The aims of the Dorset Bird Club, as set out in the Club’s Constitution, include:

•   to provide comment and support on local conservation issues; and
•   to promote small-scale local projects through the Dorset Bird Club Conservation Fund.

The first aim primarily involves providing submissions on planning applications that have the potential to affect (adversely or positively) important bird populations and/or habitat.  In recent years, this has covered developments ranging in size from the proposed Navitus Wind Farm off Swanage and the proposed Arne Moors realignment project in Poole Harbour through to swimming in Swineham Gravel Pits.  Our intention is always to provide input into the planning process based on sound data.  The use of data presented in the annual Dorset Bird Reports is a vital part of this process.

The Conservation Fund has supported a diverse range of projects.  The most significant of these in terms of expenditure relates to habitat improvement works.  The Conservation Fund, through a generous bequest to the Club from the Estate of Eileen Bowman, funded works in 2016 at Lytchett Fields RSPB with a donation of £3,200; we followed this up with a further donation of £500.

Lytchett Fields RSPB © Ian Ballam

We have also funded habitat management works at Christchurch Harbour with donations totalling £1,000.  The Fund has also supported initiatives to support farmland birds including at Durlston Country Park and a Tree Sparrow project in North Dorset.  The Fund has made donations to support local research projects such as the Dorset Nightjar Study Group (£2,250) and the Poole Park Greylag Goose Study (Greylag Goose project 2020 - Poole Park Life (pooleprojects.net).

Greylag Goose gosling at Poole Park © Thomas Weston

 

Further Aims

A further aim of the Club is to promote the interest of birds and birdwatching in Dorset and to this end, the Conservation Fund has made donations in support of a Wildlife Windows webcam on a Peregrine Falcon nest at Bournemouth University.  Although the vast majority of the Fund’s donations rightly focus on projects in Dorset, we occasionally support initiatives with an international dimension such as the Hookpod which has been successful in reducing the bycatch of albatrosses in the Southern Atlantic.  In total, the Fund has donated over £8,500 in support of conservation projects in Dorset.

One of our current objectives is to support the growing rewilding/nature-friendly farming movement. We are always open to suggestions for supporting new conservation projects in Dorset.  Please contact us by emailing admin@dorsetbirds.co.uk with details of any projects that you wish the Trustees to consider.