Conservation

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.

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).