20.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ORNITHOLOGY GROUP
for 1977/78
In its inaugural year the bird group
was very active. Although no surveys were
wholeheartedly taken on, pleas for records
of Nightingales and other unusual species
gained some response.
However, the main realm of activity of
the group was undoubtedly in the range of
both indoor and field meetings held through-
out the year. Reports of most of these
meetings are to be found in the Bulletins,
but the following account summarises the
bird group's year.
Attendances at all of our meetings were
well above average, varying from 35 to 60.
A spring visit to some interesting
woodland at the Lower Forest near Epping
recorded extraordinarily large numbers of
Greenfinches, as well as Nuthatch, Tree
Creepers, Green Spotted Woodpeckers and
other woodland species.
Hylands Park was cold and unseasonable
for the time of year but it did produce a
Tawny Owl perched in a tree, and some of
the Warblers.
At Mill Green a wide variety of birds
were encountered, but we were disappointed
that no reliable song of the Nightingale
was heard. Tree Pipits were present but
much less abundant than in 1976.
A June visit to Danbury Common on a
cool cloudy day recorded 39 species including
Tree Pipits, both Whitethroats, Blackcaps and