Cambridgeshire Bird Club
Welcome to the Club
The Cambridgeshire Bird Club promotes the study, recording and conservation of birds in Cambridgeshire and encourages a wider interest in natural history and the protection of county wildlife habitats.
We record the County's birds in our Annual Report, so we need your records. We have a stunning Gallery, so we want your photos. We have field projects, we have indoor meetings and trips, and we keep you informed with our monthly emailed bulletins. We have links to active bird ringing groups. And have a look at our Facebook and our Twitter (X) sites.
You can see What's About? and we urge you to report interesting, sensitive or confidential sightings to the County Recorder.
We hope you enjoy your visit and come back soon.
Announcements
Urgent request by the RSPB for volunteer birder for farm surveying - see below
The Club's audited financial statement for 2024 can be found here.
This is an invitation to members past and present and their guests to be at the Club's centenary Dinner at St Catharine's College,on Wednesday 16TH APRIL. All the details are here, to respond to.
The Cambridgeshire Bird Club Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday 14 March, followed by a talk by Andrew Dobson on the endemic birds of the Caribbean. 7.30pm start, doors open 7.00pm, at the Wilkinson Room, St. John’s Church, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8RN. AGM papers can be viewed here
Just three days remain to register your votie for the Photo of the Year 2024!. Club members have until 10th March to vote. Voting instructions and the photos are here
Picture of the Month for January is the Common Crane by Simon Stirrup - see it here
Club e-Bulletins up to November are now available to all to read. They contain records, photos, articles and event reminders: read the recent ones here
The 2023 Annual Report (No 97) is now available to purchase. Look here for details.
Congratulations to Garth Peacock for winning the 2023 Photo of the Year competition. View the winner and runners-up here
Less urgent announcements
The CBC recording checklist can be viewed and downloaded here
Club Bulletins back to the first issue in 1951 have now been digitised and were added to the website in 2021- read them here
The 2019 Annual Report (No. 93) is now available to read on this website - read here 2020 Annual Report coming shortly.
This caught the Webmaster's eye: Construction of a Coot's nest in Amsterdam can be dated back to 1991 by reading plastic expiration dates. See below
X (fomerly Twitter)
We are attempting to reset the X (Twitter) feed. Meanwhile, birders can view the latest tweets by clicking on @Cambs Bird Club
The Club is exploring BlueSky as an alternative platform.
Twitter feed: many thanks to Brendon Doe for setting this up on our website, and maintaining our Twitter account.
Annual General Meeting, followed by a talk by Andrew Dobson, Friday 14 March
The Cambridgeshire Bird Club Annual General Meeting will be held on Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday 14 March. 7.30 pm start, doors open 7.00pm, at the Wilkinson Room, St. John’s Church, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8RN.
Andrew Dobson will present an illustrated talk on the endemic birds of the West Indies.
The Caribbean is home to over 700 species of bird, including 180 species that are endemic to the region and found nowhere else in the world. In fact, there are over 110 bird species in the Caribbean that only live on one island. The abundance of endemic species is one reason why the region is considered a biodiversity hotspot. Andrew lived in Bermuda for nearly 30 years and for many of those, served on the board of BirdsCaribbean including two terms as President. He had the opportunity to visit many of the islands and photograph their special birds. He has also been compiling West Indies and Bermuda seasonal bird reports for the journal 'North American Birds' for over 25 years.
Cuban Tody
Picture of the Month - January
Common Crane © Simon Stirrup, 25 January 2025, Cambridgeshire fens.
January’s Picture of the Month was chosen by Lucas Burfield.
"As soon as I spotted this incredible photo by Simon Stirrup I was stunned. The composition is outstanding, with the adult Crane playfully jumping in the air above the Cambridgeshire Fens. This is such a special and rare species and we are privileged to have it in this county.
Honourable mentions go to the vast array of stunning Bearded Tit photos by Jan Michalec and Cookie Shorten. I was also delighted to see many entries of birds braving the cold to feed, of which I particularly enjoyed those of a Wren, by Joanna Kubica."
Request by the RSPB for bird volunteers to help in farm surveys - respond asap
Jenny Atkins of the RSPB is asking for birding volunteers to help in farm surveys.
She says “I’m posting on behalf of the RSPB for a non-member of this group [Cambirds}.
Dear Cambs Birders,
I’m looking for your help this breeding season. I’m an Agricultural Project Manager for the RSPB and manage the Volunteer Monitoring of Farm Wildlife. It is designed to:
• Give farmers an understanding of what birds are on their farm and how abundant they are.
• Help farmers and volunteers understand more about wildlife within the farmed landscape.
• Connect farmers with advice and case studies to assist them plan conservation.
• Provide opportunities for volunteers to gain new skills and experience through an enjoyable and rewarding activity.
The survey season runs from 1st April to 30th June. Within this time period, we require an initial visit to a farm to be carried out and then two survey visits.
We will endeavour to pair volunteers with a farm which should be no further than approximately 25 miles from their home (and pay travelling expenses) and in Cambs. at least, currently need a volunteer in each of the following areas: Feltwell, Littleport, Ely, Soham (x 2 farms), Welney, Southery
Please feel free to drop me an email at jenny.atkins@rspb.org.uk (jenny DOT atkins @rspb DOT org DOT uk) as soon as possible because already we’re in the process of matching volunteers to farms and need to wrap it up in the next few days.
Thank you.
Jenny Atkins”
Photo of the year: 2023
Congratulations to Garth Peacock for his winning photo of a Peregrine Falcon. Second place goes to Ian Dale with his Black Redstart, and Jon Heath's Coot takes third place. Click here to view all three photos. and click 2023 candidates to see all the photos that were entered.
Plastic waste in bird nests can act like a tiny time capsule
Expiration dates help biologists trace the building of some avian homes back in history—in one case to 1991 Coot's nest in Amsterdam
"Trash-rings allow dating of bird nests"
"Researchers have unpicked a bird nest made of layers of plastic going back 30 years. The Eurasian coot (Fulica atra) nest was taken from an Amsterdam canal. The outer layers contained a dozen face masks from the pandemic and the base held a Mars bar wrapper promoting the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Usually, Coots build a fresh nest every year; but in cities, “reusing the foundation of older plastic nests may save time, giving these birds more opportunities to forage or defend their territory”, suggests biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra, who led the work. “But all these face masks in their nests — our pandemic layer — are a dangerous trap for coots, with their chunky, dinosaur-like feet.”
See more at
The Cambridgeshire Bird Report 2022, No. 96 is now available to buy at £15.00 including postage and packing. Go to Annual Reports
Where's that site?
If you are unsure of the location of the less well-known birding sites, check our Gazetteer, which also provides standardised names to include in recording checklists for the Club's database and Birdtrack. Check the Grabagrid map which provides precise site grid references, and also shows pop-up vice-county boundaries
Avian Flu
AVIAN FLU: The Angling Trust’s Voluntary Bailiff Service reported in 2023 that avian (bird) flu was confirmed in fenland swans. They advised, "Please be aware that you may see dead swans on the Nene or Drains. Dead swans may be found elsewhere too. Please under no circumstances go near or touch them. Phone Defra: 0345 933 5577, option 7: 'all other enquiries'. They will direct you to the correct local swan rescue (recovery ) people as all dead swans must now be collected for investigation". Email: defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk and provide details. More info at Avian influenza (bird flu) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
For sick swans, the RSPCA is the first place to contact and they will give help as to who should be informed.
Lists and facts
County birders life lists, individual record year lists / record day lists, garden lists and other records - view them here
Found and injured bird? Contact a rehabilitator. Baby birds? Read here and also here
Local bird news from Cambirds.
