioned above. In his final report, the retiring Treasurer, Norman Swindells, hinted at an increase in subscriptions when he said “For the first time since the subscription was raised to 12/6p (62.5p in today’s money) in 1957, expenditure has exceeded the income from members subscriptions. It will be seen that the major increases (in expenditure) are associated with the (Annual) Report and Bulletins; if the present standards are to be maintained, it is unlikely that these costs will be reduced.” Indeed it was decided to reduce the number of Bulletin issues each year.

Late in 1962 finally saw the publication of John Lord and Tony Blake’s much

awaited Birds of Staffordshire (cost 7/6d). This put further pressure on the Club’s finances. In 1962 the then Secretary, Tony Blake, said “we did in fact receive about 220 orders before publication, but it remains true to say that our slender capital will be almost completely dissipated unless we sell many more.” The following year the new Treasurer, Len Smith, expanded on the financial implications, stating “our reserves at the end of 1963 had fallen to the very low figure of £10 … … and we were obliged to call upon our deposit with the Leicester Permanent Building Society to pay off the debt incurred by publishing The Birds of Staffordshire. It was expected that the demand for this would be great enough to enable us to meet the cost from immediate sales. Our expectations were not fulfilled and it was necessary to find £111 to meet the deficit. However, the reserves could not be put to a more worthy venture and as the sales of this publication continue at a steady rate we shall eventually recoup the cost.”

However, the new Secretary, Alan Richards, was more optimistic, saying “as we go to press we are in sight of breaking even on this project. If those members who have not yet bought a copy, do so, we should at least cover our expenses.”! In fact it was 1965 before the Treasurer could report that the bank balance was almost back to the figure at which it stood in 1962.

With a year end deficit of £14.12.0 in 1962, the Committee decided to increase subscriptions as from 1964, which was just as well as reserves were still very low in 1963. The new rates were to be 17/6p for ordinary members; 10/- for wives; and 10/- for juniors.

The usual pattern of indoor meetings at the Art Gallery continued, with attendances regularly exceeding 100, whilst 200 was not unusual. The talk in February 1962 was entitled The Life History of the Alder Woodwasp, a film which had won several awards. A quote in the Bulletin says “Whilst this may have nothing to do with birds, the film is an outstanding contribution to our knowledge of a branch of natural history of which we are all far too ignorant ……. it is in places red in tooth and claw and not very suitable for the very young or the very squeamish”!

This year also seems to be the first time in which mention is made of a library to be administered by the Assistant Secretary, John Sears, and consisting of bird reports from other counties/areas.

Further resignations occurred in 1962, with Tony Norris standing down as Chairman and Tony Blake as Secretary. In the 1963 report the new Chairman P.W Hinde said ”It is difficult to express adequately all that the Club owes to them; but as Chairman and Secretary respectively for more than a decade their dynamic enthusiasm, undoubted capability and ornithological knowledge, whether administratively or in the field, must be responsible for so much that has determined, over the years, the successful progress of the Club”. As mentioned above, Alan Richards took on the role of Secretary and Clive Minton was elected to the new post of Ringing Secretary. The purpose of this latter post was to co-ordinate and report on the ringing activities of members. The following year he reported on the systematic ringing of nearly 500 Sand Martins at several small colonies in south Staffordshire, which was the Club’s first contribution to the national study of this species. Intensive studies of Mute Swans in south Staffordshire and (Barn) Swallows at Blithfield Reservoir and Nuneaton also continued.

One of the most memorable events of the decade was the winter of 1962/63, which was the most severe in the Club’s history and in the lifetime of any member. Not only did it surpass that of 1947, but it was said to be the worst for 85 years. A snowfall in mid-December was just the precursor of what was to come as an anticyclone developed over Scandinavia and later moved to Iceland. This drew in a cold northerly airstream. Up to 18” (46cm) of snow fell across the region during a blizzard in late December, augmented by more snow in February. With persistently low temperatures that plummeted down to -17oC, snow covered the ground for 67 consecutive days. The first frost-free day of 1963 was March 6th and this heralded a gradual thaw. Not surprisingly this exceptionally cold weather led to early summer migrants arriving much later than usual, in complete contrast to 1961. Fortunately, its impact on birds was less than expected, with many populations said to be back to normal by the end of the year.

Coincidentally, the BTO chose the 1962/3 winter for its Urban Starling Roost enquiry. Following the procedure established by Tony Norris for three counts in the early 1950s, the Research Committee decided to count the Birmingham City Centre roost and recorded a total of 31,600 birds – thereby starting a ritual that was to be periodically repeated over many years until the roost eventually disappeared. Thanks were expressed to those members who had undertaken this arduous and seemingly unrewarding task. Members were also busy counting birds for a repeat survey of inland wintering gulls following on from the first survey ten years previously. Unfortunately, as 1962/3 was such a hard winter, the figures obtained were unrepresentative unless the counts were made early in the period before the onset of this big freeze. A repeat survey was consequently arranged for 1963/4.

The showing of RSPB films at an annual meeting in the Town Hall continued, with the 1962 one being Garden Birds and that of 1963 Swallows at the Mill and A Water Bird’s World. However, a gradual falling away of support for these important meetings was noted on the latter occasion – if true, this was perhaps a reaction to more wildlife films on television. However, the 1965 meeting attracted an audience of over 300 to see the RSPB film Highland Birds and Heinz Sielman’s film The Life of a Woodpecker. Aside from the usual topics at the indoor meetings in the Art Gallery, was an unusual talk in 1965 on the problems of creating a wildlife sanctuary. In another departure from the more conventional indoor meetings, over 90 members attended a social evening organised at the Imperial Hotel in Birmingham.

Acting on behalf of the BTO, the Club co-operated with the Forestry Commission in a long-term project to provide nest-boxes on Cannock Chase in an attempt to increase the tit populations, which it was hoped would help control the numbers of Pine Looper moths. Of the 40 nest boxes erected, eggs were laid in 31 and broods reared in 20! The majority were Great Tits, with only five Blue and seven Coal Tits. As will be seen later, this developed into further assisting the Forestry Commission with survey work on the Chase.

Having succeeded Talbot Clay as Field Meetings Secretary in 1962, Arthur Jacobs expanded the venues to be visited. In addition to what had become a regular visit to Slimbridge, two more Field Meetings were made to places further afield in 1962. One was to the Long Mynd, which involved a good deal of rough walking which, in the experience of two of the present authors, was a feature of Arthur’s trips. The other was a long trip to West Kirby which proved especially attractive, with 65 members joining the coach, so it was hoped to do one long-distance trip a year from now on. Those members going on the latter trip were advised to bring gumboots or old shoes and a towel as it would involve wading through 12-18” of sea water!

The Research Committee continued to flourish, with at least two dozen members. Many of the meetings had consisted of one of the members reading a paper on a subject of their particular interest or expertise. Sometimes members of other bodies such as the BTO were invited to a meeting. But in the early 60s it was suggested that many meetings could take the form of an open discussion rather than a lecture. This certainly happened around the time of ongoing work for the proposed Birds of Staffordshire. Another discussion had the title of “Is Ringing Justified in a Scientific Sense?”, with two members, Messrs Lambourne and Mirams, who were in favour of ringing, leading the discussion. They suggested that a lot of bird knowledge came from ringing birds, but others expressed concern about ‘bad ringing’ and mistakes, with at least one member against the use of mist nets as ‘they can cause harm to birds.’ Another member, Stanley Porter, considered that ringing was an impertinence to natural creatures and asked “how was it possible to judge that the bird ringed suffered no inconvenience from carrying a ring or in some cases rings?”

For a number of years this Committee held annual dinners at Westmere, the Birmingham University Staff Club, which Brunsden Yapp was able to arrange and to which wives were invited. On one occasion it was stated that the purpose of these dinners was to prove to members’ wives that the Committee was a learned and distinguished group, but it was also thought that it was for Mr Yapp to be able to show the Committee how other learned and distinguished groups conducted their meetings!

On another occasion at the commencement of a meeting Mr Lambourne rose and on behalf of the Research Committee presented an official gavel to Mr Clay as a measure of appreciation of his services as Chairman. Mr Lambourne said it was generally understood that Mr Clay would continue in office and this was the express wish of the Committee. Mr Clay thanked the members for their kind thought in this matter and promptly brought his gavel into service by calling the meeting to order. It was apparent, as the meeting progressed, that the gavel could not be regarded as an idle symbol of authority.

The Research Committee also considered various ideas for field meetings including overseas. There was little support for a visit to Holland, but Arthur Jacobs would look into a possible visit to Neusiedlersee in Austria, which in 1962 he reported on as his ‘one man Research Committee expedition’ to this area. Other ideas, some of which took place, included a day on Hilbre Island, visiting Tregaron Bog, a get-together for one day on Anglesey and a weekend at South Wash. But the idea of a weekend at Cley in Norfolk attracted most interest, with the first one taking place in October 1960 and called “An extraordinary Meeting of the Research Committee”. The gathering - a total of 22 members, wives or guests - was held on the excuse that the Committee had celebrated its 100th ordinary meeting the previous month. It would appear that Arthur Jacobs had made the arrangements for the weekend and on the first evening it was proposed that “in recognition of his services Mr Jacobs be appointed Honorary Accommodation Officer and Victualler in Chief to the Committee in order that the blame for any mishaps might be laid upon his shoulders. The post carried the title of So(a)ke of Edgbaston”.

After this first visit, the Research Committee then held further weekends at Cley for the next few years. There are long reports of these visits in the Research minute books, with several amusing anecdotes, which could themselves make an interesting history of just the Research Committee. However we will just mention one comment made by one of the wives. When asked what she had thought of the weekend, she said “It was even better than last time: except for Mr Clay: he gets worse!”

