OSME Raffle

The winners of the 2010 raffle to raise funds for the Conservation and Research Fund were:
1st prize – Opticron BGA SE 8 x 42 binoculars – D Merrie
2nd prize – £250 Naturetrek voucher - M Davies
3rd prize – Country Innovations waistcoat - I Barber
4th prize – Birdguides Breeding Birds of the Western Palaearctic DVD – F E Warr
5th prize – A & C Black Birds of Turkey - J McMillian
6th prize – Helm Birds of the Middle East (second edition) - J Rashid

Congratulations to all of the winners, thanks to the sponsors for generously donating the prizes and thanks to everyone who purchased tickets.

Grant opportunity

The UNESCO Office in Doha, in partnership with the Ford Motor Company, are inviting applications for environmental projects across the GCC and Levant countries. Every year since 2000, Ford has been helping grass roots level environmental initiatives by awarding $100,000 dollars each year to deserving projects. To date over 1.1 million USD have been granted to 130+ local environmental initiatives. For more information on the Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants visit http://www.me.ford.com/environmentalgrants and select your country of origin.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 10 September 2011.

OSME Summer Meeting & AGM

Saturday 16th July 2011

BTO, Thetford, Norfolk, UK

The 2011 OSME Summer Meeting and AGM will be held on Saturday 16th July at the British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford, Norfolk, UK. Doors will open at 10.00 – join us for tea/coffee. Once again we have a varied programme with presentations spanning the OSME area – from Socotra to Kazakhstan via the Caucasus and Cyprus. All are welcome.

Summer Meeting Programme

11.00 Introduction Geoff Welch

11.15 The Development of a Network of Protected Areas in the Northern Part of Cyprus
Phil Cannings
This presentation will describe an EU supported process for establishing a network of protected areas within the northern part of Cyprus, the habitats and species used as selection criteria and the measures being taken to encourage protection and sustainable use within these areas. The presentation will describe the areas and the species present, and discuss the challenges of undertaking a project like this in a divided and disputed territory.

12.00 An Introduction to the Manych Wetland and the Caucasus Area of Russia
Jeff Gordon
This is an illustrated introduction to the Manych Wetland in the North Caucasus Foothills where the speaker had a Dacha, a holiday-home, which he visited at least monthly. Manych is one of Europe's ornithological undiscovered treasures, rich in migrant and breeding species and completely unexplored by western birdwatchers.All photographs have been taken by the speaker who is not a photographer but with the advent of digiscoping found that this new technique was purpose built for him since it did not require patience or prior knowledge.

14.15 The Taxonomy of Socotran Birds
Guy Kirwan
This talk discusses the taxonomy of birds breeding on Socotra with a special focus on the archipelago’s endemics. Since the OSME survey in 1993, there has been a considerable upsurge of interest in the status and distribution of birds (and other biota) on these Yemeni islands, as well as their relationships and systematics. As a result, the number of generally recognised species endemic to Socotra has risen by at least three, while on the other hand a number of subspecies usually considered unique to the archipelago are probably best treated as synonyms of often widespread Afrotropical taxa. The talk will focus on the author’s own work, including some ongoing and still unpublished, but will also cover other recent publications that have discussed Socotran bird taxonomy.

15.15 The Importance of the Middle East for Migrating Sociable Lapwings
Rob Sheldon
The Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius is a Critically Endangered species that breeds in the central Asian steppes, primarily in Kazakhstan. Research suggests that the magnitude of the recent population decline can not be wholly explained by reduced breeding success. The majority of birds migrate through the Middle East into north-east Africa with a small number wintering in the Arabian Peninsula. Satellite tracking has recently suggested that key stop-over sites include south-western Russian and eastern Turkey, with birds passing through Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. This talk will outline the importance of the Middle East for Sociable Lapwings and will outline conservation efforts underway to help reverse the population decline.

