Page 13 - Out Birding Autumn 2024

View From the Chair
I trust you are having an enjoyable summer and
have managed to watch some of our bird friends
wherever they may be, ge􏰀ng on with their busy
lives. I am working on a cruise ship again, this
􏰁me off the Bri􏰁sh Isles, Iceland, Svalbard and
the far north of Norway. It has been a bit of a
mixed bag in terms of the weather, with chal-
lenging weather in the UK and southern Iceland,
but magnificent once we got north of the Arc􏰁c
Circle. This is the first 􏰁me I have visited this re-
gion but as an ornithologist, it has held fewer
surprises than you might think; many species are
old friends, although they are in less familiar
plumages. Some birds, such as Brünnich’s Guillemot and Ivory Gull, I had seen only as rare vagrants in the north of Scotland. Others, such as Li􏰂le Auk and Glaucous Gull are species that are uncommon in my domes􏰁c birding jaunts, but abundant here in the far north. I took this contract because I wanted to see Polar Bear and Walrus and I have not been disappointed. These are iconic Arc􏰁c residents and not to be missed.
During the Bri􏰁sh Isles leg, we visited the Isle of Skye and as I was preparing to talk to guests before leading a birding walk, a recently fledged Great Tit flew towards me, gave up half-way through its journey and perched on my head. Being a true profes- sional, I started my briefing, all the 􏰁me with the rapt a􏰂en􏰁on of a baby Great Tit while hundreds of photos were taken of me. I’m not sure that the guests heard a word I said. It flew off eventually under its own steam, but le􏰃 me a present on my cap.
We recently enjoyed a GBC birding holiday in Slovenia, reported on pages 18-21. Unfortunately, numbers had to be limited, otherwise we could have taken more members. Nigel Caldico􏰂, a former wildlife tour operator, has recently joined the commi􏰂ee and has provided advice on how we can run these longer holidays in future, at a reasonable cost, ensuring that all par􏰁es are fully protected in case some- thing should go wrong and li􏰃 some of the administra􏰁ve burden for the organiser.
We have found that there is a drop in the number of events we have been running this year. The commi􏰂ee, of course, recognises the fantas􏰁c work that event leaders do in order to lay on an event. Nigel Caldico􏰂 has taken on a new role for the as Field Events Advisor. He will contact poten􏰁al event organisers to provide support in all aspects of event organisa􏰁on and encourage people who have been reluctant in the past to step forward for what is a very valuable part of what we do in the GBC.
I wish you great autumn birding and hope to catch up with many of you at some point.
Andy Webb
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