Following these visits to Norfolk by the Research Committee, in 1963 the Club became even more ambitious by organising a two-day expedition to Hunstanton for all Club members. This was the first venture of its kind for the Club and proved so popular that it was continued in subsequent years. Nine field meetings were held in 1965, the more ambitious of which were a day trip to the Dee Estuary and a two-day trip to Anglesey.

What might interest our current readers is that our President, Bill Oddie,

was quite active in the area at this time and his initials (WEO) often appeared after records in the Annual Reports. It was in 1960 that Alan Richards first met Bill at Brandon when they were both watching a Smew - a chance encounter which later proved to be most beneficial to the Club. However, it was at Bartley Reservoir where Bill did much of his birdwatching and his observations culminated in him writing a two part article on The Birds of Bartley Reservoir which appeared in the 1962 and 1963 reports respectively. In his book Gripping Yarns he describes Bartley Reservoir, for which he was the authorised wildfowl counter, as “a bleak concrete-sided expanse of grey and lifeless water that very rarely attracted any wildfowl at all”. He then goes on to confess in the accompanying piece to some “disgraceful behaviour.”

A week in May 1963 was declared National Nature Week and was sponsored by the Council for Nature. The first wildlife exhibition to be held in Britain was arranged in London and Clubs around the Country also held their own exhibitions. The WMBC contributed to one in the Warwick Museum with a display related to the study of (Common) Starlings, their feeding habits, roosting and migration. The Stafford Branch and the Rugeley Field Club also staged exhibitions in the public libraries at Stafford, Cannock and Rugeley. There were also displays at Bromsgrove Library and the Birmingham & Midland Institute which members were encouraged to support.

During 1963 the problems of conservation and the preservation of natural habitats continued to be of prime importance. The rapid expansion of urban populations; growth of a new motorway network; demands of changing agriculture and forestry; and an increase in popular pastimes in the countryside (including birdwatching) were all bringing pressure on places of ornithological interest, which sometimes resulted in conflict. In 1946 the Government had passed the Green Belt Act, but local authorities in this region had been slow to respond to this. However, during 1960-2, in an effort to restrict the progressive outwards sprawl of our towns and cities, they came forward with the proposal for a West Midland Green Belt. At this stage precise boundaries were not defined and it was not until 1975 that final approval was given by the Secretary of State!

Some earlier protection had been given to Cannock Chase in 1958 as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the southern parts of Warwickshire and Worcestershire received the same protection in 1966 with the designation of the Cotswolds AONB. In addition the 1968 Countryside Act gave local authorities power to set up Country Parks as a means of drawing pressures away from sensitive areas and concentrating activities in more appropriate locations.

In one bulletin around this time there was a notice asking members to notify

the Secretary of any Public Enquiries into proposed developments that might affect known birding sites – see quote opposite. So nothing’s new - this message is still appropriate today!

Indeed in late 1962 the Main Committee asked the Research Committee if they could discuss the matter of places to be considered for preservation at a greater length than the Main Committee had time to do. It was suggested that Cecil Lambourne might take the lead in this and eventually prepare a report on the subject. After discussions at several Research meetings Dr Pritchard from the Nature Conservancy was invited to come to one meeting to explain the work of that organisation and how to preserve areas of importance for birds. There was mention of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s) and local nature reserves and Dr Pritchard provided a list of SSSI’s in the Club’s area. In due course, after more discussions, Cecil Lambourne produced a draft report for the Research Committee, which then went for approval by the Main Committee. A sub-committee was formed to take this subject further, with different areas allocated to the members. For instance, Arthur Jacobs would interest himself in Worcestershire, George Lewis in Warwickshire and Messrs Munns and Swindells in Staffordshire. Work collecting information for the Conservation Report continued through at least 1963. Unfortunately we cannot trace a copy of this report, but it became obvious from the Research Committee minutes that the work done by this sub-committee under Cecil Lambourne was very instrumental in Belvide becoming a nature reserve and not used for sailing, which had been one proposal for its use. In September 1963 Mr Hinde stated that “with regard to Belvide we now had material on which to build a case, with the ornithological aspect having been well covered by Mr (Tony) Blake”.

An important point in the Club’s status and administration was reached in 1963, when it was registered as a Charity, number 213311. This was reported in the Bulletin for November of that year and this status enabled members to covenant their subscriptions, which was a great benefit to the Club funds.

The Treasurer was able to report in 1964 that the decline in financial

reserves had been halted due to the subscription increase; officers making efforts to keep down cost; further sales of the Birds of Staffordshire; and members covenanting their subscriptions as above. Membership also increased by 62, despite the fact that 43 members failed to pay and a further 46 resigned. This means that a creditable 151 new members were recruited.

At a Special General Meeting before the ordinary one in April 1964 members were asked to approve two additions to Rule 6 on Administration as shown opposite.

Perhaps here is an appropriate place to mention the Club’s Branches, of which there were four at the beginning of the decade, namely Kidderminster, Stafford, Studley and South Warwickshire. They seemed to have been largely autonomous as there is no mention of meetings in the Bulletins or Annual Reports prior to 1966 and thereafter only some information from Stafford Branch and one mention about a showing of RSPB films in Kidderminster. Fuller reports from Stafford and Kidderminster did not appear until the beginning of the 1970s. However, these four Branches did have representatives on the main Committee as recorded in the Annual Reports. These representatives did not necessarily hold any other office in the Branch. During the decade the following were Branch Representatives at various times: Stafford; Gordon Ireson, Roy Went and Frank Gribble: Kidderminster; Mrs M Thursfield, M S Upsall, A E Davies and Les Bayes: and Studley; Cecil Lambourne. It has to be assumed that the South Warwickshire Branch, which had been represented on the Main Committee by Mrs M Nelder, ceased to exist after 1960 as did the Studley Branch after 1964, as no representatives are recorded after those years. Kidderminster and Stafford Branches continued through the decade, but it is a pity we have so few details of their activities, although we do know that Eric Longman was the chairman of the Stafford Branch from around 1962. It was also reported that the Stafford branch extended its winter talks to the Stoke-on-Trent area as from the 1967/8 season and this contributed to increased membership in the north of the County.

Mentioned was made in the 1964 Report to reservoirs being the focal points for birdwatchers, but a plea was made for members to ‘spread their wings’, especially in the summer months. In particular, more information was required on the breeding birds in areas such as south Warwickshire, the Teme Valley and the Cheadle district. Notwithstanding this plea, members were already actively involved in contributing to BTO enquiries and to those sponsored by other organisations such as the Nature Conservancy’s Birds of Prey and Tawny Owl surveys. From time to time members were reminded of the Country Code (now the Countryside Code) and were asked to follow it so that the Club would not be brought into disrepute. In particular, it was stressed, when undertaking survey work, that they should always ask landowners’ permission if it was absolutely necessary to cross land other than by public footpaths.

Around the middle of 1964 the suggestion was made at a Research Committee meeting by Ken Darlow and Alan Richards that a revision of “The Birds of Warwickshire” should be undertaken. They had been considering the work involved, but the help of the Committee as a whole would be needed. Ken Darlow reported that he had received the approval of Tony Norris, the author of the original work. Much discussion followed over many months regarding the financing of such a project; the scope of it; whether they should find a publisher or do it privately; whether it would be financially successful bearing in mind that “Warwickshire was, ornithologically, an unimportant County”; or whether it would be better to do one covering the whole of the Club’s area, although this would duplicate the “Birds of Staffordshire” published only two years previously. Discussions rumbled on until it was finally overtaken by another suggested project.

This was the BTO’s proposed Atlas of British Birds. In March 1965 Mr Nelder reported on his correspondence with the BTO’s Director of Research, Dr Snow, that the BTO was willing to encourage the Bird Club to attempt a pilot study, although they had not yet responded about the specific techniques to be adopted in the surveying. It was felt that the Bird Club was capable of devising its own techniques, but discussions with Dr Snow would be advisable. Once again much discussion took place on aspects such as: should the survey be based on 10km squares or on habitats (10km squares won); should there be just a simple yes/no questionnaire for all species, but with more detailed information on five selected species, or should the aim be to try to cover all species in more detail; what should be the exact area; should the Committee choose one 10km square to try out the techniques and methods; for how many years would the survey be undertaken just one, or two or even three years; the exact dates in the years that survey work would need to be undertaken; what criteria should be used to decide if a bird was breeding or not; whether any attempt at numbers should be made. And so it went on. Eventually it was agreed to cover all species and cover all full squares and those with at least 50% of the land within the Club’s area. It was thought that at least two years survey work would be needed and probably a third to cover any squares that had not been covered at all, or only poorly covered. Survey work would start in the 1966 breeding season. There were more discussions on the categories of breeding certainty or probability to be recorded. Discussions continued right up to February 1966, so it is amazing that field work started on April 1st of that year and proved to be quite successful. Indeed there was some late controversy when one member had suggested five categories of possible breeding which he thought was going to be accepted. Then, two meetings later after he had unavoidably had to miss a meeting, he found his idea had been ‘so readily discarded’ in favour of just three categories, with the record cards having been printed – even though he had previously offered to pay for the printing!

To encourage the preservation and protection of areas of ornithological interest, the Club set up a sub-committee under the chairmanship of Cecil Lambourne, who in 1965 was appointed to the new post of Conservation Secretary. The information gathered was used to advise other organisations such as the West Midlands Trust (forerunner of today’s county Wildlife Trusts) and the Nature Conservancy Council (now Natural England). As well as being a member of the Main Committee for many years and at one time the Treasurer, Cecil Lambourne had also been a member of the Research Committee since its formation in 1947 and had shown a particular interest in conservation. As seen earlier, he was instrumental in the preparation of a report on Nature Conservation in the Club’s area, so this, no doubt led to his above appointment.

