Although the Observatory season does not begin until March, a lot of work goes on off the island over winter and in 2024, this included a Staff Induction Day in Norfolk in January for Ed Betteridge, joining us for a third season, and Kate Fox, newly recruited and replacing Ollie King as the second Assistant Warden.
A very successful Members’ Day in February saw presentations by Dr Steph Harris and Lauren Evans, who are specialising in tracking Manx Shearwaters.
Steve and Emma attended the Bird Observatories Council meeting in Thetford before returning to the island in early March. As usual, there was much work to be done to prepare Cristin for its first visitors and volunteers Lynda Roberts and Mike Smart were an invaluable addition to the staff team.
One notable birding event was the presence of a singing male Corncrake, the first on the island since 2018. Eventually it transpired that there were three separate birds, the highest number of singing males since the 1950s. A smart juvenile Caspian Gull on the South End was the first record for the island and had been colour-ringed in the Netherlands. In October, a Goosander seen in the Wetlands was only the seventh record for the island and the first since 2016. Other highlights of the autumn included Pallas’s Warbler and Little Bunting as well as record counts of Mediterranean Gulls.
Thirty nest boxes for Manx Shearwaters were built and installed in the colony as part of Lauren Evans continuing work with these fascinating birds.
2024 also saw the start of the Marine Mammals Project, funded by the Nature Networks Programme and delivered by the Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government. Our thanks go to Mick Green for his unflagging effort in securing the funding for this project and it is a fantastic opportunity for the Observatory to be involved in something so crucial to the protection and study of marine mammals on an around the island. It is pleasing to record that a record 78 Grey Seal pups were born on the island in 2024.
We ran two highly successful University weeks, one in April and one in August, and we are grateful to the West Midlands Bird Club, British Birds and WildSounds for their sponsorship of these amazing educational events. Our commitment to the next generation of birders was further evidenced when we hosted several young people as part of the BTO’s YBOV scheme.
A Dutch film crew visited in the spring and the Observatory featured on the BBC’s One Show in July, and more heavily on More4’s Our Tiny Islands. BBC’s Springwatch star Iolo Williams stayed at Cristin and did some filming for a new nature programme. He also provided the narration for a film produced as part of the Marin Mammal Project.
It is with sadness that I must mention an occasion in June when Lofty, one of the island’s great characters, died in a tragic accident near Carreg. Island residents and paramedics worked hard to try and save him, but he was pronounced dead by the air ambulance’s doctor at the scene. Lofty had a special talent for making everyone feel welcome, meeting
guests as they arrived on the boat or chatting with them as they were waiting to leave, whether they were regular visitors or first-timers. He touched the lives of many, and his presence will be sorely missed.
My thanks, as always, go to Steve and Emma for their unfailing dedication to the Observatory and to Connor, who embarked on the third year of his degree in the autumn of 2024 but was still on had remotely to assist with IT related issues. Thanks are also due to Ed and Kate, our interns Jonathan and Ewan and all the volunteers who came to assist the staff on the island during the season. We are grateful to Colin Evans for the provision of a safe and reliable boat service and to the other residents of Bardsey for their kindness and generosity. I would like to thank my fellow trustees for their time and care throughout the year and to all the Friends of Bardsey for their continued support.
BARDSEY BIRD AND FIELD OBSERVATORY
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2024
| CURRENT ASSETS Debtors Stock National Savings Investment Account Bank Balance High Interest Business Account Bardsey Flora Account PayPal Account Current Account LESS : CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors NET CURRENT ASSETS NET ASSETS REPRESENTED BY: ACCUMULATED FUND Balance at 1st January 2024 Excess of Income over Expenditure for the Year Balance at 31st December 2024 RESERVE ACCOUNT AW ACCOUNT BARDSEY FLORA FUND HELIGOLAND FUND TONY CHARLES MEMORIAL FUND BIRDS OF BARDSEY FUND |
Note 1 2 3 |
43,866.21 1,864.79 4,245.59 128,589.70 11,006.45 1,905.40 11,970.27 203,448.41 28,055.23 175,393.18 175,393.18 79,335.11 8,462.15 87,797.26 60,000.00 10,500.00 10,843.33 1,421.67 830.92 4,000.00 175,393.18 2024 |
2023 17,418.00 1,148.40 4,224.18 126,683.99 10,843.33 1,028.38 26,858.30 188,204.58 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21,273.55 166,931.03 |
|||
| 166,931.03 | |||
| 66,165.03 13,170.08 |
|||
| 79,335.11 | |||
| 60,000.00 10,500.00 10,843.33 1,421.67 830.92 4,000.00 166,931.03 |
Page 1
BARDSEY BIRD AND FIELD OBSERVATORY
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024
| INCOME Subscriptions Donations and Miscellaneous Receipts Marine Mammal Project Income Tax Recoverable Grant from NRW Sales Visitors Fees Interest Income EXPENDITURE Cristin - Rent Expenses - Running Expenses Donation to BITL Equipment Bank Charges Report Sales Expenses Salaries and National Insurance Petty Cash and Sundries including Postage and Telephone Professional Services Projects Insurance EXCESS OF INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR |
2024 3,868.00 5,700.99 6,000.00 330.90 11,825.00 9,436.35 64,679.82 2,090.24 103,931.30 1,590.90 20,654.14 675.00 1,139.53 20.57 3,999.95 3,296.56 52,090.71 1,859.59 7,000.00 1,902.89 1,239.31 95,469.15 8,462.15 |
2023 3,868.00 11,372.36 1,793.00 11,825.00 8,899.94 59,043.70 1,074.38 97,876.38 1,590.90 20,298.40 1,115.90 18.85 3,836.00 3,792.09 45,220.84 1,612.16 6,000.00 50.22 1,170.94 84,706.30 13,170.08 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Page 2
BARDSEY BIRD AND FIELD OBSERVATORY
NOTES TO THE BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2024
| 1. DEBTORS AND PAYMENTS IN ADVANCE Marine Mammal Project Grant from NRW Income Tax Recoverable 2. STOCK Promotional Merchandise for Resale Stock is stated at the lower of cost or estimated net realisable value 3. CREDITORS Accommodation Annual Report Running Expenses Salaries Treasurer Account |
£ 31,741.21 11,825.00 300.00 43,866.21 |
|---|---|
| 1,864.79 1,864.79 |
|
| 8,685.00 4,029.95 14,900.60 192.50 247.18 28,055.23 |
Page 3
EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS
OF BARDSEY BIRD AND FIELD OBSERVATORY
I have examined the Balance Sheet at 31st December 2024 and the Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended on that date as shown on the attached pages 1 to 3 and certify that they are in accordance with the books and records of Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory.
J.S. Craig
Jun-24
19 The Coppice Mancetter Atherstone Warwickshire