Blog

Chairman’s Welcome

Posted on | by David Bickerton

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to the ELOC website. This has been developed in 2021 by club members Bernard Bracken and David Bickerton. They have been helped by Steve Flynn, a friend of David’s who has carried out a lot of work on the Bird Records section.

As with any new website, there will be a few teething problems and we hope to resolve these over the next few months, please let us know if you spot anything odd or have any suggestions for improvements and we will do our best to make the relevant changes. Currently the site doesn’t support a Photograph Gallery. This may be added later and we would encourage you to use our Facebook page for now. Prior to entering your first sightings records you will have to register to the new site. If you find any problems, please report them to me or Bernard via the ‘About Us’ section.

The club always welcomes new members, beginners or seasoned birders alike. Why not come and join us at Fence Village Hall BB12 9QH, on the first Tuesday of the month? Check out the list of Indoor Meetings which are friendly and relaxed (with free refreshments!). Throughout the year we run several Field Trips for members where car sharing is encouraged. Visitors are also welcome to attend.

I hope all club members and website users will join me in thanking Philip Hartwell and retired Chairman Tony Cooper for developing and supporting the original website. This has taken a considerable amount of their time and effort over the last twenty years. I am looking forward to seeing this new site developing in the future. Many thanks to Bernard, David, Stephen and everyone who has contributed as these changes have been instigated over the last few months.

Andy Powell
ELOC Chairman

Important News: Cancellation of ELOC Indoor Meeting 7 April 2026

Posted on | by Andrew Powell

Major building work is being carried out to improve facilities at our venue, Higham Village Hall. Unfortunately, the work has reached a crucial stage, and we have been advised by the organisers that the premises will be severely compromised. As a result, we have taken the decision to cancel the April meeting but are pleased to confirm that Alan Fielding will give his talk on Golden Eagles at our October 2026 meeting.

We have been assured that the hall will be available in May when Gary Hobson will be talking about the History of the Idle Valley Nature Reserve, and we hope to see you then.

Hen Harriers in the Forest of Bowland

Posted on | by Andrew Powell

As a club we are lucky to have breeding Hen Harriers on our doorstep in the Forest of Bowland. Nearly all the recent improvements in Bowland Hen Harrier nesting attempts have occurred on United Utility land, not on land managed for gamebird shooting. This is rather ironic when the Hen Harrier logo is used on publicity and signs for the whole of the Forest of Bowland. Mark Avery, a passionate advocate for nature who has spent decades working for wildlife, has written a blog about the situation:

Why Hen Harriers don’t prosper in the Forest of Bowland and what could be done about it

The following is a link to the Forest of Bowland consultation which needs to be completed by 2nd March 2026

https://www.forestofbowland.com/management-plan-2026

In the last year or so several birds hatched in Bowland have ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances. We only know about these disappearances because the birds have been fitted with a radio tag. Others are untagged so how many birds in total have ‘disappeared’?

If you care about these iconic birds of prey, we urge you to read Mark Avery’s blog and complete the online consultation.

September Indoor Meeting and 2024 Bird Report

Posted on | by Andrew Powell

Come and join us on Tuesday 2nd September at 19:30 in Higham Village Hall when we will be celebrating the first 70 years of East Lancashire Ornithologists’ Club (non-members £3).

The talk is The Choughs of Anglesey by Jack Slattery. Jack is from the RSPB in North Wales and will be talking about the conservation efforts for these specialist corvids.

During the break refreshments will be provided by Sue and the 2024 Bird Report will be available to all members (free) and visitors (£5).

2024 Bird Report – now available to order

Posted on | by Andrew Powell

The 2024 ELOC Bird Report should be available for the September Indoor Meeting. All members who have paid their 2025 Subscription will receive a free copy. Could anybody else who would like a copy please contact the Chairman or Secretary to ensure that a copy is ordered for them. Please let us know before Friday 22 August. Applications for membership for the rest of this year to include a copy of the 2024 Report are available, please contact us for further details.

The report will first be distributed to members and visitors attending the September 70th Anniversary Indoor Meeting, Choughs of Anglesey by Jack Slattery. Reports will then be distributed by post.

Cost: Members – free, Non members – £5 printed copy + postage and packing.

2024 Bird Report

Posted on | by Andrew Powell

It’s that time of year when we start working on the ELOC Bird Report for the previous year. If you have any records from 2024 can you add them to the ELOC database or pass them to Ian the ELOC Recorder (see About Us for contact details) please. We would like to have all the data by the end of January 2025.

Club Activities – January 2025

Posted on | by Andrew Powell

Firstly I would like to wish you all a happy, healthy and bird filled new year.

Our first Indoor Meeting is on Tuesday 7th January at Higham Village Hall – ‘South African Birds’ by Sean Davies.

Our first Field Trip of the year is on Saturday 11th January when we will be visiting the Cockersand Abbey and Eagland Hill area. Please see the Field Trips section of the website or wait for further information on the ELOC Field Trips WhatsApp group.

Currently there is a bug on the club’s website so that we cannot update the Upcoming Events section, please be assured there are plenty of events planned for 2025.