Following his earlier resignation as Chairman and in recognition of his great contribution to the Club, Tony Norris, in 1965, was made an Honorary Life Member and also elected as a second Vice-President alongside Tony Harthan. It may be worth noting here that Tony Norris a year or so later was influential in the BTO moving from Oxford and purchasing Beech Grove at Tring for its Headquarters.

As regards outdoor activities, over 50 permits were issued to visit Belvide and Gailey Reservoirs in 1965, which demonstrated the appeal of these two well-known bird watching haunts. This figure excluded one-day permits issued for field meetings by kindred societies. The Barnt Green Sailing and Fishing Club were also most co-operative in granting our members access to Bittell Reservoirs, though when it transpired someone had been ringing at Lower Bittell without consent there was concern that they might be less willing to do so if it turned out to have been one of our members. There is no record of the culprit having been identified.

Two advances to the conservation of birds occurred towards the end of 1965. Firstly, at a national level, the Firearms Act came into effect, making trespass with a gun, including airguns, an offence and members were asked to inform the police if they witnessed the law being broken. Secondly, at a local level, the following extract from Bulletin No 163 of November 1965 records that the shooting rights on land adjoining Bittell Reservoirs were leased, at a nominal sum, from Birmingham City Council. The extract is ambiguous, however, as to whom the lease was granted. However on reading through the Research Committee minutes it transpired that in April 1965 it had been reported to Cecil Lambourne that illegal shooting had been taking place at Bittell. As a counter measure he was negotiating the purchase of the shooting rights, which he had been offered at one shilling per annum. Again it does not say, but presumably this was on behalf of the Club. What happened to these shooting rights in later years we wonder.

Indoor meetings continued to be held in the Art Gallery during 1966, with the December showing of the RSPB films Broadland Summer and Broadland Winter attracting an audience of about 400 members and their friends. Following the previous year’s success, another Social Evening was held at the Imperial Hotel (buffet cost 18/6), with almost 100 members and guests in attendance. The format of this evening is unclear, but three members – Roy Blewitt, Clive Minton and W F Smith – were thanked for their particular contributions to the programme.

As stated earlier, the most important event of the year though was the beginning of the Club’s 10km square Breeding Bird Survey. Probably involving more than 100 members, it was in effect a pilot scheme undertaken on behalf of the BTO to see if it would be workable on a national scale. Coverage was generally good, although one or two areas had no coverage at all, so appeals for help went out. There was an expression of hope at the time that the results might be published, which indeed they were in 1970 as the Atlas of Breeding Birds of the West Midlands. It was a great honour for the Club to have been involved in such a pioneering venture, which no doubt was in part due to Tony Norris having organised the Club’s 1950 Atlas. The BTO decided to use the methods adopted by the Club for its National Survey which began in 1968.

Towards the end of 1966 another nest-box scheme was launched, this time to attract Pied Flycatchers in areas where they occurred, the hope being to erect 100 boxes by the spring of 1967. Although the location was not specified at this time, the Bulletin for May 1968 mentions the Club’s nest box scheme in the Wyre Forest where further work was undertaken and about 140 nest boxes had by then been erected. This suggests that the scheme mentioned earlier was the one in the Wyre Forest.

Some publicity was also given to mark the 10th Anniversary of the erection of the gazebo at Belvide, which had contributed greatly to the comfort of regular watchers. During the year, 80 permits were issued and it is worth noting that this facility was not only enjoyed by our members, but also by those of societies from neighbouring counties which annually included Belvide in their programmes of field meetings.

The week 23rd-30th April had been declared National Nature Week and the Club fully supported this in the following ways:

1. Seven field meetings were arranged that were open to the public.

2. A special showing of two films was arranged - the RSPB’s A Place for Birds and the Transport Commission’s Journey into Spring. Some 350 people attended the showings, the majority of whom were interested members of the public.

3. The Stafford Branch in conjunction with Rugeley Field Club, organised a nature trail on Cannock Chase, which was used by an estimated 2,000 people.

4. The Stafford Branch also organised an exhibition in Hanley Museum, which attracted 3,675 visitors and was extended by another week.

5. The Kidderminster Branch organised field meetings open to the public, to Clun Forest and Wassell Wood.

6. Organising an exhibition and nature trail in Sutton Park, in collaboration with the Sutton Park Natural History Society, which attracted an estimated 4,000 visitors.

Details of all these events and the Club’s involvement in them were sent to all newspapers and bookshops and the publicity obtained resulted in an average of 35 people attending each field meeting and 40 new members joining the Club during the following month.

As if this wasn’t enough to keep everyone occupied, the Club held eleven Field Meetings this year, including a weekend in Norfolk (cost £8 for 2 nights and all meals) and a very ambitious 14-day excursion to Andalucia!

Approximately nine or ten Bulletins a year were still being published with the Club’s Secretary, Alan Richards, being the Editor. All parent Club meetings were advertised but only occasional information from the Branches. Other information, especially Bird Notes, were regular, but others such as Ringing Notes were at times spasmodic. But 1966 seems to be the first time we have seen a full agenda for the Club’s Annual Meeting being included in a Bulletin. This was not repeated for the 1967 AGM, but agendas re-appeared in subsequent years. There was an interesting piece in the November 1966 Bulletin called The Nest Box – its Origin and Development.

By the year’s end membership stood at 795 – an outstanding increase of 12% in a single year, but almost certainly helped by all the publicity in National Nature Week.

After such a frenetic 1966, 1967 was relatively quiet. The weather again set a

new record, with May being the wettest for nearly 200 years, while at the end of the year, and more so into 1968, birdwatching was severely restricted by an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, with most field meetings cancelled especially in the early part of 1968.

The Annual Report took on a new look this year, with the previous plain green cover replaced by a shiny white one with a black-and-white photograph of a bird on the top half – a Tree Sparrow this first year. Likewise the reverse side also contained a black-and-white photograph of a bird – in this case a Pectoral Sandpiper.

Indoor meetings continued in the long-established way, the only difference being that the starting time was brought forward to 6.30pm to give members an opportunity to talk amongst themselves or with Committee Members. This change met with considerable approval and therefore became the norm for the future. As usual the annual showing of RSPB films proved a major attraction, with Birds of Teesmouth and Birds of Strathspey drawing an audience of almost 400 members. An added attraction at the indoor meetings was the introduction of a display panel showing members photographs and artwork as well as specimens from the Natural History Department of the Museum. These created an interesting talking point and a test of members’ identification skills, so it was hoped they could become a regular feature.

A significant development was the arrangement reached with South Staffordshire Waterworks Co. (SSWC) to act as its agent in issuing birdwatching permits for Blithfield Reservoir. The first of these, valid until the end of 1968, were issued in October 1967 at a cost of one guinea (£1.05 in today’s money). One bird hide had already been built, with others to follow and the Club was indebted to SSWC for taking this enlightened action in adding these facilities to the utilitarian purpose of the reservoir.

The value in having established a Conservation Committee under the Chairmanship of Cecil Lambourne was well illustrated in 1967, when both Alvecote Pools and Belvide Reservoir faced uncertain futures. At Alvecote, an article in the Birmingham Post outlined a proposal to develop a sports and recreation centre. Pretty Pigs Pool would have been retained as a nature reserve, with the remaining pools and land opened up to a wide range of recreational activities, but fortunately nothing came of this proposal.

More worrying was the Government’s request for the Nature Conservancy

and the Sports Council to make recommendations for the future of various places including Belvide. The report opposite, made by the Conservation Officer in that year’s Annual Report, emphasises the concern over the threat to Belvide and it is interesting to note the Club’s vision for the reservoir set out in the last paragraph.

Members were busily engaged on fieldwork for the Club’s forthcoming atlas, so field meetings were restricted to 11. The only long trip was to West Kirby, where they had been going to for the last few years. Ringers remained active, however, and in the 1967 Annual Report, there was a full report covering 1965-7 and an article on the Club’s nest-box scheme along the lower Dowles Brook in the Wyre Forest.

Despite long discussions taking place in Research Committee meetings on the Club’s atlas, including how to get it published, time was still found to discuss other projects and issues under the guidance of the chairman, Talbot Clay. The nest box schemes on Cannock Chase and in the Wyre Forest, together with ringing issues, were frequently discussed, as was the status and constitution of the Research Committee. At one point it was asked if it was an official sub-committee of the WMBC or an unofficial group. In answer to this question it was discovered that the Main Committee had approved the setting up of a Research Committee almost immediately after its first meeting back in 1947! However it was felt that thought should be given now to its purpose and in particular how to involve younger members who might have more energy and enthusiasm to carry out research than many of the ageing current members! Should there be two separate groups? There was a worry that some courses of action might cause a split in the Club, especially as quite a few were members of both the Main and Research Committees. Also, was the Research Committee a law unto itself? Once again much discussion took place over several meetings about this and other issues as to the relationship between the two Committees, who should choose who to be a member and elect the chairman, the aims of the Committee and so on. A recommendation was eventually put to the Main Committee, which approved it but with two slight amendments resulting in the Research Committee continuing more or less how it had always been!

Around this time the members expressed their congratulations to Talbot Clay for his election as Midland’s representative on the Council for Nature June 1965. Also to Brunsden Yapp (a Research Committee member for many years) for being awarded an OBE in January 1966 for services to the National Parks Commission.

