Committee Meeting Summary
Matters Arising from Previous Minutes
Discussion ensued regarding ‘Drop Box’ online storage. It was agreed by the Committee that the £12/month storage package would be sufficient for FBC. ‘Drop Box’ storage will be set up with individual files for Treasurer, Membership, Secretary, Chairperson, and Bird Recorder records. The Chair will have access to all the files.
The Committee deemed the minutes to be a true reflection of the last committee meeting.
Indoor Meetings
Ken highlighted the forthcoming indoor meetings as follows:
➢ 12/09/24 Antarctica Revisited (An illustrated talk by Keith Avery)
➢ 10/10/24 Turning tarmac into wetland: the Kilminning story (by Will Cresswell)
➢ 21/11/24 St Andrews University Research Study: The life stories of birders: Why attention matters in a burning world (by Dr Roxani Krystalli)
➢ 12/12/24 Avian Seagrass Ecology in the Firth of Forth (by Hamish Baker, Student at Heriot-Watt University) via ZOOM
The Committee agreed that the meetings for December and January will be via ZOOM ( ie, 2 x ZOOM meetings per year). The Committee discussed ideas for future meetings.
Finance
The Treasurer presented the most recent Financial Statement for the 1st August 2024 to the Committee.
Membership
The committee received an update on the current membership numbers:
➢ 212 Paid Membership (Includes 148 Family Memberships).
➢ 54 members are still to renew
➢ Lost 2 members, and potentially gained 3 new members
➢ Three members paid by cheque, and Malc paid them in via the Banking App
Overall Malc is very pleased with the speed of the membership renewals this year.
New Hide Locations
No further updates regarding the memorial hide project. The Committee will progress with the replacement hide project at Edenside – to be discussed at future meetings.
Recording and Bird Report
Report from Graham Sparshott below:
Fife Bird Report 2020: Making progress again with species write ups after other things got in the way a bit the last couple of months, including sound recording, see below. I’ve got 15 species and the introductory pages ready for proofing so far.
Sound Recording
Report from Graham Sparshott below:
I had the Audiomoths out in June/July at Blairadam, Devilla and Mossmorran. The best record was woodcock at Mossmorran. I also finished going through Rossie Bog recordings from May. The highlights were drumming snipe (uncommon breeding species in Fife) and territorial water rail. Overall though, I think the recorders showed their worth and their is plenty of scope for the future. Some of the areas I tried are large and although I try to put them in places that look good habitat for the target species, it can be a bit of a lottery. Another project I propose is leaving some recorders out at Fife Ness/Kilminning this autumn to see what nocturnal migration we can capture. I have lots of annual leave to take this autumn and could tie in with a visit out east to put some out for a few weeks and then pick back up.
Outings
Discussion ensued on the challenges for committee members trying to organise outings in addition to their other roles. Caroline offered to help out with some of the admin and organisation for future outings, in addition to her role as Club Secretary. It was agreed that Caroline would undertake the role of Outings Co-ordinator from immediate effect.
The All Day Seawatch event at Fife Ness will be led by Jared Wilson, Malc Ware, Will Cresswell and Ken Shaw. Information will be emailed out to the membership nearer the time. Members will be asked to bring their membership cards on the day.
Website
Discussion ensued regarding the recent website issues. A fix for the plug-in issue was
published by the developer, and installed on the website in July. It has been tested, and the
website has been working fine for the last few weeks. The original FBN Twitter account on
the front of the homepage has been replaced with a Blue Sky Social account. This provides fresh content of sightings etc for members and non-members.
Scope/FBC Newsletter
Complimentary issues of Scope (digital) were sent to three non FBC members by way of thanks for their contributions to the Jonathan Dean tribute. Discussion ensued about memorial tributes for members over the years. It was agreed that the Club could display an Obituary Notice at the AGM for members who have sadly passed away that year. Members could be contacted prior to the AGM to ask if they wish to write a tribute for departed members that they knew.
Hides
After a discussion relating to health and safety, committee members who are familiar with the current condition of Fife Ness Hide agreed that work on the front of the hide can be postponed till next year. Essential remedial work would need to be carried out in September to ensure the hide is safe during the winter. The work would consist of fixing loose boards, and base plates on the ends, and painting the timber. An email will be sent to members to let them know when the work will be carried out.
A Plan of Action was agreed by the Committee for controlling the vegetation growth at the three bird hides. An industrial Dewalt strimmer at a cost of £170 will be purchased. Three pairs of shears (+sharpening stones) will also be purchased, and installed in the hides, so that members can cut high vegetation if required. Essential remedial work will also be carried out on the boardwalk at Kilconquhar hide by the end of September. This will consist of covering the old boards with new timber temporarily until a more extensive job can be carried out next year. An email will be sent to members to enlist volunteers to help, and let members know when the work will be carried out.
Eden Springs Project / Letham Pools
On the 21st June 100 metres of barbed wire was removed from Letham Pools along with a dead Coot that was trapped on the wire. The work was carried out by FBC members and non- embers with permission granted by the landowner.
The Committee was informed that a recent Planning Application submitted by Eden Springs for 75 lodges and a crazy golf course etc, had been unanimously rejected by Fife Council. Management of the water levels at Letham Pools is included in the Planning Application.
Health and Safety
Health and safety issues have been covered in previous sections in these minutes.
Audiomoth Units
Graham Sparshott is currently making good use of the 4 existing units (as reported above under Recording and Bird Report).
Borrowed Equipment
Two pairs of binoculars (10 x 42 and 8 x 42) at an approximate cost of £500 will be purchased for FBC members to borrow during outings. Information about the binoculars will be uploaded to the FBC website. The Committee agreed that an Asset Register should be compiled, and filed in the Treasurer’s section of the Drop Box storage to be set up (see above).
AOB
The Committee discussed the idea of FBC assisting with the BTO Gull Survey this Winter (last week in September). An article will be posted on the Fife Women’s Birding WhatsApp Group (FWBWG) with information about the survey, and to garner interest from members. It was noted that the FWBWG had went quiet in recent weeks. It was agreed that another Tea/Coffee/Cake cafe meeting could be organised to welcome female members who have joined FBC in the last year. Further information about this will be sent out to members.
Jackie Sutherland agreed to be listed as a second ‘Admin’ contact for the FWBWG. Relating to a query from the AGM in July, the Committee agreed that landowners who support the three FBC hides should be given a note of the hide access code.