16.00 Saving Kazakhstan’s Birding Heritage
Andrew Lassey & Sal Cooke
Andrew Lassey, a long time supporter of OSME, has visited Kazakhstan and neighbouring countries over 15 times carrying out detailed bird studies and bird ringing with local teams. His knowledge of Kazakhstan’s birds, its ornithological history inspired Sal to join his party and together they will give different perspectives of the country, its birds and travelling across the Steppe.

OSME Annual General Meeting

The AGM will take place at 13.45 – the Agenda is as follows:

1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of the 32nd Annual General Meeting (10th July, 2010)
3. Matters arising
4. Presentation and adoption of the Accounts for 2010
5. Appointment of accounts examiner for 2011
6. Election of Officers

Vice-Presidents (10 year term)

The following are continuing in office:

Imad Atrash (2012); Dr Ghassan Ramadan-Jaradi (2012); Mrs Mona Ramadan-Jaradi (2012); Ramaz Gokhelashvili (2016); Sherif Baha el Din (2016); Ali bin Amer Al Kiyumi (2016); Dan Alon (2017); Dr Akram Eissa Darwish (2017); Ali Adhami Mirhosseyni (2018); Sergey Sklyarenko (2018); Azzam Alwash (2019); Melis Charalambides (2020).

Council Members (Trustees elected for a 5 year term)

The following are continuing in office:

Geoff Welch (Chairman, 2012); Ian Harrison (Secretary, 2013); Nick Moran (2015) Robert Sheldon (2014); Mike Blair (ORL List Master) (2013); Guy Kirwan (Librarian) (2012)

The following has resigned since the 2010 AGM: Richard Bonser. The following will be ending their term of office at this year’s AGM: Chris Lamsdell; Richard Prior.

Currently Co-opted Council Members (appointed by the elected Council)

John Warr (Treasurer & Membership); Effie Warr (Sales & Distribution); Peter Cowan (Editor, Sandgrouse); AbdulRahman Al Sirhan (Website Manager)

Nomination: Helen Demopoulos

Further nominations should be sent to the Secretary (e-mail: secretary@osme.org) to arrive as soon as possible. Council would be pleased to welcome any members who can assist with maintaining OSME as one of the premier regional bird clubs.

7. Any other business.

Dinner We have arranged a meal at the Dolphin Inn in Thetford after the meeting – we ate there in 2010 and is excellent value. We hope you will be able to join us at this social occasion. Please let Ian Harrison know on 01545 571022 or by email at secretary@osme.org – from whom further details can also be obtained.

Breckland Birding Trip As a new departure we have arranged a birding trip on the morning after the Summer Meeting (Sunday 17th July 07.30 – 10.30). This will be led by Nick Moran (BTO) and there are possibilities of seeing Stone Curlew, Woodlark, Firecrest, Common Crossbill. Contact Ian Harrison on 01545 571022 or secretary@osme.org to reserve a place and to obtain more details. We hope you can join us!

OSME News – from the Chairman of Council, Geoff Welch

OSME—the old and the new

After many months if not years of discussion and planning, there have been significant developments over recent months in creating a digital archive of OSME publications and in upgrading the website.

Many early issues of Sandgrouse and the OSME Bulletin are no longer available for purchase as back copies so work is already underway on getting these converted to pdfs and it is hoped that these will soon be made available for viewing and downloading from the website. The long term intention is that all OSME publications, with the exception of the most recent issues, will eventually be available via the website providing a valuable source of information.

As many members will already have discovered, the OSME website, www.osme. org, was significantly overhauled in the spring thanks to the hard work of many Council members and, especially, AbdulRahman Al Sirhan. As well as giving the site a new look, all of the information has been checked for accuracy and is being regularly updated. The initial work has concentrated on getting the site functioning effectively but this is very much viewed as a ‘work in progress’ and new features and additional information will be added gradually over the coming months.

With the internet being most people’s starting point for finding information, OSME recognises the importance of having a website that is accurate, topical, useful, accessible and attractive and it is hoped that these recent developments will contribute to this. All of this work is aimed at making OSME more accessible to members and others interested in birds and conservation in the region.