At the AGM in March 1967 Kenneth Thomas was elected as Treasurer following the resignation of Leonard Smith, a position he had ably filled for the previous five years.

In December of that year, due to health problems and on the advice of his doctor, P W Hinde had to resign as the Club’s Chairman after nearly five years in office. It was stated that a complete recovery was expected and his advice would still be available to the Committee, and the Club owed him much for his devotion to its welfare. Talbot Clay was asked to act as chairman until the AGM in March 1968, when he was duly elected as the next Chairman.

In addition to all the usual monthly indoor meetings, the Club co-operated with the Council for Nature with a public showing in the Birmingham Town Hall of three colour films – The Private Life of the Kingfisher, The Great Adventure and Sea Sanctuary. To promote this, the ordinary October meeting featured a display of photographs of Kingfishers taken by one of the Club’s accomplished photographers, Roy Blewitt.

The Protection of Birds Act 1967, which had received Royal Assent in the previous July, became law on January 14th 1968. This new law amended and extended the Protection of Birds Act 1954. The section which particularly directly affected bird-watchers, and therefore all Club members, dealt with disturbance of nesting birds, it being an offence to wilfully disturb any nesting wild bird, but with extra penalties regarding Schedule 1 species. All ringers, trainees and helpers had to apply for licences from The Natural Environment Research Council, even though they may already hold a BTO ringing permit.

As mentioned earlier, another piece of legislation was The Countryside Act which came into force on 3rd August 1968 and which should also benefit wildlife. Provisions of the Act could be divided into two broad groupings, namely those to increase opportunities for open-air recreation and those intended to conserve or enhance natural beauty. Perhaps the most important proposal was to enable Local Authorities to set up Country Parks. Following this, several Country Parks were established in the Club’s area to the benefit of wildlife, with some, notably Kingsbury Water Park, becoming particularly attractive to birds and hence birdwatchers.

Early 1968 saw the start of survey work for the BTO’s Atlas of British Breeding Birds, but members of the Research Committee in particular were busy filling in gaps for the Club’s own Atlas. The WMBC had signified its willingness to help in the survey work in our area, but nothing substantial was started until 1969 when all Club members were invited to participate, including two of the present authors – Graham and Janet Harrison.

July 1968 saw a new heading for the Bulletins, with a modernised type face, a clearer list of officers and a stylised representation of the three counties. It also changed the size from the old foolscap to A4. The first one kept the Bulletin number and date further down, but subsequent ones moved these to the top as shown above. There was also a footnote on the front page saying branches at Kidderminster and Stafford.

Also around this time, a new leaflet was apparently produced to promote the Club by detailing its aims and activities. Its purpose was to attract more members in the hope that the Club’s 1,000th member could be enrolled in 1969 – the Club’s 40th anniversary. Unfortunately we have not come across

a copy of this leaflet – does anyone have one tucked away somewhere? A Programme card detailing all indoor and field meetings was sent to all members with the September 1968 Bulletin. The wording in the Bulletin implies that this was a new initiative, but readers of an earlier part of this Bird Club story will remember that we showed pictures of two similar cards from 1947 & 1948 that we had in our possession. Perhaps the Committee in 1968 knew nothing of these earlier ones which presumably had at some point not been repeated. This new one covered the period from September 1968 to June 1969.

For many years the Club had relied on the kindness and generosity of Harold Restall for projection equipment for meetings and for his acting as projectionist. Fortunately, the Club’s requirements had so far never clashed with his many other commitments, but the Committee felt there should be some alternative equipment available in the event of it being needed. So an appeal went out, but we have not come across a response to this.

One long-standing member of the Club unearthed a pile of Bulletins for part of the 1950s and almost all of the 1960s and kindly donated them to us, the authors of this history. Tucked in with them was just one copy of a Stafford Branch Bulletin on green paper dated December 1968. Very similar to the main Club’s Bulletins, it gives details of indoor and field meetings and bird notes. We have no idea how often they were produced – please does anyone have any from these early years?

At the AGM in March new subscription rates were approved as from January 1970. Senior membership was to be increased to £1 and for husband & wife to £1.10s, but Juniors would remain at 10/-. These increases were necessary because of rising costs, especially with the production of the Annual Report and Bulletins.

Field meetings in 1969 again became a little more adventurous, with one in March being a weekend in the Solway Firth, when 27 participants took advantage of the new M6 motorway by travelling in their own cars. Instructions in the February Bulletin from Arthur Jacobs were as follows:- “Those members visiting the Solway Firth should meet in marching order after breakfast at the Imperial Hotel, Castle Douglas, on Saturday 1st March. Lunch should be brought …. They are recommended to come equipped for both the muddy conditions of the low ground and the rough conditions in the mountains.”

This was followed in April by a ten day visit to Majorca by 30 Club members, staying at Puerto Pollensa. The leader, Arthur Jacobs, recalls “The weather began inauspiciously and after two thorough wettings on successive days, Easter Tuesday afternoon and evening found the would-be birdwatchers gazing instead at the rising floodwaters surrounding their hotel. However, after this the barometer and our spirits rose rapidly, and over the holiday as a whole we found birds and sunshine in plenty. A total of 137 species was encountered, including many typically Mediterranean birds...... and a few island specialities.”

The Research Committee continued to flourish, once again under the chairmanship of Talbot Clay after a one year respite, when Mr Lees had taken the chair between September 1967 and September 1968. Talbot Clay continued in this office through to the early 70s. A dinner was held in 1969 to commemorate 21 years of the Committee. Many members of the Committee also continued with the yearly visit to Cley, although by now at least some members were preceding this by visiting Lindisfarne (Holy Island) for a few days first.

A, perhaps rather unfortunate, name was given to the early members participating in the Cley visits, which was “The Birmingham Bush Bashers”. The Research Committee minutes refer to this name two or three times, but do not say who gave it to them, but perhaps they had been observed hitting bushes to disturb migrant birds. However, in one description of Arthur Jacobs’ ‘bush bashing’ methods, he is not described as actually bashing the bushes but doing the following. “The question ‘Why did Mr Jacobs always wear shorts?’ became clear when he displayed his ‘bush bashing’ technique – a large expanse of thigh being continually slapped with his right arm”. So perhaps they didn’t actually bash the bushes but just made a noise.

Two of the authors, Janet and Graham, well remember their first visit to Cley in 1966 when they went into the warden’s (Billy Bishop) hut/hide to obtain a permit to go round the reserve. During their chat with him he asked them where they came from and upon telling him they came from the edge of Birmingham he said he hoped they had nothing to do with the “Birmingham Bush Bashers” but did not mention any club that the name was attached to. He did not hold with that sort of behaviour and that way of trying to disturb the poor tired migrants just to put a tick on their lists.

Janet and Graham had not heard of this group, nor at any point since until very recently when reading the Research Committee minutes!! They did, however, learn of the WMBC later during that visit to Norfolk and so joined the Club shortly after. In due course they attended indoor meetings and went on several field trips led by members of both Committees, but never heard any mention of the “BBBs”, or witnessed any such behaviour, even some years later when Graham was a member of the Research Committee and they both went on a Research Committee visit to Cley one year.

The decade ended with the Club membership standing at just over the thousand mark and a healthy balance approaching £2,000 - a very satisfactory position.

Unfortunately we, the authors, do not have any Bulletins after May 1969 until August 1975, so detailed snippets are not available. We do have Annual Reports for all the years and programme cards for most years, but we cannot be certain that all indoor or field meetings were exactly as stated in the programme cards as obviously they were printed in advance and sometimes late changes had to be made. We also have all the Research Committee minutes which provide some useful facts, or interesting or amusing anecdotes.

The 1970s

Reading through pages about the 1970s in a Chronicle of the 20th Century it all sounds doom and gloom both in Britain and around the world. It starts with an outbreak of Asian ‘flu in this country, which killed 4,000 in just one week in January 1970. The troubles in Northern Ireland continued and were not helped by Bernadette Devlin, the youngest MP ever, being arrested and imprisoned. One of the worst atrocities was in 1972, which became known as Bloody Sunday, and incidents flowed over to mainland Britain, of which more mention will be made later. Towards the end of the decade the IRA planted a bomb on Lord Mountbatten’s boat, which killed him and other family members while on holiday in Ireland.

The then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson called an election in June 1970, hoping to win a better majority, but instead lost to the Conservatives. This was followed by a national docks strike in July, with a state of emergency being declared, and troops were put on standby to keep the docks open. Other strikes followed, including the first ever strike by postmen, and indeed the first year of Edward Heath’s government had more working days lost to strikes than any time since the General Strike of 1926. Heath also suffered a major blow almost immediately, as Ian Macleod the new Chancellor died of a heart attack only a month after taking office. However Heath did do something which should have pleased conservationists as he created two new ministries, one of which was the Department of the Environment.

There was also much unrest in a large number of places around the world, with several wars, hijacking of planes, and governments or presidents being overthrown, together with natural problems of cyclones, floods, earthquakes and so on.

But as far as the Bird Club was concerned there were happier events,

starting with the publication of the Atlas of Breeding Birds of the West Midlands. This followed three years of survey work, probably amounting to several thousand man hours from 1966-1968. The survey was initially organised by members of the Research Committee under the editorship of John Lord and Dennis Munns, but it involved well over a hundred Club members in total. It covered all 77 of the 10km squares in the Club’s area and maps, prepared by Alan Richards, showed three categories – birds present during the breeding season but with no evidence of breeding; breeding probable; and breeding confirmed. There is also a brief note on breeding status, average dates of arrival and departure of migrant birds and more detailed notes on breeding distribution supplementing that covered by the maps. It was enhanced by drawings of the birds by Club and Research Committee member T K Beck. Collins were the publishers, but it is not clear exactly what the financial arrangement was with them, except that they must have required some payment as in the book there is mention of grants and/or loans by the Royal Society, the Charles Henry Foyle Trust, several Club members and £150 from the Club’s own funds.

