Caithness Field Club

Chairman's Remarks

The 1979 AGM broke with tradition by retaining the Chairman for two years on the recommendation of the committee that two years consecutive service by Chairmen and Secretaries (if they can be persuaded to do it!) would improve the stability of the club's management. If all goes well one of the two will retire each year while the other will stand for re-election. Where possible the Chairman will continue to come alternately from the Wick and Thurso areas.

This year the pattern has continued to develop towards good support for summer outings and rather uneven support for winter lectures. This provides the incoming committee with the challenge of providing more appetising winter fare in spite of the competition from the other winter activities which make the evenings so eventful in Wick and Thurso. There were some members who found the 1979 summer outings rather strenuous and the committee have borne this in mind when setting up this summer's programme - let us hope that it caters for a wider range of preferences.

Buildings and Settlements Group
The group has made progress during the Winter with putting some flesh on the bare bones of names and statistics, trying to link together the factual and literary material, and working slowly back through to earlier times. Some fieldwork on the sites should be happening this summer.

Field Meetings:
Sunday 4 May 10 a.m. Thurso station
Sunday 1 June back at 5 p.m.

Indoor Meetings:
24 March
12 May
8 September

Contact J. K. Butler, 15 Brims Road, Thurso 3549 for further information.

Botany Group
Meetings this season will be: 22 June all day 10 a.m. start
10 August " " 10 a.m. start
21 May evening 7 p.m. start
23 July evening 7 p.m. start
6 Sept. afternoon 1.30 p.m. start

Wick Area Bird Report
In early March the Outdoor Activities Club of Wick High School have published their first Bird Report. The Report, edited by Keith W. Banks of the Sixth year, hopes to encourage pupils to record bird sightings and so build up an annual picture of bird status and bird movements on the East side of the county. This first report summarises the effect of weather on bird movements, and details meaningful sightings of most species, but especially seabirds, waders and passerines. Copies of the report are available from Mr. Bruce, Wick High School, price 30p.

Published in April 1980 Bulletin