Page 16 - Out Birding Feb 2025

View from the Chair
Well, that’s the Christmas and Hogmanay
fes􏰀vi􏰀es over for another year, visitors all
dispatched home safely and hopefully well-
fed. As I write this, I am seeing quite a lot of
snow on the ground and watching the seed
in my feeders plunge faster than the tem-
perature gauge. The cold weather always
brings different species to the coast, and I
have seen Redwing and a Common Snipe in the garden today and a covey of Grey Partridges in the adjacent field. This is a difficult 􏰀me for our feathered friends, and they need plenty of food to stave off the cold. They also need a plen􏰀ful sup- ply of fresh water, and the constantly moving fresh water in our pond ensure that they don’t go thirsty. Not only this, but they also s􏰀ll need to bathe to keep their feathers in 􏰀p-top condi􏰀on to escape the local Sparrowhawk and, sadly, local cats (as I just witnessed). I do my best to deter the cats using humane methods, but the frenzy at my feeders is irresis􏰀ble to them.
I stopped making New Year’s resolu􏰀ons a long 􏰀me ago. By the 􏰀me you read this, my best efforts at transforma􏰀on would have failed, again. However, I would certainly encourage members to take a look at our fantas􏰀c range of events that are available in the calendar and also keep a look out for previously unscheduled ou􏰀ngs that are adver􏰀sed through Out Birding and the emailed news items. If you spot an interes􏰀ng event, contact the organiser sooner rather than later in case the event has a numbers cap. We have also organised an interes􏰀ng sched- ule of Zoom speakers which is a less energe􏰀c way of bringing the birds to you. We know from feedback we receive from lapsed members that ‘not managing to a􏰁end events’ is the principal reason why people discon􏰀nue their membership. We are creatures of habit, and developing the habit of contac􏰀ng event organis- ers to come along and have a fabulous day out is a great habit to make this year. My late mother always used to say, “never put off un􏰀l tomorrow what you can do today, because you might like it and can do it again tomorrow”. I know the 􏰀mescales don’t quite work, but this concept is spot on. There is nothing as en- couraging for an event organiser to have a good turn-out plus new members.
We are gearing up for our Grand Get Together in Grantown-on-Spey in April. It is s􏰀ll possible to join the event, but please check with Liz to see if there are any cancella􏰀ons for staying at the Grant Arms or whether you will need to find ac- commoda􏰀on nearby. It is promising to be a fantas􏰀c long weekend.
Andy Webb
16