A change in one of the officers occurred this year with the resignation of Clive Minton as Ringing Secretary, with the post being taken over by Jim Pratley.

1970 was also noteworthy as European Conservation Year, and the Club engaged in activities to promote this very worthwhile enterprise with an extensive programme of field meetings. These events were promoted through the press and outlets such as museums, libraries and local societies. Closely related to this was the use of display material publicising the Club and its aims and activities. Display boards were on show at several venues and events, including Packington Game Fair, the Pershore Festival, the Royal Show at Stoneleigh, the RSPB Coventry Branch Open Day and the Soil Association’s Conference. All this presumably contributed to the Club’s biggest ever annual rise in membership so far, from 1,029 to 1,250. This, together with an increase in the subscription to £1 this year, resulted in a comfortable surplus.

1970 also ended happily for the Club by the Central Electricity Generating Board declaring that Hams Hall was now to be set up as Ladywalk Nature Reserve. It was arranged that the WMBC should act on behalf of CEGB in issuing birdwatching permits and, following an announcement in the December Bulletin, nearly 300 permits were applied for before the year’s end. In fact, all 300 of the permits allowed were issued long before the middle of 1971.

Field meetings generally were to the usual local good bird areas and also longer trips to such places as Slimbridge and the Dee estuary, together with a weekend in Norfolk. But 1970 saw something different for a smaller party, which spent 12 days of the Arctic summer in Swedish Lapland.

The Club’s Research Committee had been very busy with the work for both the Club’s and the BTO’s Atlases with Talbot Clay still in the chair, but in October 1970 he vacated the chair after a few brief words and Harry Lees was asked to take over for this one meeting. It was then suggested that each meeting could have a different chair, and Tony Blake offered to chair the next one. However, at that next meeting he was proposed and elected as Chairman for the following year, but in fact remained in that office for a further eight years, chairing around 60 meetings, and only being absent about a couple of times!

No-one was ever struck off the list of members of the Research Committee, just those who had formally resigned, but several were ‘permanent apologies’. There had only been a sprinkling of new members for several years and, with the number of regular attendees falling, it was felt that some new blood needed to be injected into the Committee and so members were asked to put forward names. The following were then invited to the next meeting before being formally invited to become new members at the beginning of 1971. They were Alan Dean, Joe Hardman, Graham Harrison, Eric Harvey, Harry Green and Jim Pratley. We have mentioned all by name as many will become familiar as this story moves on.

The postmen’s strike started in January 1971 and affected the Bird Club in that it delayed members sending in their record cards for the Annual Report and prevented reminders for Committee meetings being sent out. Two proposed Bulletins, presumably February and March, also had to be dropped, meaning that members did not get reminders of field and indoor meetings. We do not have the Bulletins immediately following these, and the Annual Report does not mention if numbers participating in meetings were affected. Presumably it also affected the applications for, and issuing of, birdwatching permits for the various waters, and it may also have affected recruitment of possible new members. One member of the Research Committee reported that he had been prevented by the postmen’s strike in obtaining some information on gravel pits that he had been instructed to do, and his excuse was accepted! One advantage of two fewer Bulletins was the saving on costs of printing and postage!

February 15th 1971 was Decimalisation Day – out with the old pounds, shillings and pence (£sd) and in with the new £ and pence coins – 100 pence = £1. It was widely thought that manufacturers and retailers would put up prices because it was too difficult for the ordinary person to bother to work out if the price was still the same. Whether this happened or not is unclear, but one wonders if it affected the sales of optical equipment, the cost of field meetings and so on. However there is no mention in the Annual Reports of any problem. However, there is a reference to decimalisation in the Research Committee minutes. Members attending meetings had to pay for their food and contribute towards the hire of the room, and some felt that an overall charge of ‘932p’ (as recorded in the minutes, but presumably £9.32) seemed prohibitively large, but on assessment it was felt that it was fair value for money.

In June of that year Max Nicholson CB performed the inaugural ceremony at

the Ladywalk Reserve by unveiling a plaque on one of the two hides. Other distinguished guests included Mr D D Fair Director General of the CEGB; Peter Conder, Director of the RSPB; and Tony Norris, the Club’s own Vice-President. In the Annual Report for 1971 there is a full article about the Reserve, including details of a nest box scheme in Church Pool Covert which was started that year and forms part of the overall conservation plan for the area. At the end of the article is a drawing of a Little Ringed Plover on a nest with chicks. This was later used on Bulletin headings for a time, more of which will be said later.

Indoor meetings held at the City of Birmingham Art Gallery continued to be popular with audiences of at least 200 on most occasions. Up until 1968 it had always been mainly the Chairman’s unenviable task to arrange the programme of indoor meetings and obtain speakers. But that year saw a change in that a sub-committee of Mike Inskipp, John Sears and Alan Richards was formed to take over this task. In particular it was Mike Inskipp’s responsibility to ensure the right speaker arrived at the right time. He carried on with this duty until the end of 1971 and his contribution to this most important aspect was very much appreciated.

A close co-operation with the RSPB developed with the film shows and participation in Open Days, such as that with the Coventry RSPB group in October 1971. In November the Bird Club held its own Open Day with the RSPB at the Carrs Lane Church Centre in Birmingham. It was a notable success with over 1,000 visitors during the day “despite uncertain public transport and diabolical weather later in the day”. Many willing hands helped in the success of the day and many of these same helpers also assisted in the Town Hall Film Show, again in conjunction with the RSPB.

1971 was the last year that John Lord edited the Bird Club’s Annual Report.

He had been Editor for 21 years, an outstanding achievement and such dedication to the office. Opposite is the tribute to him by Talbot Clay that appeared in the 1972 Report.

Brian Dean took over the editorship for the 1972 Report. In doing so, he drew attention to two matters with which he was dealing. Firstly, the British Ornithological Union had produced a new ‘check list’ which no longer followed the present familiar order, known as the Westmore Order. However, at the BTO’s 1971 Report Editor’s Conference, the consensus of opinion was that the Westmore Order should be adhered to, but with minimum alterations to bring it in line with current thinking, which the BTO would produce. Secondly, as the new Editor, he had appointed a Records Committee to consider records of unusual or rare species. Unfortunately, the names of his appointees do not appear to have been recorded. However Rob Hume was thanked for providing a selection of his excellent sketches of species occurring that year. Rob continued to provide sketches for the Annual Reports for several years and also helped Brian Dean by jointly writing the classified notes for the 1974 report.

As mentioned at the beginning of the 1970s, there were further Northern Ireland troubles in 1972 starting with ‘Bloody Sunday’ in January and with incidents spilling over to mainland Britain. There was also more industrial unrest with a miners’ strike starting on January 9th. This led to a state of emergency being declared, a total electricity black-out lasting for several hours on a rota basis starting in February, severe disruption to industry, and households urged to only heat one room. The power cuts finally ended on March 2nd after 21 days – and this was during winter – so it was probably warmer to go out birdwatching! Whether any of this affected Bird Club activities is not known as we do not have the Bulletins where members would have been alerted to any problems, but the Annual Report does not mention anything. Further unrest in the mining industry with a ban on overtime and then a further strike led to a three-day working week in early 1974.

1972 again saw a rise in membership numbers which was no doubt helped by participation in such events as the Town & Country Festival at Stoneleigh, the RSPB Coventry Branch ‘Countryside in Coventry’ event and the Club’s own ‘Open Day’, again at Carrs Lane Church Centre but this time in conjunction with the Wildfowl Trust.

There was probably a sigh of relief from the many members who had helped with survey work, firstly with the Club’s own Atlas and then immediately after with the BTO’s Atlas, as 1972 was the final year after a total of seven years of survey work. But it would be another four years before their hard work for the BTO Atlas would be seen in print. However, the BTO continued to ask for help with other surveys, such as the 1972 Inland Wader survey for which several members managed to cover a dozen major sites in the Club’s area.

Conservation work was becoming a more important aspect of the Club and there is a comprehensive report from Cecil Lambourne, the Conservation officer, in the 1972 Annual Report. He mentions such projects as the protection of the heronry at Gailey; a meeting to review the provisions for recreational activities at Draycote Water; support for the Brandon Marsh Conservation Group; maintaining a close relationship with the South Staffs Water Board in respect of Blithfield Reservoir; and continued negotiations with British Waterways regarding Belvide Reservoir. He also mentions the Club’s nest box schemes but does not name them. Cecil commended a Club member, Mr H J Gilbert, for his persistent efforts to influence Birmingham City Council in regard to their planning and development of the River Cole Walkway despite receiving little response from the Council. Cecil also thanked two members who had been acting as assistant conservation officers, namely Charles Brown for Staffordshire, and one of the present authors, Graham Harrison, for Warwickshire. Both had also served a three year term from 1970 to 1972 inclusively, as members of the Club’s Main Committee and both were also members of the Research Committee.

From time to time the Club was approached by various organisations and invited to organise nestbox schemes. One such was by the King’s Norton Golf Club on their new 220 acre course at Weatheroak in Worcestershire. The Golf Club purchased 83 boxes, which WMBC members erected in the spring of 1971, and a further 17 were added in 1972. Club ringers were then involved in monitoring the boxes and the 1972 report gives details of breeding success in the two years.