OSME Summer Meeting 2010

The 2010 Summer Meeting and AGM, held at the BTO headquarters in Thetford on Saturday 10 July, was bathed in glorious sunshine and temperatures which created a genuine Middle Eastern atmosphere. The 42 members and guests that attended were treated to an outstanding programme of talks starting with Simon Busuttil giving an account of three weeks fieldwork at two sites – Banda Mar and Ajar – in north central Afghanistan in 2008. Despite much of the country being off-limits for visiting birders, Simon showed that there is still a great deal of research and conservation work going on, much of it coordinated by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Two strong messages came out of Simon’s talk which were echoed in other presentations later in the day. Firstly, there is a serious lack of data for many areas in Afghanistan (and elsewhere in the OSME region) but reliable data are essential for developing effective conservation strategies, both for lobbying governments to declare protected areas and for compiling practical management recommendations. And secondly, even the remotest sites are coming under increasing human pressure and therefore it is essential that the needs of local communities are fully integrated into future management plans for sites so that management and protection are sustainable.

The second speaker was Raffael Ayé speaking both for himself and his co-investigator Manuel Schweizer who was unfortunately unable to make the meeting. His description of the discovery of the hitherto unknown breeding grounds of the Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus in the Badakhshan region of Tajikistan was a real story of detective work. Following the ‘rediscovery’ of the species in 2006 after a bird was trapped in Thailand and later analysis of the handful of museum specimens, Raffael suspected that the ‘reed’ warblers he had observed in the eastern river valleys of Tajikistan could possibly be Large-billed Reed Warbler rather than Blyth’s Reed Warbler A. dumetorum as he had originally thought. He therefore made field visits to potential areas of habitat and found ‘reed’ warblers singing at three sites. He was able to trap eight birds at three riverine woodland sites but the biometrics, especially bill length, were all at the upper limit of those reported for Blyth’s Reed and the lower limit for Large-billed. However, all of the birds trapped were consistently at this upper limit which seemed strange so hopes that they were Large-billed were rekindled. This identification was confirmed by subsequent mitochondrial DNA analysis of feather samples conducted by Manuel Schweizer. Raffael pointed out that even among individuals sampled at the same locality, genetic diversity was surprisingly high and interpreted this as the result of secondary contact between previously isolated or fragmented populations. Two recently fledged young were also observed at one site. Recordings of singing birds were made but these have yet to be analysed to look for consistent patterns which will, hopefully, allow reliable identification of the species in the field. The breeding range of the large-billed reed warbler is likely small and the species’ habitat is under intense pressure from the collection of firewood and fodder. Consequently, the Large-billed Reed Warbler remains of considerable conservation concern. More fieldwork is required to determine where else the species may breed – the records suggest that it could be present in Kyrgyzstan and possibly Kazakhstan.

The first speaker of the afternoon was Azzam Alwash, Chief Executive of Nature Iraq and an OSME Vice-President, who gave a spell-binding talk about the loss and subsequent restoration of the marshes of southern Iraq. His graphic account of the systematic drainage and destruction of these huge wetlands by the former Iraqi regime, together with the displacement of the indigenous Marsh Arabs, was heart-breaking but this was tempered by his explanation of how the marshes are being restored, despite ongoing political and practical difficulties. The speed at which the reedbeds and wildlife are returning is amazing and recent fieldwork has shown that the marshes already once again support phenomenal numbers of wintering wildfowl, including 46,000 Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris - more than the previous total world population estimate! OSME Chairman, Geoff Welch, summed up Azzam’s talk in just three words – humorous, passionate and inspirational – and it is hoped that Azzam will be able to return in a few years to give a further update on the restoration of this globally important wetland. A documentary on the marshes is being prepared by the BBC and will be screened in the UK and America in late 2010.

