Newsletter (2015 1-Spring) – Copeland Bird Observatory

4 weeks ago

There’s still time to book your ticket for the Copeland Bird Observatory 70th Bash!Yes, we’re celebrating 70 incredible years of CBO activity at the Malone Hotel on 27th April, but we’re not just looking back respectfully. Do try and join us and find out about the work of CBO as we enter our 71st season. Enjoy a three-course meal and a keynote address by Dr Ollie Padget as he describes the importance of CBO in high-end Manx shearwater tracking studies. There will be prizes galore – Copeland Gin! Paintings, optics, overnight stays, Bird books…In addition to having the opportunity to review some of the observatory’s ornithological highlights - Fox sparrow, Subalpine warblers, Radde's warbler, Barred warblers, Woodpeckers, Hoopoes, Wrynecks, Shrikes, Flycatchers, Starts, Chats, Rosefinches, Nightjar, White's thrush (to mention a few) - and pay respect to the pioneering men and women who had the foresight and the courage to establish the Observatory in the first place, we will be looking ahead to what we expect will be an action packed 2024 season. This will include a major drive on our large-gull colour ringing project (Herring & Lesser black-backed) and we are extending our annual gull-nest census to Mew Island. Our 2024 plans also include deploying tern-shelters and a new sound system on Lighthouse Island as we try to entice Arctic terns to breed, and placing additional motion cameras on the Puffin slope to monitor evidence of their breeding. We will be continuing our long-term ringing programmes of Manx shearwater, Black guillemot, Storm petrel, Eider, and Passerines/near-Passerines (last year this brought a new species – a Nightjar), and we will be making an extra push on habitat management by introducing a new mechanical Allen scythe to control the bracken. All this, and training new ringers and welcoming work and survey visits by scout and student groups. 2024 will be action packed, but we need your support!So, whether you're a seasoned islander or just starting out, you will be more than welcome to join us to support Northern Ireland's only bird observatory as it celebrates this milestone anniversary.Saturday 27th AprilCommencing with Reception at 18:00The Malone Hotel,60 Eglantine Avenue,Malone RoadBelfastBT9 6DY Dress code: SmartTo get your tickets go towww.eventbrite.com/e/copeland-bird-observatory-70th-anniversary-dinner-tickets-785749697497?aff=o... ... See MoreSee Less

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Copeland Bird Observatory

1 month ago

They that go down to sea in ships…Since the founding of CBO in 1954 we’ve been very fortunate in being able to draw on a skilful and experienced group of local boatmen to deliver us safely to Lighthouse Island and then drop us back to the landing steps at Donaghadee pier. It can be said of a good boat skipper that ‘they don’t need to know where the rocks are, but where the rocks aren’t’, and this certainly held true in the early days of the observatory as the craft was carefully and skilfully positioned alongside a rudimentary landing area and everyone jumped off! With time, and through several iterations, we’ve developed two landing stages – East and South (Gavney) – and can now land bruise free and (relatively) dry at either High or Low tide. ‘North Landing’ is marked on our maps as an important Manx shearwater sub-colony, but the name reflects its history as one of the early drop-off stages. Today, NL is visited mainly in the hours of darkness by shearwater ringers, but anyone who makes the trek down to the adjoining promontory should pause to reflect, with a certain awe, on those early days when a boat made the tentative run into the narrow channel flanked by high sided rocks and the Copeland pioneers made the leap and scrambled up the ravine. Commencing with Andy White in 1954, CBO has used many Donaghadee (and Bangor) boatmen. We hope we haven’t missed anyone from: Andy White, John Trimble, William Lennon, Quinton Nelson, Trevor Barrons (Groomsport), William Angus, Brian Meharg (Bangor), Philip McNamara. ... See MoreSee Less

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Copeland Bird Observatory

2 months ago

On the shoulders of Giants...This year, Copeland Bird Observatory is celebrating its 70th Anniversary and we are thinking of all those who have passed across our landing stages down the years. Our 1954 annual report references the very first official CBO trip..."At last the great day arrived, when we were to go and take over the island. February 27th 1954 dawned cold and clear and by 10.30 a.m. quite a number of members had collected on the pier at Donaghadee. Half an hour later our loaded lorry arrived and we proceeded to unpack it and stow all kinds of gear into Andy White's motorboat."As part of our celebrations we are looking for any old photos relating to the observatory's history - especially any from 1954. If you can help, or can help identify anyone in these two photos taken in 1955 (we think), do please get in touch. Also, remember its our 70th Anniversary dinner on 27th April in the Malone Hotel. You can get your tickets at www.eventbrite.com/e/copeland-bird-observatory-70th-anniversary-dinner-tickets-785749697497?aff=o... ... See MoreSee Less

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Copeland Bird Observatory

2 months ago

Everyone welcome to visit our stand at Ballynature 2024. Look forward to seeing you! Starts at 10am. ... See MoreSee Less

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Copeland Bird Observatory

2 months ago

Copeland Bird Observatory 70thAnniversary DinnerSaturday 27th AprilCommencing with Reception at 18:00The Malone Hotel,60 Eglantine Avenue,Malone RoadBelfastBT9 6DY Get ready for a night of dinner, dancing, talks and a raffle with excellent prizes. Whether you're a seasoned islander or just starting out, you would be more than welcome to join us to support Northern Ireland's only bird observatory as it celebrates this milestone anniversary.The keynote address will be given by Dr Ollie Padget, one of the world's foremost shearwater tracking experts. Ollie is a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool, and a Research associate with the Department of Biology, University of Oxford. He has been studying Copeland Manx shearwaters onLighthouse Island with The Oxford Navigation Group (OxNav) for many years. In his address, Ollie will focus on the history of shearwater ringing and research on the island, touching on how the founders set up the shearwatering system and introduced the diligent and comprehensive record keeping and establishment of sub colonies which is still in use today. He will discuss how CBO records are still important for modern research, providing an understanding of the age of shearwaters, and whether they stay in the same place or move around. Ollie will touch on how the historic 70-year CBO dataset has provided a brilliant springboard into the modern world of high-tech tracking. This promises to be a fascinating presentation by an enthusiastic andknowledgeable expert. Don't miss out on this special occasion and mark your calendars for an unforgettable celebration of Copeland Bird Observatory!Dress code: SmartTo get your tickets go to ... See MoreSee Less

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