The 1973 Annual Report begins with a precis of a letter from the Director of the RSPB to all affiliated societies about behaviour in the field. Talbot Clay, the Bird Club’s Chairman then strongly puts in capital letters the following: It is hoped that members of this Club – WILL NOT TRESPASS; WILL NOT HARASS TIRED MIGRANTS; WILL NOT PUT UP WADERS AND DUCKS SO AS TO GET A BETTER VIEW; WILL NOT VISIT PLACES WHERE RARE BIRDS BREED. All just as important today as then.

It must be mentioned here that, although Talbot Clay was no longer the Research Committee’s Chairman, he did take the chair when the official Chairman was absent. One time when this occurred was January 1973 and it was discovered that in fact it was the 100th meeting that Talbot had chaired! He had been the official Chairman from October 1957 to September 1967 and then again from October 1968 to October 1970.

Unfortunately, a proposed Open Day for 1973 had to be cancelled and, for various unrecorded reasons and unlike several previous years, the Club did not participate in any outside events, a pity as these often brought in new members.

As well as participating in BTO surveys, over 100 members also undertook the Club’s own comprehensive census of Rookeries, which had never been attempted before. It was carried out during April/May 1973 and a very full report on the results appears in that year’s Annual Report. One of the newest members of the Research Committee, Alan Dean, was soon put to good use as he became responsible for organising the survey, analysing the results and writing the report, but he gave special thanks to the Research Committee for much helpful assistance and discussion during all stages of the organisation and execution of the census. He also thanked Harry Green and Tony Norris for giving him access to unpublished material and to Ernest Bradford, Bevan Craddock and Frank Gribble for arranging coverage of outlying areas and to Dave Smallshire for obtaining agricultural statistics. One reason for the survey was to provide a base-line in order to assess the impact that Dutch Elm Disease might have on Rookeries in the future.

The Annual Reports for each year give details of meetings, events, the accounts, reserves and conservation news, ringing activities, branch reports and, of course, the classified list of all reported bird occurrences in that year. However the list of officers, committee members and branches is for the following year and the only branches in the 1973 Report are Kidderminster and Staffordshire, the latter having changed its name from Stafford to Staffordshire Branch in 1970. However, we have programme cards which list meetings for two more branches, namely Coventry and Solihull as from the autumn of 1973 and the 1974 Report then lists Representatives for these two new Branches. Unfortunately little more is said by the Chairman or Secretary other than that, unlike Kidderminster and Staffordshire, the Main Committee has to organise speakers for these branches. We do not know precisely when they started and sadly there is no expression of pleasure in the report that the Club now has two more branches. Maybe if the authors of this story had copies of the bulletins around that time more could be discovered. Perhaps this is an appropriate place to mention that the Solihull Branch, being so close to Birmingham, did not organise its own field meetings.

On the financial side, the sales of the Club’s Atlas continued well. The Treasurer’s Report in 1972 clarified a little the arrangement with Collins, the Atlas publishers. The Club had 1,000 copies to sell from which it received the full sale price, while Collin’s had 1,500 copies and the Club received royalties from the sale of these. By this time the Club had repaid all the loans and was now in profit by some £400 rising to over £500 by 1973. In 1972 the Club only had 50 copies left and Collins had sold almost all of theirs. The Club’s other publication, The Birds of Staffordshire was reported as having all sold out by the end of 1974.

Starting in 1969, half the surplus from field meetings was put into a Conservation Fund and this fund was further enhanced with income from the film show in 1971. In 1972 a donation was given from this fund to the Brandon Marsh Conservation Group and by 1973 there was enough in the fund to cover the cost of providing stiles at Belvide and a bird hide for Draycote Water – a newly constructed reservoir which had opened in the early 1970s for controlled recreational pursuits, particularly fishing and sailing, but initially only 12 birdwatching permits were available.

Income to the Club’s general funds was enhanced by sales of greeting cards and field lists, while Calendars were added to the sale items in 1973 and a Raffle in 1974, all of which continued until at least 1977. Despite this, costs were rapidly rising through inflation, especially the production and posting costs of Bulletins and Annual Reports, and so it became necessary to increase subscriptions at the beginning of 1974 to £1.50 for seniors, £2.00 for joint and £1.00 for junior members.

In 1974, the re-organisation of Local Government saw the creation of a new West Midlands County Council and also the merger of Worcestershire and Herefordshire. The former had particular significance for the Bird Club as it raised the issue of our recording areas. Initially it was decided to delay a decision on whether to adopt the new boundaries pending any national decision. Although no decision was made nationally, a firm lead in support of the new boundaries was taken by British Birds and so, after much discussion in both the Main and Research Committees, it was decided to follow this lead and adopt the new West Midlands County boundary. The change to the boundaries did not officially take place until April 1974 and as the Research Committee was still discussing what should be done regarding the Annual Report, the change in the report did not occur until the publication of the 1975 report. In fact discussions continued well through 1975 as, of course, the writing of the 1975 report would not begin until early 1976.

After being unable to participate in any other organisation’s events in 1973, in 1974 the Club was able to put on a display at the Town & Country Festival. Although a number of members helped, special mention was made of Mrs Daphne Dunstan for all her hard work over the three days of the show. Indeed Daphne was a stalwart of the Club at many events and over many years, arranging displays and supervising sales and more will be said later about her efforts. The WMBC itself also held another successful Open Day in November ’74 in conjunction with the Worcestershire Trust for Nature Conservation.

Many members contributed to the BTO Habitat Register, others were involved in the Mute Swan project in South Staffordshire, which was then in its 14th year, and from time-to-time Staffordshire members helped with management work at some of the county’s Nature Reserves. The Kidderminster Branch was still responsible for monitoring the Wyre Forest Nest Box Scheme at several sites and continued to do so for at least the rest of this decade. Two years earlier members, at the request of the owner, also established and maintained a private nest box scheme at Menith Wood, but it is not known how long they continued to monitor this scheme.

However, 1974 was also a year of sadness nationally, with more IRA atrocities on the mainland culminating towards the end of the year in one very close to home – in fact too close for comfort - namely the bombing of two Birmingham pubs. It did put some people off going into the City Centre in the evenings for a while, but there is no mention in the Annual Report of a drop in numbers at the Club’s indoor meetings – perhaps they felt the Art Gallery & Museum was a reasonably safe venue. But it was a little different for the Research Committee who met in a City Centre pub, the Crown Hotel in Broad Street. At the opening of a meeting only four days after the bomb attack, the Chairman, Tony Blake, commented on “the minimal attendance, occasioned in part by a recent bomb outrage in a central Birmingham licensed establishment”.

One big change for the Club was at the AGM in March 1975 with the resignation of Arthur Jacobs who had been Field Meetings Secretary since 1961. Over the years he had been responsible for annually providing WMBC members with a programme of outings probably unequalled by any other provincial bird club in Britain. The Secretary wrote “We are indeed indebted for all he has done for us”. Two of the authors well remember his helpfulness to inexperienced birdwatchers, his striding over the sometimes rough terrain yet still seeing all the birds (and rather difficult to keep up with when one of us had short legs!), but especially his cheerful face always beneath his black beret – looking more like a Frenchman than an English Birder!

Arthur’s report for the year states that there were 18 well attended and enjoyable field meetings with many of the usual areas for day trips plus the usual weekend in Norfolk. There was also a week in the New Forest, while a first for the Club was an extra-European venture to Guyana, which was also well attended and well enjoyed. His last paragraph said “I must conclude my last note as FM Secretary with a word of thanks to the many friends I have made through the field meetings. Their comradeship has made my 14 years’

tenure a most rewarding experience”. Arthur was succeeded by Nigel Coldicott as Field Meetings Secretary.

Another resignation at the AGM was that of Ken Thomas as Treasurer, a post he had most ably filled since 1967 during a time of considerable increase in membership, but rapidly rising inflation. This post was filled by Derek Thomas, who had previously been Membership Secretary from the time that post was created in 1972. David Hawker took over from Derek as Membership Secretary.

The bulletins had always been compiled by the Secretary, including all the bird notes. In April 1974, however, Eric Clare took over the job of writing the bird notes – a task he admirably undertook for the next ten years.

In August 1975 the Club heard of the death of its President, Lord Hurcomb GCE,KBE, at the age of 92. After graduating from Oxford University he held several important positions in the Civil Service, in particular being the first Chairman of the British Transport Commission from 1948 to 1953. In 1950 he was created 1st Baron Hurcomb of Campden Hill in the Royal Borough of Kensington. As stated earlier, he was also a keen ornithologist and conservationist holding positions in several Natural History type organisations and playing a key role in the 1954 Protection of Birds Act. He received several honours both from this country and some European honours. Some members may also be interested to know that a British Railways Standard Class 7 railway locomotive was named Lord Hurcomb in his honour. A copy of his obituary in the 1975 Annual report is shown above.

During 1975, before work would start on that year’s report the editor, Brian Dean, reported to the Research Committee that he was resigning because preparation of the report by him alone was too onerous. Presumably he had also given his resignation to the Main Committee. At its September meeting, the Research Committee discussed the situation and a proposal was made that the work be divided between four people, with an overall editor who might or might not be one of the four authors. Three candidates were available for the team and a fourth was sought, together with an overall editor. There were no volunteers and so Graham Harrison (in his absence!) was suggested, as it was agreed that “Mr Harrison had the necessary qualifications for the editorial post”. Although he had only been a member of the Research Committee for a few years, perhaps it was something the Committee members had asked him to do early on, namely, to define terms of reference for a possible Gravel Pit Survey and present the report to them, that gave them the impression that he was suitable for the editor’s job! Back at that time Mr Harrison was said to have spoken “in an authoritative manner” and his report “showed evidence of much thought on the topic and an enthusiasm which did not go unnoticed by the Chairman!!”. Perhaps here it should be noted that the Gravel Pit Survey did not take place as it was eventually decided the County Wildlife Trusts would be better placed to do this.