Azzam Alwash, Chief Executive of Nature Iraq and an OSME Vice-President

The fourth talk of the day was a photo safari by Graham Lobley which took the audience on a mouth-watering journey from the shores and coastal mangroves of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast to the summits of the inland Asir mountains via the Tihamah plain. Each of the main habitat zones lying between the coast and the mountains has a distinctive flora and fauna which was illustrated by a selection of Graham’s stunning photographs. Typical Arabian species that can be found include Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles exustus and Pharaoh Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus. Nine of the ten South-west Arabian endemics including Arabian Wheatear Oenanthe lugentoides, Yemen Warbler Sylvia buryi and Yemen Linnet Carduelis yemenensis together with several Afro-tropical species such as Bruce’s Green Pigeon Treron waalia and African Rock Bunting Emberiza tahapisi. can be found there. In addition to the birds, Graham also highlighted a variety of other wildlife that can be observed including many endemic plants, several spectacular butterflies such as Plain Tiger and mammals such as Ruppell’s Fox.

The final talk was by Geoff Welch who gave an overview of the Central Asia Important Bird Areas project which has identified 219 sites covering a staggering 21 million hectares in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. In additional to explaining how the sites were identified and giving a taste of the bird riches they support, Geoff explained how the project has already been able to influence national legislation in Kazakhstan to improve the protection and management of protected areas, not just IBAs; has established 11 bird clubs across the three countries which is helping to develop the next generation of birdwatchers and researchers; facilitated the growth of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK) from one member of staff in 2004 to over 20 in 2010; and allowed the formation of the Uzbekistan Society for the Protection of Birds (UzSPB), the first bird conservation NGO in the country. Both ACBK and UzSPB have applied to become Partners of BirdLife International.

In addition to the usual administrative and financial items at the Annual General Meeting, Melis Charalambides (Chairman of BirdLife Cyprus) was elected as a new Vice-President and Nick Moran of the BTO and lately of the United Arab Emirates as a new Council member. Colin Richardson and Sharif Al Jabour retired from Council at the end of their five year terms and were thanked for their valuable contributions towards the running of OSME. The other major item on the agenda was the updated Constitution which was adopted unanimously. This has now been accepted by the UK Charity Commission and is thus OSME’s official governing document.

Thanks to Keith Betton

While writing the above account of the 2010 Summer Meeting, I realised, with much embarrassment, that this is the first write-up since 2008. The main reason for my embarrassment though is that as a result, OSME has never formally expressed its thanks and appreciation to Keith Betton who was Chairman from 2002 to 2008. While each Chairman brings particular skills and experience to OSME, helping shape the role and direction of the Society, Keith made several outstanding contributions. During his tenure, Sandgrouse underwent a major redesign which not only took the appearance of the journal to a new level but enabled significant savings in design and production costs freeing up money for other activities, especially supporting the Conservation and Research Fund (CRF). In addition to such ‘internal’ savings, Keith was extremely successful in increasing the number of Corporate Members and attracting external funding for the CRF, particularly from natural history tour companies. This success was reflected in the value of the grants provided by the CRF which totalled almost £29,000 between 2003 and 2008. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of OSME to express the Society’s sincere thanks for everything that was achieved or initiated under Keith’s chairmanship and to wish him continuing success now that he is Chairman of the African Bird Club which is now benefiting from his knowledge and enthusiasm.

British Birdwatching Fair boosts OSME Conservation and Research Fund

One of the popular events at the annual British Birdwatching Fair is the Bird Brain of Britain Quiz that taxes the specialist and general ornithological knowledge of a representative of each of the four regional bird clubs. This year, OSME was represented by new Council member, Nick Moran, whose specialist subject was Rare birds in the United Arab Emirates. After each contestant had faced two Mastermind-style interrogations by quizmaster, Chris Packham, Nick was the victor winning £1,000 towards conservation or research of a globally threatened species in the OSME region. Well-earned congratulations to Nick – all of your revision paid off!

Photograph of Nick (right) receiving the Bird Brain of Britain award from Chris Packham, British Birdwatching Fair, 21 August 2010 (photographer: John Warr – OSME).

The Birds of the Middle East

The second edition of Birds of the Middle East has just been published. Written by Richard Porter and Simon Aspinall, it will be reviewed more fully in OSME’s journal, Sandgrouse but is obviously absolutely essential for any visitor to the Middle East or for anybody interested in the region.

