Recent Rare Bird Club events
London Dinner, Travellers Club, 28 September 2006
The historic Travellers Club in Pall Mall became the venue for our prestigious Rare Bird Club Presidents Dinner, hosted by Rare Bird Club Honorary Presidents Graeme Gibson and Margaret Atwood.
The evening began with a special champagne reception attended by Guy Saint Jacques, Deputy High Commissioner at the Canadian Embassy, and his wife Madam Cameron. Afterwards members took their seats in the atmospheric setting of the library room for a four course candlelit dinner.
During the evening, Dr Michael Rands, BirdLife Director and Chief Executive, outlined the achievements made since the inception of the Rare Bird Club and spoke about the unprecedented threats facing many species. He urged all members to support a new and exciting initiative to be called “Species Champions”. This will be launched at the UK Bird Fair in August 2007.
British Birdwatching Fair, 18–20 August 2006
Each year the British Bird Fair draws bird enthusiasts, often accompanied by friends and families, from around the world, eager to explore every aspect of their passion, meet old acquaintances and make new ones.
Over 20 Rare Bird Club members and their guests attended on the first day, meeting for an informal lunch before dispersing to explore the various stands, activities and presentations in the afternoon. We look forward to seeing many Club members at an informal lunch on Friday 17 August at this year’s Bird Fair which is being held from 17–19 August 2007.
Bermuda, 31 May–7 June 2006
The Rare Bird Club was fortunate to be invited to visit Bermuda through the auspices of the Bermuda Audubon Society and those Rare Bird Club members that attended shared some fantastic sights. Some of our existing members in Bermuda, George and Marijke Peterich and Dr David and Mrs Christine Saul, generously provided lovely receptions and dinner to Club members and guests in their homes.
The visit was timed to see the Cahow Recovery Program on Nonsuch Island, created by Dr David Wingate and now capably and carefully managed by Jeremy Madeiros, Government Conservation Officer – and Rare Bird Club member. It was very special to be shown these young birds in the delicate care of Mr Madeiros.
The Rare Bird Club would like to thank all concerned who made this such a memorable visit, especially to Andrew Dobson who was the linchpin behind the organisation of the trip; Jeremy Madeiros; Dr David and Christine Saul; George and Marijke Peterich; and Sir John and Lady Vereker.
Graeme Gibson Lecture & Welcome Reception for New Honorary Presidents, 1 June 2006
This was a very special occasion for both Rare Bird Club members and the Cambridge general public, as joint President Graeme Gibson read and presented slides from his recently published best-seller, ‘The Bedside Book of Birds: An Avian Miscellany’.
Following the public lecture, held at New Hall, Cambridge University, Rare Bird Club members and invited guests were able to meet and mingle with our new Honorary Presidents, Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson. They expressed their great pleasure in meeting Rare Bird Club members and look forward to future opportunities to become acquainted with even more of the membership, and to add to it through their contacts and enthusiasm.
Rare Bird Club Netherlands Luncheon, 26 May 2006
A prestigious lunch, hosted by Rare Bird Club members Mr Hans J Kraaijeveld van Hemert and Mrs M A Kraaijeveld van Hemert-Peterich at their beautiful country estate in Vierhouten. The event was attended by 35 members and guests to commemorate His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Founder President of the Rare Bird Club.
Since the Rare Bird Club was launched in 1988 until his death in 2004, Prince Bernard worked tirelessly to raise much needed funding for BirdLife International. He was ably assisted in this by BirdLife staff member Jane Fenton, now Vice President Emeritus of the Club. The funds raised in these early days were instrumental in enabling the emergence of the new BirdLife International from the International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP).
BirdLife International and the Rare Bird Club are enormously grateful to Mr and Mrs Kraaijeveld van Hemert for their extremely generous sponsorship of the lunch in their lovely home at Vierhouten, and also to Vogelbescherming Nederlands (BirdLife Partner in the Netherlands) for organising a birdwatching tour to the beautiful Oostvaardersplassen Reserve, where members saw White Herons, Spoonbills and Cormorants.
Antarctic Cruise, 9–26 January 2006
This once-in-a-lifetime cruise on board the fabulous liner Marco Polo was well attended, with 13 Rare Bird Club members and guests taking part along with another 16 fellow travellers with tour company WildWings. Our inimitable tour leaders were Tony Marr, a Rare Bird Club member himself, and David Rosair.
The trip provided a number of once-in-a-lifetime sightings. Of particular note was Costanera Sur, a wetlands reserve on the River Plate. There the group saw flocks of waders– Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson’s Phalaropes, Pectoral and White-rumped Sandpipers – as well as Rufescent Tiger Herons, Cocoi Herons, Coscoroba Swans and Rosy-billed Pochard, to name but a few. Wattled Jacanas, Monk Parakeets, Green-barred Woodpeckers, Rufous Horneros (Argentina’s national bird), Great Kiskadees, Double-collared Seedeaters and even the rare and elusive Curve-billed Reedhaunter were among the many other species spotted.
Very special thanks to WildWings and Tony Marr for taking such good care of the group; to Baroness Barbara Young of Old Scone who represented BirdLife International and the Rare Bird Club at a very special reception on board the ship and shared information about our Save the Albatross campaign; to Andres Bosso and Aves Argentina for making our visit to their country so memorable; and to each Rare Bird Club member who participated in this trip.