But back to the Annual Report, at the October 1975 Research meeting Graham Harrison was said to be considering his reply to Talbot Clay, the Club’s Chairman at the time, as presumably it would be the Main Committee’s responsibility to appoint the Editor. By the end of the year Graham Harrison had been appointed Editor, with Alan Dean, Rob Hume and David Smallshire making up an editorial team of four. The Classified list would be divided into four sections and each of the above would write a section, with the editor putting it all together with the rest of the report.

As stated earlier, 1975 was the first report where the new four counties recording system was used, but there needed to be some extra explanations. Many observers were uncertain which localities were in which county, especially where the West Midlands was concerned. To overcome this a map of the new counties was included in the report showing every locality for which a bird record had been received. There was also an alphabetical list with grid references. An added complication was the new county of Hereford-Worcester, as the old Hereford County had its own Herefordshire Ornithological Club, which wished to still compile its own records. There were fears that new maps would not show the old county boundaries, but parish boundaries were not changing, so a list of Parishes either side of the old boundary was also included in the Club’s 1975 Report. A lot of changes and work for the new team.

During one of the long, deep discussions in the Research Committee on the changing county boundaries, members were rudely interrupted by Eric Harvey who, on looking out of the window, remarked that he could see a Police Sergeant writing a parking ticket. “A disruption of some magnitude occurred; the overturned tables; the precipitate descent to the street; the impassioned flow of honeyed words; were as nought. The moving hand had written.” The minute from this item then ends with “caveat viator” which apparently means ‘let the wayfarer beware’ - obviously a learned member as secretary in those day!

Because of the boundary changes the three county symbol/logo on Bulletins

and Annual Reports was no longer appropriate. On a couple of Bulletins we have for August and December 1975 there is a drawing of a Little Ringed Plover instead of the map, but we have no idea when, during the first half of the 1970s, this drawing was first used. However by the first Bulletin in 1976, the February one, this had changed to a drawing of a Ruddy Duck. There was a long article in this Bulletin why this bird, a ‘naturalised’ species resulting from escapees, probably from Slimbridge, had been chosen – later to become a very controversial decision. It was also depicted on the cover of the 1975 Annual Report, although strangely there was no comment in the Secretary’s section of why it was chosen - this did not appear until the 1976 Report! In the accounts for 1976 there is an item of expenditure for the purchase of Ruddy Ducks. No, the Committee was not buying more live birds – fortunately the present authors remember these – they were pottery models. In fact, one author has found theirs relegated to an obscure shelf in the bathroom – she doesn’t even know why she has still kept it in view of later events! But here is a photo of it. They cost the Club £75 and if it was intended as a money making project then it did not do very well as the accounts show the profit from sales was only £22.

To combat continuing inflation the 1976 Report was slimmed down by merging the migrant data into the classified notes, tabulating some wildfowl and wader counts and using a cheaper printing process. Rising costs also led to the cancellation of a proposed field meeting visit to the Cairngorms.

Two obituaries appear in the 1976 report, one for Stanley Porter, a keen

member of the Research Committee, but perhaps best known as a bird photographer, who had given many talks at indoor meetings. In fact, at the February 1977 indoor meeting Mr F.A. Noble gave a memorial lecture to the late Stanley Porter. The other obituary was for the Club’s vice-president, Tony Harthan. He had been a member since the very early days as his name is in the list of members/correspondents in the first report in 1934. He edited the reports from 1939-1946, which spanned the difficult war years, and was made a vice-president in 1959. But he will be particularly remembered as the author of The Birds of Worcestershire published in 1946 and brought up to date in 1961.

A change of officers took place at the 1976 AGM with Phil Ireland taking over

the Ringing Secretary post from Jim Pratley, who had filled the role admirably for the past six years and was moving to Norfolk. John Sears was also leaving the area and so stepped down as Assistant Secretary. He had served the Club in this and several other capacities for a good number of years and would be very missed.

At some point in 1975 a form had been attached to a bulletin asking members to consider recording any special talent they had. At the 1976 AGM the Secretary thanked those who had completed the ‘talent’ form and said that advantage of their offers would be taken up from time-to-time.

Previously in this story we said that in 1973 two new branches had been

started, with one being in Coventry. However, this one appears to have been very short lived as it is not listed as a branch in the 1977 Annual Report, so it appears to have ceased some time in 1976. More confusing, though, is that it is not listed at all in the Programme Card for autumn 1975 - summer 1976, suggesting it may have closed part way through 1975.

The death of Lord Hurcomb in August 1975 had created a vacancy for Club President, but it was not until October 1976 that it was announced that C A (Tony) Norris had accepted the invitation to become President. The delay may have been occasioned by hearing of the death of Tony’s wife in March 1976. She had always taken a keen interest in the welfare of the Club and its affairs. She could be relied upon to offer generous hospitality to visiting speakers and to Committees on special occasions and indeed accompanied Tony to some of the Research Committee Annual Dinners. Tony’s credentials as the new President were summarised by Talbot Clay in the accompanying extract from the October 1976 Bulletin.

An interesting project was undertaken by the Staffordshire Branch when it was decided to produce a booklet listing sites in Staffordshire with easy access for the disabled or elderly. In one of the Bulletins that year members were asked to send in details of any sites they knew of. Unfortunately we have not found any subsequent mention that this list was published, although the authors of this section of the story do recall seeing something.

The Report for 1977 saw a major change with the introduction of a new order of species in the classified list. The Wetmore order had been used since 1953, but for some years it had been apparent that it no longer represented the latest thinking on bird families and genera. So it was agreed to use the Voous system, following the publication in three instalments of Professor K. H. Voous’ List of Recent Holarctic Bird Species.

1977 saw Annual Subscriptions doubled to £3 for senior members, £3.50 for husband and wife and £2.50 for juniors. This was necessary due to rising prices and a heavy loss in funds in 1976. Unfortunately, probably due to the doubling of the subscription, there was a considerable fall in membership over other years, and new applications were slightly less than the previous year with especially fewer juniors joining the club.

A booklet compiled by David Smallshire and Alan Richards with illustrations

by Rob Hume and entitled The Birds of Belvide Reservoir was published by the Club in 1976 and, according to the accounts for the years before and after, appears by 1978 to have made a small profit for the Club.

In 1976 the Club secured a lease for the land surrounding Belvide Reservoir and an area for a car park at £600 p.a., with the British Waterways Board giving access and right of entry to Belvide for the purposes of birdwatching. Access for Gailey was also granted. No sooner had we obtained these rights than Shell UK Exploration & Production investigated the site for oil and gas. Whilst their disruption was minimal on this occasion, it was a good example of how unforeseen threats can arise. The creation of Belvide Reserve, which became operative on 1st January 1977, brought financial worries, but due partly to a magnificent response by members purchasing permits, and partly to numerous gifts of money and labour, the Belvide account ended the year with a surplus of £462. The Reserve was officially opened in April 1978 when Sir Peter Scott unveiled a plaque on a new hide.

The permit schemes enabling Club members to access a number of sites for birdwatching purposes was originally administered by the Club Secretary. However, in the 1975 Report the Secretary, Alan Richards, thanks Cicily Randall for looking after the permit scheme. He says that the scheme is a growing task and one that she looks after so ably, but it does not say for how long she has been helping. The scheme is not mentioned in the 1976 report, but in 1977 Alan says “It has always been the Secretary’s responsibility to look after the Club’s various birdwatching permit schemes, though in recent years he has really only done so in name. The fact that members have enjoyed such a well-run and trouble free administration of this aspect of the Club’s activities is entirely due to Mrs Cicily Randall, who cannot be thanked enough for all her hard work. The efficiency and devotion to the task of issuing well over 1,000 permits annually demands the admiration and gratitude of us all.” Cicily Randall moved out of the Club’s area in 1978, but the Committee were pleased that Miss Margaret Surman was willing to take over the job. In fact a separate post was made and the list of officers for 1979 includes Margaret.

The saddest news for the Club came in October 1977 with the sudden death

of Talbot Clay, in office as Club Chairman. So much could be said about him, but he is best summed up in the obituary by Tony Blake reproduced here in full. Tony took over as acting Chairman until he was formally elected to the post at the 1978 AGM.

Around this time the committee learnt that the Arnold brothers, George and Maurice, had been awarded the Silver Jubilee Medal for their long period of work at Alvecote Pools.

Another new post was created at an Extraordinary General Meeting in February 1978 when it was agreed that there should be a post of Deputy Chairman and George Lewis was the first member to be elected to it. Also later in 1978 Derek Thomas resigned as Treasurer and the report says that the Club would always be grateful for the devoted way in which he looked after the Club’s financial affairs. John Ridley took over the responsibilities of this office on 1st August 1978.

With Tony Norris being promoted from Vice-President to President and the death of Tony Harthan, there had been a vacancy for Vice-President for a while, so in 1978 the Main Committee elected Cecil Lambourne to the post. He had just resigned as Conservation Officer after some 12 years as he was retiring to Pembrokeshire. As previously mentioned he was particularly instrumental in Belvide becoming a Nature Reserve. He first appeared as an ‘associate’ member of the club in 1939 and had also served as Field Meetings Secretary and Treasurer, as well as being a very active member of the Research Committee. He had also been awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Honours (1977) for his conservation work, particularly in Worcestershire. For many years, he had also made available a room in his offices for Main Committee meetings, for which he was given grateful thanks.