The book can be obtained through one of OSME’s corporate sponsors NHBS - use the link on this website or go directly to www.nhbs.com. It can also be obtained from the publisher A & C Black (www.acblack.com) who very generously gave two copies of the book to OSME for use as raffle prizes. One of these was won at the OSME Summer Meeting but the second one is one of the six prizes in the annual OSME raffle – to be drawn on 30 September. If you are interested in purchasing tickets at £1.00 please contact Ian Harrison (secretary@osme.org). Monies earned will go into the Conservation and Research Fund.

National Geographic to go Arabic from October

An Arabic-language edition of The National Geographic magazine, which dates back to 1888, is to be published from October and distributed across the GCC as well as in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.

See the following link:
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100802/BUSINESS/708029953/1005

Ibis on the move

Following the successful, and ground-breaking, transfer of a small number of Northern Bald Ibis from the semi-wild population at Birecik, Turkey to the only known wild breeding colony in Syria, the birds are now on their way to wintering grounds in southern Arabia and Ethiopia. Currently, the wintering area of juvenile ibis is unknown so discovering this will make a major contribution to developing strategies for long term conservation of the ibis, the rarest bird in the Middle East. Follow the story at www.rspb.org.uk/ibistracking

The Nature of Iraq – from Marshes to Mountains

4 - 25 July 2010 at the BIRDscapes Gallery, Glandford in North Norfolk, England.

Photo courtesy by Mudhafar Salim for the marsh, Omar Fadil for the Marbled Ducks

Hosted by Nature Iraq and BirdLife International.

A story in photographs and words of the work of Nature Iraq in a forgotten wildlife paradise.

The exhibition will show, through photographs, the wonderful scenery and wildlife of Iraq as well as tell the story of the work of Nature Iraq. Over the last six years NI has made summer and winter surveys of the Mesopotamian Marshes, the western steppes and the woods and mountains of Kurdistan - to help identify the key biodiversity areas for conservation action. In addition educational books on wildlife have been produced - including a field guide in Arabic - and a programme started to tackle irresponsible hunting and persecution. There will be a sale of prints, greeting cards and other items in support of Nature Iraq. There will also be a sale of specially commissioned artwork on the wildlife of Iraq.

OSME Summer Meeting 2010

The Programme for this year's OSME's Summer Meeting and AGM is now finalised. It will be held from 11.00 on Saturday 10 July at BTO, Thetford, Norfolk. Doors open 10.00. All welcome. Speakers include Simon Busuttil, Raffael Ayé, Manuel Schweizer, Azzam Alwash, Graham Lobley, Geoff Welch. Countries and topics covered include Afghanistan (Conservation in a Conflict Zone), Tajikistan (Discovery of Large-billed Reed Warbler), Iraq (Conservation Issues), Saudi Arabia (Birding in an Underwatched Country), Central Asia in general (Important IBAs). Join us for dinner at Watton’s Restaurant in Thetford afterwards. Contact secretary@osme.org for further details.

There is ample free parking. The bus station is about 10 minutes walk away and the railway station about 15 minutes. Road access is via the A11 London-Norwich road, connecting with the A14 from the north and Midlands. There are regular trains on the Birmingham-Norwich line, and also from Cambridge and London Kings Cross. We look forward to seeing you there. There is ample free parking. The bus station is about 10 minutes walk away and the railway station about 15 minutes. Road access is via the A11 London-Norwich road, connecting with the A14 from the north and Midlands. There are regular trains on the Birmingham-Norwich line, and also from Cambridge and London Kings Cross. We look forward to seeing you there.

Provisional Programme

11.00 Introduction – Geoff Welch, Chairman

11.15 Afghanistan - Birding and Conservation in a (post) Conflict Situation. Simon Busuttil

12.00 Large-billed Reed Warbler in Tadjikistan Raffael Ayé & Manuel Schweizer

12.45 Lunch break

A range of sandwiches and drinks will be available

13.45 32nd Annual General Meeting

14.15 Conservation Issues in Iraq Azzam Alwash

15.00 Short break

15.15 Birding Saudi Arabia Graham Lobley

16.00 Important Bird Areas in Central Asia – Geoff Welch

16.45 Drawing of raffle and closing remarks.

17.00 Close of meeting

We have arranged a dinner at Watton’s Restaurant in Thetford after the meeting. We hope you will be able to join us at this social occasion. Please let Ian Harrison know on 01545 571022 or by email at ianbirds@gmail.com – from whom further details can also be obtained.

