Annual General Meeting
BirdWatch Ireland West Cork Branch
Thursday 15th March 2012 - Nicholas Mitchell
Eighteen Members and non-Members met at the West Cork Hotel on Thursday evening 15th March for its Annual General Meeting, followed by a presentation by David Rees and an illustrated talk by Laura Woods.
The outgoing Chairman gave his address, remarking:
"Embracing technology, the Branch Facebook went live at the end of December 2010 and throughout 2011 has continued to attract followers. There are now over 170 people following our site. Our e-subscribers now receive advance notice of events and regular reminders automatically. And, moving into 2012, the Branch is launching its website immediately after the AGM.
During the year the Branch organized some wonderful outings which were often very well attended. The highlights were the weekend trip to Wexford in September and day trips to the Gearagh, Whiddy Island and Cape Clear Island.."
The outgoing Hon. Treasurer Nicholas Mitchell presented the Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2011 and gave his report. Of particular note was the purchase of three pairs of binoculars by the Branch for use by guests at outdoor events. The Accounts were adopted by the Members.
All officers resigned from the Committee and new appointments were voted in as follows:
Chairman Peter Wolstenholme
Hon. Secretary Nicholas Mitchell
Hon. Treasurer Karl Woods
Webmaster Laura Woods
Projects David Rees
Officer Michael Cobley
The Meeting was closed and followed with a presentation by David Rees on the BTO initiative BirdTrack which is supported by BirdWatch Ireland. David ran through registration to the website www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/birdtrack and showed how easy it is to use. He not only emphasised the value of volunteer survey-work to conservation, but also what a useful tool it is for birders who like to keep records; it's like a very clever "black book".
As pre-empted in the Chairman's address, Laura Woods launched our live website www.birdwatchirelandwestcork.ie. A great deal of credit goes to Laura for getting this website up-and-running. Laura remarked that this is still "work-in-progress" but the result is excellent; uncluttered , straightforward to use and informative, so a big thank you to Laura.
Not to rest on her laurels, those present then enjoyed a delightful talk and slideshow by Laura, entitled Cork Bird Highlights 2011. With the aid of some her wonderful photographs, not a little whimsy and children's stories, Laura took us through her personal avian highlights of 2011. What an absolute delight and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all present.
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