Portland Bird Observatory

21st February 2012

For sale:

Kowa 773 fluorite telescope with 30xww lens with stay-on case, all boxed and mint condition 1 year old, £1575 (a saving of £700 on the new price).

Leica 8x32 BN binoculars, mint condition, £575 ono.

Contact Duncan Walbridge on 01305 820969

23rd December 2011

A note from the bookshop: the shop still has a few copies of the recently re-issued Jenni & Winkler Moult & Ageing of European Passerine on sale at £85 to members and £100 to non-members; contact Nick Wright on 01305 459268 or wright39@talktalk.net.

Please also note that as in previous years the bookshop will not be open on Wednesdays during January & February. During these months we shall be open only on Saturdays and Sundays from 10.00 am till 4.00 pm.

10th November 2011

For sale:

Canon 400D camera and Canon 100-400 lens; fully functional but dog-eared by extensive travel hence the knock-down price £350 cash only

For further information contact Bagsy on 07715873943

THESE ITEMS NOW SOLD

9th November 2011

Some more items for sale:

Opticron 'scope GS815 GA ED/45 Boxed, New and Unused £400

SDL eyepiece 20-60 with case, New and Unused £160

SDL DCC adapter for above 28mm connection £40

Velbon 4 section carbon fibre tripod with 3 way pan head (unused) £150

Nikon Coolpix 4500 with all leads and discs etc.boxed £200

Various Eagle Eye adapter and inserts £ ?? (phone for details)

Eagle Eye 5 x optic zoom wth case £50 (or will include with Coolpix)

For further information on these items contact Ronnie Baker on 01308 863521

5th November 2011

A note from the bookshop: Moult & Ageing of European Passerines by Jenni & Winkler is being re-issed by Poyser on 21 November. Normal retail price will be £120. If you would like to reserve a copy at the special price of £85 for Obs members (£100 for non-members) please contact Nick Wright on 01305 459268 or wright39@talktalk.net

15th September 2011

After an unexpectedly long delay since we first announced this change earlier in the year, we are now finally able to accept credit card payment for accommodation fees/membership subs etc at the Obs - at long last you can chuck out that cheque book that you only ever use to pay your dues at the Obs!

15th July 2011

In Focus field events will be held at the Obs this autumn on: Tuesday 9th August, Tuesday 20th September and Saturday 22nd October.

12th July 2011

An important announcement from our Honorary Treasurer:

Membership and Accommodation Subscription Increases

There has been a significant increase in the cost of living over recent years. For Portland Bird Observatory, this has been particularly noticeable in our bills for electricity, rates and insurance. Those of you who visit regularly will also have noticed that many facilities have been upgraded, the lighthouse has been painted (at a cost of some £30,000) and some internal areas have been redecorated.

Despite these increases in expenditure, there have been no resultant increases in accommodation charges for three years or membership fees for ten years. That we have not had to do this is entirely down to the generosity of our late benefactor, Helen Brotherton, who was always prepared to step in and help us out financially when required.

Helen has entrusted us with a most generous legacy which will help us to maintain the building and grounds going forward but we do now need to recognise that the Observatory needs to stand on its own feet and we must move towards a position where our income matches our outgoings. Our legacy and the income it generates will be our lifeline for many decades to come.

With these thoughts in mind, the Committee has decided then that commencing 1st January 2012, membership fees and accommodation charges will increase as follows:

	*2011*	From 1st Jan 2012
Membership (All family members at one address)	£16	£20
Membership (Under 18 or Student under 21)	£5	£5
Lighthouse or Annexe / per person/night (Members)	£11	£15
Lighthouse or Annexe / per person/night (Non Members)	£15	£20
Cottage (Members)	£44	£60
Cottage (Non Members)	£60	£80

I hope you agree that even with these increases, Portland Bird Observatory continues to offer great value for money. Members enjoy significant discounts on accommodation, and don’t forget the bookshop, where there are also member-discounts to be enjoyed.

Over the next 12 months we are planning further improvements to facilities and we would welcome comments from members, on both what we have done, and what you would like to see happen to the Obs over the next few years.”

Denis Jackson
Honorary Treasurer.”

10th July 2011

For sale: Moult and Ageing of European Passerines by Jenni and Winkler £275. Call Jason on 07971 094459

1st June 2011

Our Annual General Meeting will be taking place at 7pm on Saturday 2nd July; click here to download/view a copy of the agenda for this meeting. Accounts for 2010 are currently being audited; they will be available for inspection at the AGM and will be published in full, together with the Independent Examiner's Report, in the Annual Report for 2010.

2nd April 2011

Another item for sale: a Swarovski ATS 80 HD spotting scope with a 20X60 eyepiece, £1,100 excellent condition; contact Sharon on 01305 823735

23rd March 2011

Following the devastating recent earthquake in Japan quite a few visitors have asked if we'd heard any news of former Puncknowle resident and long-time Obs member and visitor, Chris Cook, who has lived in Tokyo for many years. Chris kindly sent us through an e-mail today which we thought we'd copy in full:

I am pleased to say that I made it through the frightening 2 minutes of panic during the recent mega-earthquake which rattled Japan.

At the time the quake hit I was busy editing news stories on the 3rd floor of The Japan Times when I first detected vibrations. Someone nearby said "Quake" and then the shaking got a little stronger, then a little stronger still . . . the 20-story building began to sway . . . and many of us decided it was time to run down the stairs and out into the street.

There, as many people from surrounding buildings congregated and traffic came to a standstill, we could see entire buildings -- and I'm talking about the 50-story residential block across the street, the 40-story office/hotel block 100 meters away and the 45-story commercial building 150 meters away -- swaying from side to side! The trees were shaking, the power lines were flapping and the water in the canal was breaking like waves on the sides.