A Final Programme will be available at the meeting.

32nd Annual General Meeting

Copies of the Minutes of the 31st AGM and the Accounts for 2009 will be available at the meeting. If you would like copies in advance please write to the Secretary, OSME, c/o The Lodge, SANDY, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK or e-mail:secretary@osme.org

Agenda

1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of the 31st Annual General Meeting (July 2009)
3. Matters arising
4. Presentation and adoption of the Accounts for 2009
5. Appointment of accounts examiner for 2010
6. Election of Officers

Vice-Presidents (10 year term)

The following are continuing in office:
Imad Atrash (2012); Dr Ghassan Ramadan-Jaradi (2012); Mrs Mona Ramadan-Jaradi (2012); Ramaz Gokhelashvili (2016); Sherif Baha el Din (2016); Ali bin Amer Al Kiyumi (2016); Dan Alon (2017); Dr Akram Eissa Darwish (2017); Ali Adhami Mirhosseyni (2018); Sergey Sklyarenko (2018). Azzam Alwash (2019)

Nomination: Melis Charalambides (Cyprus)

Council Members (Trustees elected for a 5 year term)

The following are continuing in office:
Geoff Welch (Chairman, 2012); Ian Harrison (Secretary, 2013); Robert Sheldon (2014); Mike Blair (ORL List master) (2013); Guy Kirwan (Librarian) (2012); Richard Bonser (2012); Chris Lamsdell (Advertising) (2011); Richard Prior (Publicity) (2011);

Sharif Al Jabour and Colin Richardson will be ending their term of office at this year’s AGM.

Currently Co-opted Council Members (appointed by the elected Council)

John Warr (Treasurer & Membership); Effie Warr (Sales & Distribution); Peter Cowan (Editor, Sandgrouse); AbdulRahman Al Sirhan (Website Manager)

Nominations
Council Members (for 5 years): Nick Moran.

Further nominations should be sent to the Secretary (e-mail: secretary@osme.org) to arrive as soon as possible. Council would be pleased to welcome any members who can assist with maintaining OSME as one of the premier regional bird clubs.

Vote on the adoption of Revised Constitution.

Any other business.

OSME is a registered charity (no. 282938)
www.osme.org

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

As indicated in last year’s Chairman’s Report, OSME started 2009 facing a year of financial restraint but thanks to concerted efforts by all of Council and excellent financial planning and management by the Treasurer, John Warr, we ended the year with a budget surplus of almost £4,000. Given the turmoils of the global economy this is no mean feat. The 2009 raffle generated much needed funds to support the day to day management of OSME and the Conservation and Research Fund and we will be running another raffle in 2010 which I hope will be even more successful. However, with rising costs in areas such as printing and postage and increasing difficulties in raising income from advertising and sales, 2010 will be another year where OSME needs to manage its finances very carefully.

Two issues of Sandgrouse were published during the year and mailing of the journal was taken over by the RSPB. After some ‘hiccups’ with the spring mailing, the new arrangements appear to be working well and has resulted in savings in both money and, importantly, time spent by the Membership Secretary and Treasurer. Good progress was also made with researching the cost of digitising back copies of Sandgrouse and the OSME Bulletin both of which we hope to soon have available on the OSME website.

