Banbury Ornithological Society - Birds of the Banbury Area 1972-1981

Birds of the Banbury Area by T.G. Easterbrook is the third decennial (10 year) report by the BOS, covering the years 1972-1981. The report includes the full list of bird species seen in the BOS survey area up to 1981, along with a detailed listing of sightings within the report period. During this period records started to be recorded using 1km OS grid references via a record card system. This period also saw the introduction of the use of a micro-computer (PC) for information storage, something that was significantly ahead of its time and almost unheard of in the birding community.

The report can be viewed and downloaded by selecting this link: Birds of the Banbury Area 1972-1981.

The contents of the report include:

- Systematic List

- Fieldwork: Annual Breeding Season Survey; Ringing; Random Square Survey; Arrival and Departure Dates

- Maps of the BOS area including topography and woodland coverage

- List of the breeding and non-breeding birds

- Historical checklist of species, showing when each species has been recorded

Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury visited the BOS reserve at Balscote Quarry recently, to see conservation in action. Steve Holliday, one of the site wardens said, “Balscote may be a small site (6ha) but, through positive management, it holds Red List birds such as Lapwing and Yellowhammer, 24 species of butterfly and much more." We looked at the vital role volunteers play in habitat management on site and, in light of BOS data on local bird declines, how we can develop a more joined-up approach to nature conservation locally. We finished by discussing how new proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill can benefit, not harm, biodiversity.

Two Islands - Handa, Scotland & The Farnes, Northumberland - Graham Lenton

Handa a beautiful island off the north-west coast of the Highlands of Scotland boasts up to 150,000 seabirds. Its location seems to have its own weather pattern and the island is uninhabited apart from a seasonal warden and reserve volunteers. It is accessed by a ten-minute ferry from the hamlet of Tarbet and its white sandy shores and clear blue waters make it appear almost tropical. The seabird colonies of puffin, guillemot, razorbill, kittiwake and fulmar are easily viewed from the top of the island where sea cliffs of the Torridonian Sandstone reach over 300ft (100metres). Other notable birds that breed on the island are great and arctic skua, stonechat, wheatear, cuckoo, twite, oystercatcher, arctic tern, common, herring and great black-backed gulls, shag, eider, red grouse, ringed plover, snipe, rock dove, meadow and rock pipit and reed bunting. Most of the divers can be seen flying or on the sea around the island and black guillemots are often seen in the bay. Read more ...

Birds of the Banbury Area 1972-1981

Sean Woodcock MP visits Balscote Quarry

14 September 2026 - Indoor Meeting at 7.30pm