After half an hour, after things had calmed down a bit. we decided it was safe to go back in. Back to the desk, back to my editing . . . then 10 minutes or so later -- Bang! A powerful aftershock . . . so a repeat: grab bag, cycle helmet, run down the stairs, go out onto the street.

But, the experts say, running outside is not the best thing to do! We are advised to cower under a desk or table, stand in a doorway (which is the strongest part of the room) and keep away from windows. If we run out, there is the chance of electrocution from falling wires, or the possibility of being struck by something falling from the top or side of a building, such as a sign or an air-conditioning unit.

Since Friday I have kept my hiking bag and boots ready by the door of my apartment at night -- inside are clothes, gas stove, water, food, etc., just in case I have to make a dash for it!

You have probably seen scenes of the aftermath on TV but here in Tokyo it is basically life as normal -- the only things that have affected me have been 1) the gas supply at my apartment was automatically cut off; 2) there are still shortages of some foods/drinks such as such as fruit and vegetables in the supermarkets, and bread is still hard to find; 3) the continuing aftershocks keep everyone nervous and keep me awake at night and on edge for the remainder of the day -- it is strange how you can imagine shaking or even small vibrations when, in fact, there is nothing.

On my mobile phone there is an automatic warning signal which sounds in the event of an earthquake -- and I have been forewarned several times each day and night about the possibility of an imminent quake.

Earthquakes here are a part of life-- generally they are insignifcant, and do not affect us. In a magnitude 2 or 3 earthquake, people ask, "Is that a quake?" and then get on with what they were doing. But, there is always The Big One . . . forecast to hit the Tokyo region and cause billions and billions and billions worth of yen in damage and also cause a huge loss of life (in the Greater Tokyo area there is an estimated 30 million people).

The March 11 Tohoku earthquake was definitely a big one, but not The Big One. It had a magnitude of 9 on the Richter scale (7.9 on the Japanese scale)-- the biggest ever recorded in Japan and apparently the fifth biggest ever recorded in human history.

Anyway, I am OK and have recovered from that 100 seconds of scariness -- and continue on with my life in this world of surprises until the next big one hits!

With kind regards to all at Portland -- Chris

22nd March 2011

Two more items for sale: a Manfrotto monopod - unused - as new £25, and a Cullmann hide clamp - new - still in box £20; contact Nick Wright on 01305 777991 or c/o the Observatory.

7th April update: MANFROTTO MONOPOD NOW SOLD

21st March 2011

Visit our bookshop page for details of a forthcoming clearance sale that includes a good many collectable titles.

20th March 2011

Many members will have heard of the sad passing earlier this year of long-standing PBO member, Ian Prophet. Ian's brother, Graham, has very kindly donated Ian's extensive book collection to the Observatory, specifically for incorporation into our library. Many thanks indeed to Graham for this generous gesture which we're sure will be appreciated by members and visitors alike. And thanks also to Duncan Walbridge who volunteered to drive down to the West Country to collect the books for us.

19th March 2011

For sale: Manfrotto (badged as Swarovski) 144 tripod/128 fluid head combination, excellent condition, £140 ono; contact Mike Gray 01225 315879 (this tripod is currently at the Obs so please ask Martin if you'd like to have a look at it).

7th April update: NOW SOLD

17th March 2011

A message from PBO Chairman, Edwin Welland, introducing the new Noticeboard page:

At their meeting in November 2010 the PBO management committee took the decision to discontinue our printed quarterly newsletters for members. This decision was not taken lightly since there is of course a long tradition of keeping members informed of events at the Observatory by way of regular printed newsletters. However, knowing that the majority of members have internet access and are regular visitors to our website - and having received an increasing number of representations from members expressing a wish to receive literature in an electronic format - your committee felt that the time had come to cease the time-consuming and costly production of regular printed newsletters and replace them with an online noticeboard on our website. For the benefit of members who do not have internet access we will continue to produce one short printed newsletter each year detailing subscription rates, overnight charges and other important admin announcements; this will be posted with our annual report.

In future we will be keeping this noticeboard page constantly updated with news and announcements for members but, for the time being, matters to draw to your attention that have arisen so far this year include the following:

Subscription rates and overnight accommodation charges will remain unchanged for 2011.

The coin slot meter in the lighthouse kitchen and coin slot meter controlling use of the lighthouse showers have been removed; in future these services will be included in the overnight charge.

A credit card payment terminal will shortly be installed at the Obs and in future we will be able to accept card payment for membership subscriptions and overnight accommodation charges.

The bathrooms in the lighthouse have been completely refurbished this winter and, following on from the external redecoration that took place last autumn, we have begun a programme of internal redecoration/renovation.

New mattresses have been installed in all bedrooms.

A memorial plaque commemorating the life of Helen Brotherton has been installed in the lighthouse lounge.

A new agricultural implement shed has been erected in Helen's Fields. Thanks to Richard Newton, Mike Munro and Curtis Gould for all their hard work in seeing this project through to fruition.

As from 2012 we will be restricting the size of groups able to stay at the Observatory during our busiest migration periods to 14 persons (half of our capacity). Whilst we always welcome group bookings - particularly by bird clubs and the like - these have increased both in frequency and group size in recent years, to the extent that members and other individual visitors have found opportunities for accommodation at the Obs to be severely restricted at migration times. We hope that this change will allow members in particular a better chance of securing accommodation at relatively short notice, whilst still allowing club groups scope to include residential visits to the Obs in their programmes.