The 1978 Report dropped the use of some old place names to accord with new Ordnance Survey Maps. So Bodymoor Heath became Kingsbury Water Park, Cannock Reservoir became Chasewater and Rotton Park Reservoir became Edgbaston Reservoir – one can understand the desire to change the last one to make it sound more attractive! 1978 was also the last time Rob Hume was able to help with the writing of the Annual Report, with Peter Dedicoat taking over writing Rob’s section.

In the early autumn of 1978 Tony Blake told the Research Committee that he was retiring from being the chair of that Committee, partly because he was now Club Chairman, but also because he felt he was no longer the best man for the position. He had held that position since 1970. His last job as Research Chair was to officiate at a dinner on 6th October 1978 to mark the 250th meeting of the Research Committee, excluding field meetings and previous dinners. Just over 40 past and present Research members attended including founder members, Tony Norris (who recalled the foundation of the Research Committee), Cecil Lambourne and L Salmon.

John Lord, the former report editor had, with his wife, also attended the

dinner, so it would have been somewhat of a shock to hear of his death only around three weeks later. The Research Committee minutes say “John’s manner could, at times, appear dour and austere, characteristics which were belied when he could be drawn into conversation or induced to give an opinion”. He was a regular attender of research meetings “rarely in the forefront of the conversation, until he had a considered opinion to put forward, which he could usually be relied upon to have formed at critical junctures”. Also shown here is the full obituary that appeared in the 1978 report.

At the Research Committee meeting following the dinner it was announced that both George Lewis and Norman Swindells had been approached as a possible new Research Chairman, but both had declined nomination. So Tony Blake gave further thought to the problem and at the next meeting he proposed Graham Harrison, who diffidently agreed to be nominated for the post, initially for a year. The vote was unanimous and he was duly appointed starting in January 1979. However the one year stretched to almost 12 years.

During the eight years of Tony Blake’s chairmanship of the Research Committee membership had fluctuated, especially with the passing of two or three very active members, and new younger and enthusiastic members were always being sought. Many subjects were covered at meetings apart from those already mentioned. Some of the subjects, where lengthy discussions over several meetings took place, were of importance and concern for the Club and the Research Committee was able to advise the Main Committee on its findings. Such subjects included the shooting of (Great) Cormorants at Blithfield Reservoir because of the anglers’ concerns over depletion and damage to fish stocks. Tony Blake in particular was involved in these discussions. Methods of counting the huge gull roosts at Draycote Water were also considered with even suggestions of aerial photography. Counting the winter Starling roosts in Birmingham City Centre also took up some considerable time, both with discussions, the actual counts and analysis of the results. The BTO Black Redstart enquiry, the vulnerability of the Marsh Warbler in Worcestershire, the erratic distribution of the Corn Bunting, sheep grazing on the Roaches and general conservation matters were amongst other important subjects discussed. Many of these continued over into the next decade.

Perhaps it should also be mentioned that Arthur Winspear Cundall wrote the minutes for the Research Committee for the last time on November 20th 1978, which was also the last occasion on which Tony Blake chaired the meeting before handing over to Graham Harrison. Many of the earlier meetings of this Committee do not make it clear who wrote the minutes, as usually only the Chairman signed them. But they started being signed by the minute secretary as well in 1976, who at that time was Arthur Cundall. By studying the handwriting, however, it appears that he had started writing the minutes towards the end of 1968, so he had certainly given good service to the Committee.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary in 1979 the Club decided to try and do three things to celebrate this. The first was to hold a reception. The second was to purchase a reserve in memory of Dr Fred Dale who died in 1977 and had bequeathed one twelfth of his estate and his extensive library of bird books to the Bird Club. The third was to publish a book on ‘the Birds of the West Midlands’.

The first event was realised on March13th, when a reception was organised in the Banqueting Suite of the Birmingham Council House through the kindness of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Councillor and Mrs Edward F Hanson, who were honoured guests at the occasion. Ian Presst of the RSPB, John Thompson of The Nature Conservancy and John McMeeking of the BTO were also guests and several past members of the Club, who had since moved away, also returned to help celebrate the occasion.

The second idea was realised more quickly than expected, but was not completed until 1980, so will be covered in the next decade of this story. The third intention, to write a book, had already begun sometime before this. Indeed the Research Committee were reminded in 1976 that the Club would be 50 years old in 1979 and thoughts on how to celebrate this started to be put forward. The first idea, with reference to Horace Alexander’s book, was that an ‘H G Alexander Lecture’ should be given annually to the Club – but this never came about. Another idea was that the Research Committee should undertake a study of the species used as the Club’s emblem, namely the Ruddy Duck, with special reference to its breeding behaviour, but this too did not materialise.

The third idea was that a book on the Birds of the West Midlands should be prepared under the auspices of the Research Committee, but back in 1976 that too had been considered impractical! However, in September 1978 it was mentioned again, when Harry Green said he had been surprised to see in a recent Bulletin (July ’78 edition) that the Club was preparing a book on the subject ‘Birds of the West Midlands’ and he considered the Research Committee ought to be consulted in such a matter. The Chairman, Tony Blake explained that it was part of the 50th anniversary celebrations and was being led by Graham Harrison and Alan Richards whose idea it was. The Research Committee would be consulted and involved as and when required. Obviously it had been the Main Committee which had approved the writing of such a book. It was a mammoth task so inevitably there were delays, especially with the printing side, so it was into the early 80s before it was published and there will be more about it in that decade of this story.

Apart from the above three special things, the Club also joined with the University of Birmingham Department of Extra Mural Studies in a series of talks held in the Birmingham & Midland Institute, with three in the latter part of 1978 and three at the beginning of 1979. Dr Cameron of the University had made all the arrangements for what turned out to be a highly successful series of lectures. It might be noted here that the Extra Mural Department had for a number of years been running evening courses on Bird Study in various parts of the Club’s area and several experienced Club Members had been lecturers, with a lot of less experienced Club members being the students.

Some indication of the Club’s status can be gathered from the excellent publicity it received when the Birmingham Evening Mail produced a special eight page colour supplement on birdwatching with special reference to the Bird Club and its 50th Anniversary.

Over the years the Bird Club continued to participate in events such as The Town & Country Festival at Stoneleigh, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield Conservation Fairs, and Coventry RSPB Group Open Days. There were also joint film shows with the RSPB and sometimes other organisations such as the Wildfowl Trust, in various places, especially Birmingham, Solihull, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent. Not only did these generate some income, but more importantly they made the public aware of our organisation, which often resulted in new members. Indeed these shows often attracted an audience of several hundred, with an amazing 900 at Burslem in 1972.

Despite all of the above, inflation continued unabated till at least the end of the decade and in 1979 the Treasurer reported that costs of Parent Club Indoor Meetings had risen by £261; the Annual Report by £208; and the Bulletin by a staggering £2,030 to £3,175. These increases combined to almost wipe out the surpluses accumulated in 1977 and 1978. Therefore the decision was made in 1979 to increase subscriptions again in 1980.

Halfway through 1979 Nigel Coldicott reluctantly tendered his resignation as Field Meeting Secretary as, having moved to Bristol, he was finding it increasingly difficult to organise the visits. He was thanked by the Committee for all his efforts in running the Club’s extensive range of field meetings in recent years. Stan Young offered to take over the job.-

Before we close this decade some mention must be made of various personnel who have contributed to the Branches. The Annual Reports list the Branch Representatives on the Main Committee, but give no indication of the office, if any, that they hold within the branch and the Branch Reports may not necessarily be written by their respective chairman. Unfortunately Annual Reports do not always specify who holds which office in the Branch, but overall a substantial number of anonymous people must be involved and we should like to express our thanks to them all for what they did at that time. Next to nothing is said in the annual reports before 1971 except who were the Branch Representatives. But here is what we do know.

Kidderminster’s Chairperson in 1971 was Miss Margaret Badland, a post she held for the entire decade. The Branch Secretary was Malcolm Upsall and, although we cannot find any record, he had apparently had a long and distinguished stint in the post until it was taken over by Mrs J Gillam in 1974. The Representative on the Main Committee was Les Bayes, a position he held up to 1976, but he also wrote the Kidderminster report for the Annual Report for the whole of the decade and from 1976 he is recorded as Branch Vice-chairman. Other persons who have held various offices from time to time in the Branch have included Miss Mary Hadland, Jack Mountford, Robin Jones, Peter Woodward and Miss B Perkins.

We have less information about the Staffordshire Branch personnel, but know that Frank Gribble, Bevan Craddock and David Smallshire had all been Branch Representatives on the Main Committee, Eric Longman had been Branch Chairman certainly all through the 70s, and Bevan Craddock had also been Secretary for some years. Here is an appropriate place to record that Frank Gribble was awarded the Tucker Medal in 1973 for organising the BTO’s Black-headed Gull Survey. It might be worth noting that this Branch alternated its indoor meetings between Stafford and the Pottery towns. It also instigated several surveys in its area as well as responding to local issues. For example, Bev Craddock organised evening Nightjar surveys on Cannock Chase in connection with the BTOs national survey. These later came in useful when Frank Gribble and the Staffordshire Branch committee were responding to Staffordshire County Council’s proposals for Cannock Chase.

Interestingly at a time when the Country voted in its first lady Prime Minister – Margaret Thatcher -the Bird Club also saw more ladies becoming involved in various ways, including holding the named position of Permit Secretary on the Main Committee as mentioned earlier. Daphne Dunstan was also the Solihull Branch Representative and there were up to four lady ordinary Main Committee members by the later part of the decade compared to none in the early 1970s. It will also soon be seen that the hitherto all-male Research Committee would undergo a change!