In contrast to recent years, the number of applications to the Conservation and Research Fund (CRF) fell dramatically in 2009 – the reasons for this decline are unclear. Hopefully this is a temporary situation, especially as OSME has now established a partnership with the Emirates Natural History Group (Abu Dhabi) which means that more funding is available for projects in the Emirates. Only two grants were awarded in 2009 - £500 for a survey of Sooty Falcons on the Egyptian Red Sea coast and £600 towards the publication of an Arabic text guide to the wildlife of Deir ez-Zor on the Syrian Euphrates. Both of these grants were generously supported by Avifauna, the latter also included the £250 won by David Murdoch in the Bird Brain quiz at the 2008 British Birdwatching Fair. Given David’s very close association with Syria, Council feels that this was a very appropriate use of the prize money. This year Richard Prior represented OSME in the quiz and won £375 for work on endangered species in the region. In addition to the grants above, OSME also added its support to concerns voiced by national and international conservation organisations over proposed developments at the Jahra East outfall in Kuwait which threaten to destroy this important wetland. At the time of writing, the results of these interventions is unknown.

Dominic Mitchell resigned from Council early in the year due to pressure of work, we thank him for his valuable contributions to the running of the Society in recent years. At the AGM Rob Sheldon was elected onto Council and Azzam Alwash, the Director of Nature Iraq, was elected as a new Vice-President. In the autumn, AbdulRahman Al Sirhan was appointed as Website Manager and has taken on the task of redesigning and keeping the website up to date, a job that has been long overdue. There are still several key roles on Council where we are seeking new members so if you feel you can help, please do contact us.

As always, we are most grateful for the continued financial support of our Corporate Members – Avifauna, Greentours, Natural History Book Service, Rockjumper Birding Tours, Sarus Bird Tours and Sunbird.

As always, I would like to end by thanking you, the membership, for your continued support which enables OSME to continue to play an active role supporting birdwatching and conservation throughout the OSME region.

Geoff Welch

OSME Region List of birds

A new consultation document, containing a definitive list of the species recorded within the OSME region, has been prepared. We invite any comments, corrections and suggestions for improvements. See OSME Region List here.

OSME News – from the Chairman of Council, Geoff Welch

Like any organisation, OSME needs to constantly evolve and adapt to changes, especially in relation to its membership, conservation and research activities in the region and the wider global situation. One of the privileges of being Chairman of Council is that it gives an opportunity to indulge in a little ‘crystal ball gazing’ regarding how OSME could and should develop in the coming years and I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my, and Council’s, thoughts with you.
Despite the many social, political, economic and environmental difficulties currently facing many of the countries in the OSME region, there is a steadily growing number of active and extremely dedicated birdwatchers and conservationists and OSME is committed to supporting their efforts in whatever way the Society is able. The most practical means of doing this are through providing financial support via the Conservation and Research Fund and facilitating access to information and contacts locally, regionally and internationally via the Supported Membership scheme, journal exchanges and the OSME website. Inevitably all of these require money to a greater or lesser extent and therefore OSME is reliant on the support of its individual and corporate members to make this possible. Therefore in addition to continuing your membership of OSME, Council would like to encourage as many members as possible to upgrade to Supporting Members which would enable us to provide subscriptions to nationals throughout the region who are otherwise unable to pay the annual subscription fee. I know firsthand that in many countries there is a new and developing generation of birdwatchers often based around university bird groups and whilst these students have almost boundless enthusiasm they have very limited resources for optical equipment, field guides, reference material or transport. A year’s subscription to Sandgrouse is a very effective means of encouraging a continued interest in birds and conservation and as skills and knowledge increase this is already leading to an increasing number of papers being submitted for publication.
Continuing the Sandgrouse theme, Council is researching the practicality of digitising back copies of Sandgrouse and the OSME Bulletin for eventual posting on the OSME web site to make this valuable archive available to all, especially as many of the earlier issues of Sandgrouse are no longer available in print. The challenge is to find a means of doing this cost-effectively but we hope to be able to make a start on this project within the coming year. Sandgrouse itself has undergone a redesign recently and now has much more colour throughout and is continuing to be at the forefront of bird club publications providing an excellent mix of scientific and popular articles presented in a modern, attractive format. Following the very popular Syrian Checklist (Sandgrouse Supplement 2), there is an increasing interest from organisations in the region for more of this type of publication and preliminary planning is underway for checklists for the United Arab Emirates and Central Asia.