West
Midland
Bird
Club
Studying Birds in Staffordshire, Warwickshire,
Worcestershire and the West Midlands since 1929
About us
Inspired by W. E. Groves, a group of five enthusiasts gathered in 1929 and formed the Birmingham Bird Club. In 1945, with an expanding membership the Club changed its name to the Birmingham and District Bird Club; this new name also reflected the Club's wider coverage of activities in the area. The Club changed its name yet again in 1959 to the title we have today, the West Midland Bird Club. The Club is now a regional organisation that is dedicated to the study and conservation of wild birds in Staffordshire - Warwickshire - Worcestershire and the West Midlands. We have bird reserves at Belvide and Blithfield reservoirs in Staffordshire, Harborne near the city of Birmingham in the West Midlands and Ladywalk in Warwickshire. We also have access agreement to birdwatch at Gailey Reservoirs in Staffordshire (with kind permission of the Canal & Rivers Trust) and at the Moors Pool at the Upton Warren reserve in Worcestershire (with kind permission of the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust).
The Club also operates a network of local branches throughout the region, these are located in - Kidderminster - Solihull and Stafford. WMBC Field Trips are also a Club operation that is an integral part of our set-up. These Club Field Trips incorporate visits to many nationally well known birdwatching locations as well as weekend stays in Devon and Norfolk. All of the branches offer varied programmes of indoor and field meetings. Whether you are new to birding or have a long-standing interest, a warm welcome awaits. Please note that all members and their families* are welcome to attend all Branch meetings, indoor and field, at all locations that are organised by any West Midland Bird Club branch, irrespective of your location; the same applies to WMBC Field Trips. *Please see information regarding families on the membership joining form.
The Club publishes a comprehensive and highly acclaimed Annual Report of the birds of the region, which is the only authentic source of information on the avifauna of our four counties. We also publish four informative newsletters during each calendar year. Our publications have been landmark events in the history of the Club. The first major Club publication,
The Atlas of Breeding Birds in the West Midlands
(1970), used pioneering surveying techniques that later became adopted by many similar works. This publication was followed by our second Atlas,
The Birds of the West Midlands
(1982) and our third and most recent work,
The New Birds of the West Midlands
(2005), which is still available for purchase, (visit the publications page in this website for further details). As well as the occurrence of avifauna throughout the region, our third Atlas offers a wealth of information of Club history and regional geography and geology too.
In 1952 Tony Norris, the then West Midland Bird Club Secretary, along with the West Wales Field Society, was instrumental in setting up a Bird Observatory on the island of Bardsey, with the West Midland Bird Club assisting with administration. Throughout the entire history of this Bird Observatory, West Midland Bird Club officers and members have been involved in its running and this still applies to the present day.
The West Midland Bird Club is a Registered Charity - Number 213311 - The current Trustees of this charity are as follows: R. Broadbent (Club Chairperson) - R. Stonier (Deputy Club Chairperson/Club Treasurer) - J. Macmillan (Trustee Chair) - J. Jupe - T. Fallowell - Colin McShane